Customs brokers for small business

Do you need a customs broker?

No law says you must hire one. An importer can file its own entries, but that takes ABI certification with CBP (CBP), or software that does it for you. Strix, for example, sells self-filing at $30 per entry after a $500 onboarding fee (Strix). If your goods come by courier, UPS, FedEx or DHL usually clears them through their own brokerage and bills you.

You will want a broker in these cases:

• Shipments over $2,500. These generally need a formal entry and a bond (19 CFR 143.21, per Greenwich Mercantile).
• Any ocean freight. The Importer Security Filing is due 24 hours before loading abroad, and each violation can cost $5,000 (CBP).
• Regulated goods. Food, cosmetics, supplements, plants, wood, chemicals and children's products all need partner agency data.
• Goods with stacked tariffs. Section 301 forced labor duties of 10% or 12.5% have applied to goods of 60 economies since July 24, 2026, on top of regular rates (Livingston). A wrong code costs real money in either direction.

What changed when de minimis ended

Until mid-2025, most shipments worth $800 or less entered duty-free with little paperwork. Here is how that closed:

• Early 2025: China and Hong Kong lost de minimis first.
• August 29, 2025: Executive Order 14324 suspended duty-free de minimis for all countries (Benesch).
• February 20, 2026: Executive Order 14388 kept the suspension in place after the Supreme Court struck down the IEEPA tariffs (Thomson Reuters).
• June 24, 2026: CBP published rules making the suspension a standing regulation (Federal Register). A separate rule for mail took effect July 24, 2026 (CBP Bulletin).
• August 13, 2026: The Court of International Trade upheld the suspension (Troutman).
• July 1, 2027: A statute repeals de minimis for commercial shipments from all countries (Mondaq).

CBP's own counts show the shift. Informal entry summaries went from 5.2 million in FY2024 to 15.4 million in FY2025 and 76.3 million in FY2026 through July 27, 2026 (CBP trade statistics).

What it means for a small seller:

• Each commercial shipment needs an entry, informal or formal.
• At $2,500 or less, most goods can go on an informal entry, with a CBP processing fee of $2.77.
• Broker fees don't shrink with value. On a $600 order, a $90 to $150 entry fee is a big share of the cost. Consolidating small orders into fewer, larger entries usually cuts the cost per unit.

Your first-shipment checklist

Work through these in order, and start before the goods ship, not when they land.

1. Get your importer number. CBP identifies the importer of record by an IRS EIN, a Social Security number or a CBP-assigned number, set up on CBP Form 5106 (CBP). Most US businesses use their EIN, and your broker can submit the 5106. Get the legal name and addresses exactly right. Since September 18, 2026, CBP can void an importer number immediately if that data is inaccurate (CBP Customs Bulletin).
2. Get a bond. Formal entries and ISF need one. A single-entry bond covers one shipment. A continuous bond covers a year of entries and ISF, for the greater of $50,000 or 10% of the prior year's duties, taxes and fees (AACB). You pay a premium, not the face amount.
3. Sign the power of attorney with the broker. The broker must sign it directly with you, not through your forwarder (19 CFR 111.36(c)(3); CBP). Expect to send company documents so the broker can verify who you are (CBP POA job aid).
4. Classify your goods. Each product needs a 10-digit HTS code and a country of origin. The code sets the duty rate and any extra Section 301 or 232 lines. Give the broker what each item is made of and what it is used for, and ask for the codes and the reasoning in writing. As the importer, you carry the risk if a code is wrong.
5. File the ISF if it ships by ocean. Your supplier has to send the data in time for a filing 24 hours before loading. Agree on who chases it. Air and truck shipments don't need an ISF.
6. Check partner agency rules before you order. FDA, USDA, EPA, CPSC, Fish and Wildlife and others may need permits, certificates or prior notice. Clearit, for one, charges $35 per agency filing and $35 for FDA prior notice (Clearit). Goods without the right filings can be held at the port.
7. Decide how duties get paid. Estimated duties are due within 10 working days of release. Most brokers pay CBP for you and add a disbursement fee, which is 5% of duties and fees at Clearit. Ask whether you can pay CBP directly instead.
8. Open your own ACE Portal account. It lets you see every entry filed under your number, check your broker's work, and receive refunds by ACH (CBP).

What it costs: a worked example

An $8,000 air shipment with 4 HTS lines, a single-entry bond, and a combined duty rate of 10% chosen for illustration, at Clearit's published prices:

Fees other than duty come to $321.26, about 4% of the goods' value. By ocean you would add a $50 ISF, a $90 ISF bond without a continuous bond, and the 0.125% harbor maintenance fee. MPF figures are CBP's FY2027 rates, in effect since October 1, 2026 (Juno Logistics).

On the bond: Clearit's continuous bond is $500 a year. At $75 per air entry, it pays off on the seventh formal entry. By ocean, where you'd also pay the $90 ISF bond, it pays off on the fourth. Run your own numbers in our customs broker cost calculator.

How to pick a broker as a small business

Large brokers rarely publish rates and quote per account. For a small account, look for these:

• Published or itemized prices. Entry fee, lines included, ISF, bond, disbursement percentage and post-entry work.
• Experience with your products. Ask which partner agencies and HTS chapters they file most.
• Advice, not only filing. Ask whether they explain classifications and tell you when rules change, or only process what you send.
• A named licensed broker. Get the license number and the name of the person who supervises your entries.

Our guide on how to choose a customs broker has the full list of questions and red flags. Selling on Amazon? See customs brokers for Amazon sellers.

IEEPA refunds for small importers

If your company was the importer of record on entries that paid IEEPA duties, between February 4, 2025 and February 23, 2026, you may be owed money. CBP takes claims through CAPE in the ACE Portal. Only the importer of record or the broker that filed the entries can file, and CBP charges nothing (CBP).

• Small refunds are worth filing yourself. Brokers bill by the entry, and a few hundred dollars of refund may not be worth their time unless you agree a price first. Filing in ACE takes an Importer sub-account, ACH refund details and a CSV of entry numbers.
• Compare fees before you hand it off. Clearit charges $200 plus 4% of the expected refund (Clearit). Western Overseas charges 5% with a $500 minimum, for entries it filed (Western Overseas).
• Courier imports. Where UPS itself was the importer of record, UPS says refunds go out without customer action. If you were the importer, you can ask UPS to file (UPS).
• Watch for scams. CBP never asks for payment or bank details to process a refund, and you should never share your ACE password (CBP CSMS #68569567).

Entries liquidated more than 80 days ago need a protest or a court case. See our IEEPA tariff refund guide for each route, and check the provider profiles for Clearit and UPS for their refund terms.

Brokers that take on small importers

These licensed brokers publish prices, sell online to first-time importers, or say they work with small and e-commerce sellers. USA Customs Clearance sells bonds and importer registration online; Strix offers both full brokerage and self-filing. Compare their fees and the products they clear before you call.