Announcement: The EU Now Requires Harmonized System Codes for Imported Goods

[Manager-Erin]

Hello amazing Community Members, 

As of Mar 1, 2023 Harmonized System (HS) codes on customs forms will be required for most European Union (EU) bound goods. This change is coming directly from the EU and in addition to HS codes being required, vague descriptions of goods on customs forms will no longer be acceptable.

Harmonized codes are internationally recognized codes used to classify an item for tax purposes. Once an order reaches an international border, a country's customs office uses the HS code to identify and assess taxes, duties, and fees for what you are shipping. 

Properly filled-out customs forms with the correct HS codes and customs descriptions allow your products to pass through customs quickly and efficiently. To avoid delayed or returned shipments, you will need to include the correct HS codes and detailed descriptions on your customs forms. 

Acceptable vs. Unacceptable Descriptions 

Vague item descriptions on custom forms such as “gifts,” “clothing,” and even “none” will no longer be considered acceptable descriptions. It’s best practice to have accurate and specific product descriptions that clearly describe the item being traded.

Unacceptable	Acceptable
Clothes	Men’s cotton shirts, boys’ denim jackets
Fresh Herbs	Basil, thyme, parsley
Sanitary goods	Detergent, toothbrush, towels
Gift	One scented candle, remote-controlled car, silk scarf

Courtesy of USPS

If you are shipping to the EU, we strongly recommend taking the time now to update the customs section of your product records. If you have a larger list of products, this can be accomplished via a CSV Export and Import.

For GlobalPost shippers you can get a HS code automatically assigned using their free HS Code fulfillment service. They offer an On Demand HS Classification Tool that is perfect for sellers who only ship a handful of products internationally.

Please note that there are no current changes to in-app functionality at this time, however, any in-app changes that would support this new regulation will be communicated when they are pushed out.

We have added some resources below that we believe will be useful for everyone who will be affected by this change. 

• Scale Your Business Globally with GlobalPost
• Troubleshoot Product CSV
• Update Product Records 
• International Shipping with ShipStation
• What is a Harmonized Tariff Code and why do I need it? 

[musicfolder]

@Manager-Erin this is not news to us as nearly 80% of our shipments cross a border.  We are newly setting up in ShipStation.

How can we AUTOMATE pulling in the HS code required on a shipment? Shopify Plus has our complete HS data for each product but the Harmonized System data never populates into SS and despite chasing the issue with support, their response is that it can't be done:

" I understand your concern regarding this matter however it has been confirmed by our senior team that at this time the harmonization code is not automatically sent over to us."

Every single shipment of ours has HS code data missing and requires manual intervention prohibiting automation.  I can't believe this is intentional, nor that none of your customers have been able to get HS code populating from data that's permanently tied to product data in Shopify, nor that your API couldn't access that product data.

What solutions do people have? Please ask the "senior team" who are apparently saying that ShipStation can not populate **required*** data for shipping across a border from clearly existing product attributes.