# Landed-cost and customs guides | LandedWatch

Source: https://landedwatch.com/blog/

October 12, 2026

## [Country of Origin Marking Rules That Trip Up Importers](country-of-origin-marking-rules-importers-2026-10-15/index.md) [Incoterms Explained: Choosing Terms That Match Your Risk](incoterms-explained-choosing-2026-10-24/index.md) [Customs Valuation Methods: How Duty Is Actually Calculated](customs-valuation-methods-2026-10-24/index.md) [Duty Drawback Explained: Recovering Duties on Re-Exported Goods](duty-drawback-explained-2026-10-23/index.md) [Formal vs Informal Entry: Choosing the Right Filing Path](import-entry-types-formal-informal-2026-10-23/index.md) [Customs Bonds Explained: Single Transaction vs Continuous](customs-bond-basics-explained-2026-10-22/index.md) [Country of Origin Marking Rules: Getting Labels Right](country-of-origin-marking-rules-2026-10-22/index.md) [Duty Drawback Claims Explained: Getting Paid Back on Re-Exports](duty-drawback-claims-explained-2026-10-21/index.md) [Importer of Record Responsibilities: The Full Checklist](importer-of-record-responsibilities-2026-10-21/index.md) [Customs Bonds for Small Importers: Continuous vs Single Transaction](customs-bond-basics-small-importers-2026-10-20/index.md) [Country of Origin Marking Rules That Trip Up New Importers](country-of-origin-marking-rules-2026-10-20/index.md) [De Minimis Shipments: A Practical Checklist for Small Parcels](de-minimis-shipments-checklist-2026-10-19/index.md) [Importer of Record vs Customs Broker: Who Is Responsible for What](importer-of-record-vs-broker-2026-10-19/index.md) [Bonded Warehouse vs Foreign Trade Zone: Choosing for Cash Flow](bonded-warehouse-vs-ftz-cash-flow-2026-10-18/index.md) [Country of Origin Marking Mistakes Importers Keep Making](country-of-origin-marking-mistakes-importers-2026-10-18/index.md) [Foreign Trade Zone Basics for Small Importers](foreign-trade-zone-basics-small-importers-2026-10-17/index.md) [De Minimis Shipments: Planning After Rule Changes](de-minimis-shipments-planning-rule-changes-2026-10-17/index.md) [Duty Drawback Records: Keeping Returned Imports Eligible for Refunds](duty-drawback-records-returned-imports-2026-10-16/index.md) [Import Bond Sufficiency: Checking Your Bond Before Volume Grows](import-bond-sufficiency-checks-2026-10-16/index.md) [De Minimis and Small Parcel Imports: What Sellers Need to Track Now](de-minimis-small-parcel-imports-2026-10-15/index.md) [Drawback claims: recovering duty on goods you exported again](drawback-claims-recovering-duty-exported-goods-2026-10-14/index.md) [Post-entry corrections: fixing a customs entry after the goods have cleared](post-entry-corrections-customs-entry-fixes-2026-10-13/index.md) [Assists: when the molds, tooling, and designs you supply raise your dutiable value](assists-dutiable-value-supplied-molds-tooling-2026-10-12/index.md)

If you supply your overseas factory with molds, tooling, or designs for free or at a discount, CBP treats that as an assist and adds its value to your dutiable value. How assists work, how to value them, and how to declare them.

October 11, 2026

## [Binding rulings: getting CBP to lock in your HTS classification before you import](binding-rulings-cross-lock-hts-classification-2026-10-11/index.md)

A binding ruling from CBP locks in your product's HTS classification in writing, so a port dispute cannot reclassify your goods mid-season. How the CROSS process works, what to include, and when it is worth the wait.

October 10, 2026

## [Foreign Trade Zones: deferring, reducing, and sometimes eliminating duty on imported inventory](foreign-trade-zones-duty-deferral-inventory-2026-10-10/index.md)

Foreign Trade Zones let importers defer duty until goods leave the zone, pay the lower rate when the finished product classifies differently, and skip duty entirely on re-exports. How FTZs change landed cost math.

October 9, 2026

## [Merchandise Processing Fee and Harbor Maintenance Fee: the fees quietly hiding in your landed cost](merchandise-processing-fee-harbor-maintenance-fee-landed-cost-2026-10-09/index.md)

MPF and HMF add up to about 0.5 percent on every US ocean import, and most Shopify importers never break them out. How each fee is calculated, where they appear on your customs entry, and how to model them in landed-cost math.

October 8, 2026

## [UK VAT registration: when overseas sellers must register and what it changes at checkout](uk-vat-registration-overseas-sellers-checkout-2026-10-08/index.md)

The UK has no VAT registration threshold for overseas sellers: the first sale to a UK customer triggers the obligation. What registration requires, how it changes your checkout, and why it is not the same as IOSS.

October 7, 2026

## [ICS2 ENS filing: the pre-loading declaration your EU shipments cannot skip](ics2-ens-filing-eu-preloading-declaration-2026-10-07/index.md)

The EU now requires an Entry Summary Declaration before goods are loaded for Europe. What the ICS2 ENS filing asks for, who is responsible, and what happens to Shopify shipments when it is missing.

October 6, 2026

## [The first sale rule: a legal way to lower your dutiable value](first-sale-rule-cut-dutiable-value-2026-10-06/index.md)

The first sale rule lets importers pay duty on the factory price instead of the middleman markup. How it works, what CBP requires, and when it makes sense for Shopify importers.

October 5, 2026

## [Anti-dumping and countervailing duties: the surprise tariff that hits Shopify importers mid-season](anti-dumping-countervailing-duties-shopify-importers-2026-10-05/index.md)

Anti-dumping and countervailing duties can add 20 to 200 percent on top of your normal tariff rate, and they arrive mid-season with no warning. What they are, how they hit Shopify importers, and how to see them coming.

October 4, 2026

## [Related-party pricing and transfer pricing adjustments: how they change your duty bill](related-party-pricing-transfer-pricing-duty-impact-2026-10-04/index.md)

When you buy from your own factory or a related supplier, customs may not accept your invoice price. How related-party pricing rules, transfer pricing adjustments, and year-end true-ups change the duty you owe.

October 3, 2026

## [The first sale rule: how multi-tier supply chains legally lower the duty base](first-sale-rule-lower-duty-base-multi-tier-supply-chain-2026-10-03/index.md)

If your goods pass through a middleman before reaching you, you may be paying duty on the wrong price. The first sale rule and the paperwork that makes it stick.

October 2, 2026

## [How tariff engineering legally lowers your duty rate before you redesign a product](tariff-engineering-lower-duty-rate-before-redesign-2026-10-02/index.md)

Tariff engineering changes the duty rate by changing the product, not the paperwork. The three levers, when to use them, and the documentation that survives a customs audit.

October 1, 2026

## [Customs valuation for Shopify brands: how the transaction value method sets your duty base](customs-valuation-transaction-value-duty-base-2026-10-01/index.md)

Duties are charged on the customs value of your goods, not your retail price. How the transaction value method works, which costs get added in, and the valuation mistakes that cost Shopify brands real money.

September 30, 2026

## [How duty drawback recovers tariffs you already paid on re-exported goods](duty-drawback-reexports-recover-paid-tariffs-2026-09-30/index.md)

If you import goods and later re-export them, you may be owed a refund of up to 99 percent of the duties paid. How drawback works, what disqualifies a claim, and why most brands leave this money on the table.

September 29, 2026

## [Are foreign trade zones and bonded warehouses worth it for cross-border Shopify brands?](ftz-bonded-warehouse-duty-deferral-2026-09-29/index.md)

Duty deferral through FTZs and bonded warehouses can free up serious cash, but the setup cost and compliance burden are real. When the math works and when it does not.

September 28, 2026

## [How cross-border returns change your landed-cost math](cross-border-returns-duty-landed-cost-math-2026-09-28/index.md)

A cross-border return is not the reverse of the sale. Duties you may never recover, re-import rules, and the policy levers that change the math.

September 27, 2026

## [How to read a courier duty invoice and spot overcharges](how-to-read-courier-duty-invoice-overcharges-2026-09-27/index.md)

Courier duty invoices are hard to read on purpose. Decode the line items, verify the math, and recover the overcharges most Shopify brands never notice.

September 26, 2026

## [De minimis keeps moving: the Shopify settings to review every quarter](de-minimis-quarterly-shopify-review/index.md)

Low-value duty rules changed again in 2026. A quarterly review that keeps your shipping zones, delivery profiles, and duty estimates in line with the current rules.

September 25, 2026

## [When your supplier changes countries, your duty math changes too](supplier-country-change-duty-reset/index.md)

A supplier move can quietly reset the duty rate on every affected SKU. The recheck order that keeps the first shipment from surprising you.

September 24, 2026

## [How to build a duty budget for a cross-border promo](duty-budget-cross-border-promo/index.md)

Holiday promos change your effective duty exposure per order. How to budget duties SKU by SKU before the sale starts.

September 23, 2026

## [What should trigger a landed-cost alert when EU duty rules change?](what-triggers-landed-cost-alert-eu-duty-changes/index.md)

The signals worth watching, numeric thresholds that matter, and who should get notified when EU duty rules move.

September 22, 2026

## [The EU Customs Data Hub: what Shopify brands should prepare now](eu-customs-data-hub-shopify-prep/index.md)

Centralized EU customs data means incomplete SKU data gets rejected consistently. A practical preparation checklist.

September 14, 2026

## [What is landed cost for Shopify orders shipped to the EU in 2026?](what-is-landed-cost-shopify-eu-orders-2026/index.md)

A plain-English landed-cost formula for US Shopify brands shipping to EU customers after the July 2026 low-value duty change.

September 14, 2026

## [How should a Shopify brand clean up HS codes and country-of-origin data?](how-to-clean-up-hs-codes-country-of-origin-shopify/index.md)

A practical SKU-level workflow for fixing HS classification and origin data before calculating EU and UK duties.

September 14, 2026

## [DDP vs DAP: which is better for Shopify brands selling to the EU and UK?](ddp-vs-dap-shopify-eu-uk/index.md)

A practical comparison of delivered-duty-paid and duties-on-delivery checkout experiences for cross-border DTC orders.

## Get a free landed-cost audit

We map your duty exposure SKU by SKU and you keep the report either way.

[Request the free audit](mailto:hello@landedwatch.com?subject=Free%20landed-cost%20audit%20-%20landedwatch.com)