29 Days Until the EU Parcel Tax: Why DHL, FedEx and UPS Are Sounding the Alarm for All EU Importers
On May 22, 2026, the CEOs of DHL Express Europe, FedEx Europe, and UPS EMEA signed a joint letter to European Union finance ministers warning that the planned €3 flat-rate duty on all parcels valued below €150, taking effect July 1, 2026, risks clogging EU border checks and disrupting supply chains across the bloc if […]
2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season: What IT Hardware, Medtech and Equipment Importers Must Do Before August
The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season starts today, June 1. NOAA’s official forecast predicts 8 to 14 named storms, 3 to 6 hurricanes, and 1 to 3 major hurricanes. The agency assigns 55% probability to a below-normal season driven by El Niño. Colorado State University aligns closely: 13 named storms, 6 hurricanes, 2 major storms. Both […]
CBP Customs Audit 2026: How AI Targeting Works and What IT, Medtech and Equipment Importers Must Do Now
The numbers define the scale of what is happening. In FY2024, CBP collected $117.7 million from importer audits across the full year. By June 2025, FY25 collections had already reached $192.77 million from 348 completed audits, with $37.88 million of that from penalties and liquidated damages alone. The full FY2025 figure reached $235.46 million according […]
ICS2 Stop Words 2026: Why Your EU Customs Description Is Getting Rejected and Exactly What to File Instead
An ICS2 stop words 2026 rejection does not announce itself in advance. The booking was confirmed. The freight forwarder filed the Entry Summary Declaration before the goods arrived at the EU border. And then the ICS2 Common Repository rejected the filing automatically. The goods are held. The delivery window is missed. The IT hardware sitting […]
China Hazardous Chemicals Safety Law 2026: What Every Importer of DG From China Must Know
On May 1, 2026, the China hazardous chemicals safety law 2026 came into force. Passed by the 19th Session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress on December 27, 2025, it is China’s first standalone law dedicated to the safety management of hazardous chemicals across their entire lifecycle. For companies importing goods […]
IMDG Amendment 42-24: China Dangerous Goods Shipping Rules Are Live : What Every Importer Must Know
On January 1, 2026, IMDG Amendment 42-24 became mandatory for all ocean freight shipments worldwide. For companies importing battery-powered products, electric vehicles, e-bikes, e-scooters, lithium batteries, sodium-ion batteries, and energy storage systems from China, this is not a minor technical update. It is a structural change to how every one of those shipments must be […]
Section 232 Full Customs Value 2026: The April Change That Rewrote Every Metal Importer’s Duty Bill
Update, 28 July 2026: The full-value basis introduced on 6 April 2026 remains the operative rule, and a follow-on proclamation of 1 June 2026 (effective 8 June) has since amended the framework: it lowered the US-origin metal threshold from 95% to 85%, added a new Annex I-C for mobile industrial equipment, expanded the reduced 15% […]
Trans-Pacific Freight Rates May 2026: Why Costs Are Up 37% and What Importers Must Do Now
The trans-Pacific freight rates May 2026 surge has pushed 33% to 37% month on month from April. A 40-foot container from China to a US West Coast port now costs between USD 3,015 and USD 3,685. A 20-foot container runs USD 2,475 to USD 3,025. Air freight to the US has firmed to USD 8.06 […]
EU Mercosur Trade Agreement 2026: The Complete Importer’s Guide to What Changed on May 1
After 25 years of negotiations, the EU Mercosur trade agreement 2026 is no longer a future event. On January 17, 2026, the European Union and the Mercosur countries, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, signed both the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement and the Interim Trade Agreement. On May 1, 2026, the Interim Trade Agreement began provisional application. […]
The Section 122 Tariff: What It Was, What You Can Still Recover, and What Replaced It
The Section 122 tariff was a 10% surcharge on almost all US imports that ran for exactly 150 days, from 24 February to 24 July 2026, and then expired by operation of law. For the five months it was in force it was the single largest variable in the landed cost of importing into the […]