To ship successfully, it is essential to provide accurate and clear information on all of your shipping documents, especially when describing the goods being shipped. A clear and accurate description gives customs authorities the information required for smooth clearance and helps avoid any unnecessary delays.
What is the item description?
It’s a detailed description of the goods you’re shipping - and it’s mandatory to be stated in the customs declaration or commercial invoice. A clear description gives customs authorities the information they need to assess taxes and duties. It’s also necessary to check if your goods are allowed to enter the country or not.
What details do I need to provide?
Ask yourself these questions when describing the item you're shipping:
What is the item?
What is it made of?
What is it used for?
For clothing or apparel products, it's also required to mention:
Gender: For men, women, unisex, or children.
Construction: Whether it's woven, knitted/crocheted, or not.
ⓘ Those information are all required by customs authority to confirm the HS Code and duty/tax rate of each item.
The item description should be specific, not vague. If your shipment contains branded items, include the brand and model number along with the description, e.g.: "UrShipper Unisex Crewneck Shirt of 65% Cotton and 35% Polyester - Not Knitted or Crocheted", and don’t just rely on your company product name/code for your item description.
Why is it important?
Be noted that the customs at the destination country wants to know what exactly every item in your shipment is, along with the quantity and the value of each individual item, to decide whether the item is allowed to be imported into the country or not, and to assess the correct import duty/tax rates if applicable.
What happens if I write a vague item description?
⛔ Shipments with vague item descriptions is highly exposed to customs issues. It can be held, or worse, could be rejected and be returned to origin (RTO) by the customs authorities.
✅ An accurate, complete, and clear item description, especially back with proper HS Code is the best way to ensure your package doesn’t get trouble in customs.
What is a good and bad example?
Vague/Bad Description: Nut
Clear/Good Description: Hexagonal Bicycle Nut of Aluminium
Other examples of unacceptable and acceptable item descriptions:
Unacceptable | Acceptable |
|---|---|
Clothing | - Women's Knitted Summer Dress of Cotton |
Shoes | - Pair of Men's Handmade Leather Shoes |
Jewelry | - Fashion Ring of Brass |
Artwork | - Oil Painting on Canvas with Wooden Frame - Decoration Ornament of Concrete Sculpture |