SKU-level HTS audits across 8536, 8538, 8541, 8542. Section 301 China cleanup. AD/CVD screening, PSC and protest support, and broker coordination — without forcing a broker switch on day one.
Book a Free ConsultationElectronic component and connector distributors face recurring customs exposure where HTS classification, Section 301 China duties, AD/CVD screening, and SKU-level documentation meet. Common headings include 8536, 8538, 8541, 8542, 8504, and 9030. The risk is not one entry — it is hundreds of repeated line-card entries drifting over time.
Greenwich Mercantile starts from the actual import pattern — bill of lading, entry history, supplier lanes, HTS headings, origin, value, and broker behavior — then turns that evidence into a recurring SKU-level compliance workflow.
Component distribution runs on single-digit gross margins. On hundreds of recurring entries, one or two misclassified subheadings or one missed Section 301 exclusion compounds into real money — and shows up directly on the P&L.
List 3 and List 4A duties still apply to most components of Chinese origin. They're not tied to IEEPA, they don't sunset on their own, and on passives and connectors the 25% stack often exceeds the MFN rate. Generalist brokers rarely audit it.
Repeated bill-of-lading rows with vague descriptions invite holds, CF-28 requests, and CF-29 assessments. Component distributors with 200–500+ entries per year accumulate hundreds of these rows quietly until CBP starts asking.
Aluminum electrolytic capacitors, certain transformers, and other component categories carry antidumping deposits of 50–200%. When origin flips happen quietly through Vietnam, Malaysia, or Thailand, CBP increasingly looks for evasion before you do.
We pull your bill-of-lading and entry history, classify every recurring SKU against 8536/8538/8541/8542/8504/9030, and surface the drift before CBP does.
We map exposure across List 3 and List 4A, screen for active exclusions, and identify recoverable duties through PSC and protest where the facts support it.
We screen your line card against active antidumping and countervailing orders — capacitors, transformers, certain semiconductors — and flag origin patterns that look like circumvention risk.
Post-Summary Corrections and 19 USC 1514 protests, built on documented audit findings — the cleanest path to recover overpaid duties without inviting broader CBP attention.
We check related-party purchase patterns for valid first-sale opportunities, document the chain, and structure the value-declaration paperwork your broker can file with confidence.
We don't force a broker switch. We work alongside your existing broker as the recurring SKU-level compliance layer — or take over filings if and when it makes sense.
Most independent distributors file the bulk of their entries under HTS 8536 (electrical apparatus for switching/protecting circuits), 8538 (parts for 8535/8536/8537), 8541 (semiconductor devices, diodes, transistors), 8542 (electronic integrated circuits), 8504 (transformers, static converters, inductors), and 9030 (oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, test instruments). These are high-volume, high-line-count headings where classification drift is common and Section 301 exposure is structural.
Section 301 List 3 and List 4A still apply to most electronic components of Chinese origin — typically 25% on top of the MFN rate, and structural, not IEEPA-dependent. For passives, connectors, and ICs that ship recurringly out of Shenzhen, Suzhou, or Dongguan, the 301 stack often exceeds the actual duty rate. Cleanup work usually starts with classification verification, valuation review, and a check for first-sale or related-party patterns that lower the duty base.
No. Most engagements start as a focused audit — we pull your bill-of-lading and entry history, run an SKU-level HTS and 301 review, surface one concrete cleanup or duty-leakage opportunity, validate it, and only then talk about routing entries. Many distributors keep their existing broker for routine clearance and bring us in for the recurring SKU-level compliance program.
Typical findings: recurring entries with vague descriptions like "ELECTRONIC PARTS" or "CONNECTORS", SKUs sitting in the wrong subheading by one or two digits, AD/CVD-prone components misclassified to avoid scrutiny, related-party purchases without a documented valuation method, and duty-leakage exposure across hundreds of line items because no one has audited the line-card top to bottom in years.
Antidumping and countervailing duty orders on aluminum capacitors, certain transformers, and other component categories can add deposit rates of 50–200%+ on top of regular duties. When origin flips from China to Vietnam, Malaysia, or Thailand happen, CBP increasingly checks for evasion. We screen your line card against active AD/CVD orders, surface exposure, and flag origin patterns that look like circumvention risk before CBP does.
Greenwich Mercantile offers transparent, flat-rate pricing per filing. There are no surcharges for high-line-count entries, AD/CVD-screened SKUs, or multi-country sourcing. For recurring SKU-level compliance work — audits, PSC packages, protest filings, AD/CVD screening — we scope a monthly retainer against the entry volume, so the bill is predictable. You know exactly what you'll pay before the work starts.
Book a free 30-minute consultation. We'll review your line card, pull recent entries, and show you the concrete cleanup opportunity before you commit to anything.
Book a Free Consultation