Import, customs and duties question

[drummerchic]

Hello my name is Denis.

I am discovering this website and I really like it!

Here is my first question to the forum:
I have a small business in Europe and I just creat a small business in the US. I'm doing import of furniture. My company in Europe is selling goods to my company in USA. The two companies are not linked at all. It means that my company in Europe invoice my company in USA. I know I have to pay duties at the customs according to materials (brass, iron, glass, wood...), price and according to what the invoice describe. I would like to know what are the solutions to minimize those duties?

If anyone has an idea, just let me know...
Denis

[drummerchic]

As I don't get any answer, I guess I am not in the good section. I know my problem is very specific and depend on several precise points. Does anybody know a forum like this one specialized in import and customs issues? Thank you for let me know...and again this forum is just great!

Denis,

To minimize the duties, you may want to list actual costs. If a piece of furniture costs $200 to make, list the cost as $200, not what it could retail for (which may be double the value, who knows...)

You can even try to give bulk discounts, so if the other company buys 10 things at $200, it'll only cost $150 each (for example)...

[drummerchic]

Thank you very much for your answer Evan.
I was thinking about this solution but I don't how risky it is. What do you think?

[pps.llc]

What we did years ago, was ask a field guy from the US Dept of Commerce to come in, and check over our systems and procedures to see if we could make any improvements. It was a worthwhile endeavor, but this was pre 2001, so they may not be as readily available as they were back then.

Ron