Products shipped via Amazon Global Logistics must comply with customs regulations and duty requirements. To ensure compliance, you will be asked to provide or review a variety of product information when booking transportation or later in the shipping process.
For more information, see these Help topics:
Restricted products and dangerous goods (hazmat)
Importer setup and customs compliance
Using Send to Amazon to book transportation with Amazon Global Logistics
After you book: bill of lading, shipment tracking, changing a booking
A commodity description is a brief account of a product being imported and is required for each item that you ship. Customs clearance begins with commodity descriptions on a bill of lading (BOL).
Clear, accurate and detailed commodity descriptions help reduce clearance and delivery times and ensure that your shipment complies with regulations. Vague, inaccurate or incomplete descriptions can result in delivery delays, customs duties being incorrectly calculated, your shipment being held or rejected by customs, or all of the above. You may also be subject to financial penalties or other actions by customs authorities if your commodity descriptions are inaccurate.
Commodity descriptions must have precise information so that customs authorities can identify and verify the shape, physical characteristics and packaging of each item. A good description answers the following questions:
General descriptions like ‘electronics’ are not detailed enough to meet customs regulations. Descriptions like ‘CD players’ or ‘computer monitors’ are acceptable. Make sure that your descriptions are in English.
Good description | Poor description |
---|---|
organic caffeinated coffee | general merchandise |
men's wool socks | samples |
women's leather shoes | promotional materials |
computer keyboards and computer mouse | parts |
mobile phone screensavers | see commercial invoice |
men’s 100% wool trousers | trousers |
women’s cotton jogging bottoms | |
laptop computers | electronics |
mobile phone charger and adapter | |
CD players |
The manufacturer is the party that made or assembled your products. Manufacturer information is required for all textile and clothing imports. If your products are not textile or clothing products and you do not know the manufacturer, list one of the following as the supplier:
The product origin is the country where a product was originally manufactured. It is not necessarily the country from which you are shipping the item.
Most countries classify globally traded goods using tariff classification codes. These codes determine the customs value of products and flag requirements for partner government agencies (PGAs).
Accurate Harmonised System (HS) codes (also known as TARIC) help reduce clearance and shipping times, and ensure that your shipment complies with regulations. Inaccurate codes can result in shipment delays, customs duties being incorrectly calculated, your shipment being held or rejected by customs, or all of the above. You may also be subject to financial penalties or other actions by customs authorities if your HS codes are inaccurate.
The World Customs Organization offers several tools to help sellers find appropriate tariff codes for their goods. The European Commission also provides a database for checking tariff codes, and the UK provides a separate database for checking tariff codes.
For more information, visit Amazon Global Logistics importer setup and customs compliance.
Many products such as toys, electronics, and medical devices require CE marking and an EU declaration of conformity before they can be imported and sold in the EU.
CE marking indicates that the manufacturer has certified that a product complies with EU safety, health, and environmental-protection requirements. For more information, including a list of product groups, visit the European Union website.
Many products such as toys, electronics and medical devices require a conformity mark and a declaration of conformity before they can be imported and sold in the UK.
Products first made available in the UK or EU on or before December 31, 2020 require a CE mark and EU Declaration of Conformity. CE marking indicates that the manufacturer has certified that a product complies with EU safety, health and environmental-protection requirements. For more information, see list of product groups, and visit the European Union website.
Products that are first made available in the EU or UK on or before December 31, 2020 can continue to circulate until they reach their end user and do not need to comply with the changes that take effect from January 1, 2021. You can retain evidence of when products were first made available in the UK or EU by keeping documents including contracts of sale, invoices, and documents concerning the shipping of goods for distribution.
Products first made available in Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales) after December 31, 2020 require UKCA marking and a UK declaration of conformity before they can be imported and sold in the UK after the end of the transition period (currently December 31, 2020). UKCA marking indicates that the manufacturer has certified that a product complies with EU safety, health, and environmental-protection requirements. For more information, see list of product groups, and visit the UK government website.
Different rules apply to goods you sell in: (1) Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales) and (2) Northern Ireland (please see below).
Northern Ireland
Please note that different rules will apply in NI from January 1, 2021 as a result of the Northern Ireland Protocol. In particular: