Prior to the incorporation of Leonard Trade Consulting, our experience working for one of the world’s largest customs brokerage providers exposed the need for smaller scale, individualized attention that is vital to both importers and merchants. We have seen that it is the importer who suffers financially when tariff classification is left in the hands of the inexperienced classifier. We are a Licensed Customs Broker with the knowledge, experience and passion for compliance and classification. Our main focus is to ensure that importers are not only fulfilling their obligation under Customs Regulations, but to save them, substantially, from overpayment of import duties as a result of incorrect tariff classification most often at a higher duty rate.

The idea to offer independent consulting arose from years of discovering innumerable errors in tariff classification by brokerage houses large and small. The priority of speed over accuracy to push shipments through made way for an industry epidemic of misclassification, not only jeopardizing an importers responsibility for maintaining Customs Compliance but also assigning incorrect tariff codes most often with higher duty rates. Realizing the liability they faced and exorbitant amounts of money importers were unknowingly overpaying as a result of these mistakes inspired us to fill a need. At Leonard Trade Consulting, we are an independent consultant unaligned with brokers, forwarders, clearing agents or any one of the multitude of partners a company uses in the business of import. We work to protect the bottom line by correcting misclassifications, preventing the risk of massive Federal fines and penalties imposed by Customs, lowering duty rates through tariff engineering and assisting in duty recovery through the post entry process.

While many import companies have initially relied on third parties to classify their goods as a part of the entry writing process, they learn the price of such high level of error and choose the advice and guidance of Leonard Trade Consulting because we hold the best interest of none other than the importer. We work together with owners, executives, and supply chain teams to better understand their product, its use, and its essential character to determine the proper classification, so in turn, it is they who inform the broker of the correct tariff code and not the other way around. It is best practice for a company to assume all responsibility for tariff classification; so too, importers staffed with in-house compliance personnel hire Leonard Trade Consulting to take that closer look to verify they are maintaining compliance to avoid paying heavy Federal fines for noncompliance. We help importers use tariff classification to their advantage as a competitive tool by suggesting minor changes in manufacturing to make an item fit under a less dutiable heading. We save clients tens of thousands of dollars annually with corrections and assist most importers in recovering duties plus interest that they had overpaid to Customs as a result of misclassification.

Whether an error occurs inadvertently or as a result of rushing or uncertainty, the government holds the importer accountable.  While no excuses or exceptions are accepted, leniency is only granted to those who practice due diligence proactively to avoid noncompliance.  Appropriate taxes are owed to the government for import, but don’t allow your money to be misspent in overpayments.  Invest in the expertise of a Licensed Custom Broker, Leonard Trade Consulting LLC, who has over a decade of experience covering an extensive range of industries and will ask the questions.   Simply put, we dig deeper to find what the others miss.