customs_optimization
Reduce duty costs by identifying applicable customs optimization levers such as duty drawback, foreign-trade zones, and bonded warehousing, with quantified savings for your specific shipment parameters.
Instructions
Find the DUTY-SAVING levers a customs broker knows but the importer usually does not — and quantify each against your shipment's REAL landed-cost duty. Give a product (or HS code) + the lane + the FOB value + your trade FLOW (import & sell / re-export / import-components-assemble-re-export / store), and it returns, ranked by saving: DUTY DRAWBACK (US 99% recovery of duties on goods you re-export — honestly flagging that Section 301 is NOT drawback-eligible, the big China carve-out); FOREIGN-TRADE ZONE / FREE ZONE (eliminate duty on the re-exported share, defer it on the rest, inverted-tariff election); BONDED / CUSTOMS WAREHOUSE (defer the duty cash-flow until withdrawal, or avoid it on re-export); EU/UK INWARD PROCESSING (suspend duty on inputs you process & re-export) and OUTWARD PROCESSING (duty only on value added abroad); FIRST-SALE valuation (US — value on the lower factory price, cutting MFN AND 301 proportionally); and TARIFF ENGINEERING (legally reclassify to a lower-duty HS line). Each lever shows the money saved, whether it's cash-back vs cash-flow-deferral vs a rate/base cut, and the catch — plus a clearance-workflow checklist. Reuses the real landed-cost engine so the duty base, 301/232/FTA stack and import VAT are genuine. ⚠️ Aduanas are complex: every figure is MODELED, INDICATIVE planning intelligence, NOT customs/legal/tax advice — confirm eligibility and obtain binding rulings with a licensed broker (regla 7). PREMIUM: pay per call with x402 (USDC on Base) or a prepaid key. Same UN/LOCODE port normalization as get_spot_rate.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| origin_port | Yes | Origin port (city name, UN/LOCODE, or 'City, Country'). | |
| dest_port | Yes | Destination port — its country sets the customs bloc & regimes. | |
| container_type | No | Container '20ft'/'40ft'/'40HC'. Optional; default '40ft'. | |
| product | No | Product description to classify (e.g. 'bluetooth earbuds'). Provide this OR hs_code. | |
| hs_code | No | Explicit HS code (6+ digits). Provide this OR product. | |
| fob_value | Yes | Merchandise value (FOB) in USD. REQUIRED — it's the duty base. | |
| flow | No | The goods flow: 'import-consume' (sell domestically, default), 'import-reexport', 'import-assemble' (components→assemble→re-export), or 'import-store'. Free text accepted. |