Compare brokers / Western Overseas
Western Overseas
Independent West Coast forwarder and customs broker
Independent brokerSmall importers and e-commerceIEEPA refunds
Western Overseas has operated since 1948 from Cypress, California, and has 23 offices. It offers forwarding, customs brokerage, warehousing, cargo insurance, carnets and e-commerce services for Amazon FBA and direct-to-consumer sellers. It is one of the few brokers that has published its IEEPA refund fee.
Best for: West Coast importers, including Amazon FBA and DTC sellers, who want a capped refund fee
Refund 5%, max $20k
- ✓ Publishes prices
- ✓ Files CAPE refunds
- – Duty drawback
- ✓ Takes small importers
1 Legal nameWestern Overseas Corporation
2 HeadquartersCypress, CA
3 Founded1948
4 Size125+ employees; 23 offices
5 CBP licenseNot disclosed
6 TechnologyNot disclosed
7 Published pricesIEEPA refund service: 5% of the refund per entry (before offsets), minimum $500, capped at $20,000.
8 IEEPA refundsFiles CAPE declarations for entries it originally filed, for 5% of the refund with a $500 minimum and a $20,000 cap.
Services confirmed by a source
- ✓ Customs entries
- ✓ CAPE refund filing
- ✓ Trade compliance consulting
- ✓ Freight forwarding
- ✓ Warehousing
- ✓ E-commerce (Amazon FBA and DTC)
Where we recommend them
- Best for IEEPA refunds with a published fee, an alternative.
Worth knowing before you sign
- Only files CAPE for entries it originally filed.
- Refunds are routed through the broker’s pooled bank account before being paid out; CBP’s default is a direct ACH payment to the importer.
- The refund service excludes audits, CBP audit defense and protests against offsets or denials.
- Fee terms come from a template addendum; confirm them in your signed agreement.
Sources
- Western Overseas: about us
- Western Overseas: IEEPA refund service addendum (PDF)
- The Loadstar: brokers eyeing 10–15% of tariff refunds
Work at Western Overseas? Send corrections with a source to editors@bestcustomsbrokers.com. We fix verified errors within five business days.
Compare with
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