Five real questions on export shipping and customs clearance, answered on this date and archived here once the next day's set went live.
Knocked-down furniture ships disassembled and is built on-site, packing far more efficiently into a container — often 2x or more units per container versus pre-assembled. Pre-assembled furniture is ready to use immediately on arrival but wastes container space, which usually makes it more expensive per unit to ship for a bulk order. Most volume export orders default to knocked-down for this reason.
ISPM-15 is an international standard requiring wood packaging material (pallets, crates) used in international shipments to be heat-treated or fumigated against pests, marked with a compliance stamp. Shipments with non-compliant wood packaging can be held, treated, or rejected at the destination port, so confirm your supplier's packaging carries a valid ISPM-15 mark before the container is sealed.
This depends on the agreed Incoterm — under FOB, the buyer generally arranges and pays for destination customs clearance; under a Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) arrangement, the seller handles it end to end. Confirm which applies in your contract specifically, since assuming the wrong party is responsible is a common cause of delay at the destination port.
A certificate of origin is an official document confirming which country goods were manufactured in, used by destination customs to apply the correct duty rate, confirm eligibility for any trade agreement, and verify compliance with import regulations. Most export shipments need one, issued by a recognised chamber of commerce or trade body in the country of manufacture.
Self-filing is legally possible in many countries but rarely practical for a business import — a licensed customs broker understands current tariff codes, documentation requirements, and destination-specific rules, and can resolve issues quickly if a shipment gets held. For a one-off or first-time import, a broker's fee is usually worth avoiding costly delays or misclassification.