One of the wisest decisions you can take in your international business is hiring a broker. They help you settle the customs process like a piece of cake. Without their support, things may look complicated and tricky. In fact you will end up spending or wasting more time to get a clearance certificate for your goods. Another worse thing to experience is products getting spoiled at the dock.
You must find a reliable and reputed customs broking firm that can take care of all your customs requirements under one roof. Having them beside is a major support as most times you don’t even have to visit the customs office to check the updates or progress of customs procedure.
Follow these 7 factors while choosing a customs broker:
- Not all brokers bring the right experience for all types of businesses. Some have restricted services as per their expertise and qualification. Look for government recognized broking firms that you can rely on.
- Referrals are a good option to find some trusted and recommended broking firms. However, you cannot blindly follow the referrals. Performing some research on the company can help you understand their reputation, reviews, past clients, and more…
- Look for a dedicated broking team. Most international business owners hire a customs broker to work for them. They hire them on contract from a reputed broking firm. Such companies offer wider range of services and are dedicated to your business as and when required.
- Instead of blindly relying on any company, be critical in your own filtering process. Check out some real-case scenarios performed by the broking firm. Also check their qualification and assess their knowledge in customs procedures. A good customs officer or broker keeps himself/herself updated of changing laws, rules, and terms of overseas country.
- Switch to fully-automated brokers. Good broking firms use software for filing work instead of manual. Thus, you can save time, efforts, and prevent errors in the documentation work.
- Finalize a broking firm that fits your company size. Hiring a team or just one broker depends on the size and frequency of your business. From small to medium and large-scale businesses, everyone needs a broker for their international trades.
- Check the location of the customs broker. Choosing a broking firm like Clearit import broker that is close to the customs port would be wise to save cost and prevent delays.