Greenwich Mercantile’s duty drawback work starts with a simple question: did your company pay duty on goods, components, or substitute merchandise that later left U.S. commerce? If yes, there may be a recoverable claim. If the data is fragmented across brokers, ERPs, 3PLs, and export systems, the service is about building a defensible bridge between those records.
What the service includes
- Opportunity scan: review import entries, export activity, HTS codes, duty programs, and SKU flows to estimate whether a claim is worth pursuing.
- Eligibility mapping: determine unused merchandise, manufacturing, rejected merchandise, or substitution drawback paths.
- Data matching: connect entry lines, invoices, SKUs, export documents, bills of material, and transfer-of-rights records.
- Recovery calculation: remove ineligible duties and apply the 99% recovery cap where applicable.
- Claim package support: prepare the audit file your broker or drawback filer needs for ACE submission and later CBP review.
- Ongoing program design: set up data collection so future claims are not rebuilt from scratch.
Who benefits most
The best candidates are importers with repeated exports, returns, cross-border distribution, manufacturing exports, high Section 301 exposure, or SKU-level data that can connect imports to exports. Drawback tends to be less useful for one-off importers with low duty rates and no export or destruction events.
What we need to evaluate a claim
| Data set | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Import entry data | Identifies eligible duty paid by entry and line. |
| Export records | Proves goods or manufactured articles left U.S. commerce. |
| SKU/product crosswalk | Connects commercial items to HTS and entry lines. |
| Inventory or production records | Supports substitution, non-use, or manufacturing claims. |
| Claimant rights | Shows who is legally entitled to claim the refund. |
Official reference: CBP’s drawback overview. For a plain-English explainer, see our duty drawback guide and process flow chart.
Engagement phases
- Discovery. We review duty spend, export patterns, HTS codes, product categories, and available systems to decide whether a claim is worth deeper work.
- Data room buildout. We identify the systems and documents needed: broker entry reports, ACE extracts, ERP SKU data, WMS movement records, export bills of lading, and production records.
- Claim theory. We determine whether unused, manufacturing, rejected, or substitution drawback is the right path and document the assumptions.
- Sample match. We prove the workflow on a narrow period before scaling to a full claim population.
- Claim support package. We prepare the calculation logic, document index, and exception list for broker/filer review.
- Programization. We turn recurring data fields into a repeatable monthly or quarterly workflow.
What makes a good drawback candidate
A good candidate usually has meaningful annual duty spend, repeated exports or returns, consistent SKUs, reliable HTS classification, and export documentation that can be retrieved without a manual scavenger hunt. High-tariff products, Section 301 exposure, cross-border distribution, returned merchandise, and U.S. manufacturing exports all improve the odds that drawback is worth the effort.
What is outside the service
We do not promise a refund before eligibility is proven, and we do not manufacture documentation after the fact. If the exports cannot be proven, the claimant rights are missing, or the underlying entry data is wrong, the right answer may be to fix the compliance process first. Drawback is a refund mechanism, but it is also an audit trail; the claim should be built as if CBP will ask for proof later.
Why importers use Greenwich
Most drawback failures are data failures. Greenwich approaches drawback like an import-compliance system: line-level entry facts, product-level matching, explicit assumptions, and a concise audit file. That gives finance a realistic recovery estimate and gives operations a repeatable workflow instead of an annual fire drill.
How we scope the first pass
The first pass is intentionally narrow. We do not need every record in the business to decide whether drawback deserves attention. We start with a representative import period, a representative export period, top HTS codes by duty paid, and the SKUs most likely to connect across systems. If the sample supports recovery, we expand. If it does not, the importer avoids spending months on a claim that cannot be proven.
That scoping discipline matters because drawback is a financial recovery project and a customs compliance project at the same time. The model has to satisfy finance, operations, brokers, and CBP audit reviewers.
The deliverable is not just a refund estimate. It is a documented claim path: which entries qualify, which exports support them, which records prove the match, which duties are included or excluded, and which exceptions need management review before filing. That record also helps decide whether accelerated payment, periodic claims, or a smaller proof-of-concept claim makes the most sense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much duty can drawback recover?
Many drawback claims can recover up to 99% of eligible duties, taxes, and certain fees. The actual recovery depends on the duty type, claim type, exports, timing, and documentation.
Do you file drawback claims directly?
Greenwich supports claim discovery, matching, documentation, and broker/filer coordination. Final filing approach depends on the claimant, broker relationship, and claim type.
How do I know if drawback is worth it?
Start with annual duty paid, export percentage, HTS consistency, and data availability. A small sample match usually reveals whether the program can scale.
Need a customs answer before you file?
Send Greenwich Mercantile the product, origin, value, and shipping facts. We will tell you what needs broker review before the entry moves.