When running a business, ensuring a steady supply chain is essential. This is relatively easy when you are sourcing goods. But if you are getting them from abroad, then it becomes a lot more challenging. One of the biggest roadblocks when importing these goods is customs processing. You might not have enough people to meet such requirements. Virtua has the outsourcing solution that will be right up your alley. Check out how you can outsource customs to us.
The Challenge Of Customs Procedures For A Startup Business
As it is, doing customs can be a complex process. You will have to navigate a web of protocols, procedures, and regulations to even get your goods out of the shipping country. And you have to repeat all of that once everything arrives on shore. Here are some of the common obstacles you will encounter along the way.
The Challenge Of Changing Regulations
The biggest challenge to effectively doing custom procedures is not within the process but outside of it. As it is, the customs procedures you go through follow major trade laws. Any changes in these laws, even those not directly related to customs, will significantly affect these procedures.
Image from Liquidity.
Here, the challenge lies in keeping up with such developments. You need to keep track of such changes and plan how to respond to them. It can be hard if you are already dealing with other business process concerns.
The Challenge Of Logistics
Zooming in, doing customs procedures is also a logistic challenge in itself. That is especially the case when you are conducting trade with different countries. Each of these would often require specific procedures that you have to go with.
Image from Grupo Maritima Sureste.
Here, you will often need to hire individual agents to handle each customs pipeline. But this is not always an option for a small startup like yours. You will need a strategy that can accomplish everything more efficiently.
What Outsourcing Offers For Customs Processes
With the complexity of customs procedures, you might wonder whether outsourcing would indeed be a good idea. Here are some reasons why you want to follow through with this move.
Getting Consistent Results
As mentioned above, the customs scene can constantly change as new regulations come into play. Outsourcing can help you keep up with these changes. External customs providers monitor these changes so that you don’t have to. They then ensure that your customs processing workflow remains consistent throughout these changes.
Controlling Costs
As you might have experienced, the cost of customs proceedings can quickly grow. Even slight deviations can incur a lot of money on your imported goods. Outsourced customs teams ensure that such costs are kept to a minimum. They have plenty of experience handling such situations to get the best results.
Image from Excelsior.
Additionally, these providers can scale their services readily to suit your specific needs. That makes it easier to ensure that your customs spending is within the correct range.
Operational Flexibility
Outsourcing your customs procedures can also give you greater operational flexibility. Here, the outsourced team can give you better advice on potential development in the custom scene. That advice doesn’t just end here, as it can give you insights into related areas such as business processing. These tasks are themselves essential for customs proceedings.
What Virtua Offers For Outsourcing Customs Processes
While Virtua isn’t a dedicated customs service provider, we can help you in various capacities. Some of the customs-related tasks that our team can handle for you include:
- Tariff classification: We can help you determine and implement the applicable tariff codes for your shipment.
- Import declaration monitoring and review: Our team will review your import declaration papers and verify that all pertinent details are correct. We also coordinate with your brokers for clarifications and corrections.
- Accessing free trade agreements: Our agents will research existing free trade between your host country and the import source. We then study how these agreements can be applied to your transactions.
- Resolving import/export sanction hits: In case your shipment is affected by sanctions, our team can help legal experts review the issue and determine a way to resolve it.
Aside from these tasks, we can work with trade experts in more specialized customs situations. We continuously coordinate with you for these special customs duties to ensure that we accomplish them.
Providing Additional Support Work
However, the work does not end with your imports through customs. As part of Virtua’s mission to deliver a comprehensive business solution for you, we can also handle post-customs duties. These tasks include the following.
- Arranging shipment to bring goods to your warehouse
- Inventory of the shipment
- Coordinating with company departments for distribution
- Monitoring of items.
Here, you don’t have a separate team for these duties. Our agents can quickly jump from customs duties to these tasks, ensuring continuity in your supply chain.
Get The Best Customs Outsourcing Solutions For Your Startup Business
With international trade booming, you would want to take advantage of it for your startup business. Virtua Solutions Outsourcing is ready to help you with all your customs needs here. Give us a call today and let’s get started.