The HMRC has a list of things to consider when you appoint a customs intermediary. Customs intermediaries (or customs brokers) can be extremely useful for helping you with your customs processes and helping you to ensure that your business is still able to conduct trade smoothly. It’s really important that the company you use completely understands your business to avoid any complications.
Why Should I Use a Customs Broker?
If you conduct trade between Great Britain and EU member states, then a customs broker is a great choice for you. You will have probably noticed a huge change in the way you move your goods since the end of the transition period on 1st January 2021 and come to the realisation that customs processes are complex. A customs broker will be able to handle your import and export declarations for you, making trade a lot less stressful. CustomsLink can handle your declarations and also offers additional services such as helping your hauliers to complete their ENS/SSDs and Port Passes (PBN, SI-BREXIT, GVMS).
Choosing the Right Customs Broker
Making sure that you choose the right customs broker is essential. It’s important that your goods are in the best hands for the job that you are asking for assistance with.
For example, making sure you choose a customs broker that will be able to complete your declarations within a realistic time-period for your business and in a cost-effective way will prove to be critical when you start moving your goods. CustomsLink’s focus is on making the customs process as efficient as possible for the whole supply chain. Preventing delays and unnecessary costs.
What Goods are you Transporting?
The goods that you transport are a vital aspect when choosing a customs broker. Most brokers will have expertise within a certain industry, and it is vital that you choose a broker that has experience within yours.
We cater for most sectors, including -
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Construction materials
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Paper
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Clothing and fabrics
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Furniture and furnishings
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Glass
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Plastics
How Often Do You Move Your Goods and How Many Declarations Do You Make?
Making sure that the customs broker you choose is able to accommodate the rate at which you move your goods is essential to maintain lead times and prevent delays. If you are shipping large quantities of goods on a regular basis then you need to work with a customs broker that can accommodate those needs.
With our scalable, online platform, CustomsLink can accommodate regular, large shipments of goods as well as smaller more sporadic movements.
Where Are You Moving Your Goods To/From?
It’s important that the customs broker that you choose can support the movement of your goods within the relevant jurisdiction. Customs procedures can differ between the countries that you are conducting trade with. Make sure that the broker can accommodate your requirements.
CustomsLink is able to assist your business with your GB and Irish imports and exports.
When Do My Goods Need to Arrive?
It’s important that your customs broker can move swiftly enough to ensure that your goods reach their destination at the appropriate time. We know that you have pressure to meet the demands of your supply chain, that’s why we can organise your customs declarations for you in minutes (something that can take other customs brokers days to complete). Making sure that you use a broker that is able to meet your demand is important. We want your customers to receive their goods on time.
How Much Customs Knowledge Do You Have?
Some customs brokers may make it seem like it’s compulsory for you to have a wealth of customs knowledge and pressure you to purchase training for your staff. At CustomsLink, you will find the opposite is true. We can handle the whole process so there’s no need for you to spend additional time and money on training or recruiting a customs team. We make the customs process simple, giving you more time to spend running your business.
At CustomsLink, we are driven by the goal of making trade simple. If you use CustomsLink as your customs broker, you will also be given a dedicated account manager who will ensure that everything runs smoothly. When you use CustomsLink, you are our priority.
