AI Trade Desk for Importers Buying from China

Classification before duty

An HS code is a classification starting point, not a final duty answer. The destination schedule, product material and function, origin, and any product-specific trade measure can change treatment. A buyer-entered code remains an assumption until the relevant authority or a qualified customs professional confirms the destination classification. A zero additional-duty entry means that charge was not modeled; it does not prove that no charge applies. Keep the classification evidence with the cost approval. Use the HS codes guide and the WCO HS Nomenclature as classification references before checking the destination tariff schedule.

Valuation and Incoterm scope

Customs valuation and an Incoterm answer different questions. The Incoterm allocates delivery tasks, costs, and risk between seller and buyer, while the destination valuation rules determine the customs starting point and required adjustments. Check the commercial invoice, freight and insurance evidence, packing details, assists, royalties, related-party conditions, and other additions that may be relevant. Do not treat a quoted Incoterm as proof that every import cost is included. Review the Incoterms guide, WTO customs valuation guidance, and UNECE trade-term guidance.

CBM and chargeable weight

For each mixed-cargo line, shipment volume is packed length multiplied by width, height and piece count, converted to cubic meters. The Desk converts imperial entries before comparing gross and volumetric weight. Its editable air and express scenarios start with 6,000 and 5,000 cubic-centimeter divisors; these are planning inputs, not universal shipping rules. Sea LCL scenarios compare cubic meters with gross metric tonnes as weight/measure. Enter the divisor, minimum charges, rounding and density rules from your accepted quote. The sea and air freight guide explains the planning choices; no public tariff is treated as your booking price.

Supplier quote normalization and evidence

A cheaper unit price is not necessarily the cheaper import commitment. The supplier quote mode converts each entered price to one model currency, calculates goods value at one comparison quantity, adds the buyer-entered customs-value and other landed-cost amounts excluded from that quote, applies entered duty and import-tax assumptions, separates recoverable tax, and reports landed cost per unit, cash requirement, deposit exposure, and optional gross margin. Its weighted score uses landed unit cost instead of headline price. A quoted Incoterm and named place describe commercial scope but do not prove which charges are included, so the tool never fills those costs automatically. Review the UNECE trade-term guidance and obtain a written inclusion-and-exclusion schedule for every supplier and forwarder quote.

The comparison remains planning support and does not verify the supplier. Use the same approved specification, quantity, packaging, inspection scope, quote-validity date, and destination for every candidate. Resolve any MOQ warning and retain evidence for legal identity, manufacturing capability, samples, quality controls, certification scope, payee instructions, and bank-account changes before selection.

Exchange rate and recoverable import tax

A supplier quote and an import model may use different currencies. Record the quote currency, conversion direction, rate source, rate date, spread, transfer fee, and payment milestone before entering an FX rate. Import VAT or GST can also be a cash outlay without being an irrecoverable product cost, but eligibility and timing depend on the importer, transaction, taxable use, records, and destination rules. The Desk therefore shows gross import cash outlay, modeled recoverable tax, and the irrecoverable amount included in landed cost separately. The buyer-entered recovery percentage is not a tax decision. The European Commission VAT deduction guidance illustrates why import documents, taxable use, and full or partial eligibility matter; use the destination authority and a qualified tax adviser for the actual shipment.

Stress-test landed cost before committing

A base calculation does not show how exposed the order is to changing inputs. Enter optional FX cost, freight, and duty increases to recalculate each factor separately and together. The Desk carries each change through product value, customs value, duty, import tax, allocation, landed unit cost, margin, and target-price arithmetic instead of adding a flat contingency after the result. These are buyer-defined downside cases, not rate forecasts or tariff research. Keep the underlying quote dates and evidence with the exported case, then replace assumptions when confirmed figures arrive.

AQL is a sampling reference

An AQL planning reference helps size a sample, but it does not create the product specification or decide the acceptance and rejection limits by itself. The lot definition, inspection level, defect categories, agreed AQLs, sampling standard, and reinspection rules must be documented with the supplier and inspection provider. Critical safety or compliance characteristics may require controls beyond routine random sampling. Read the AQL standards guide.

Keep one auditable scenario

Use one model currency for every monetary output. When supplier unit costs require conversion, enter the documented supplier-to-model rate globally or override it for a specific SKU. Record which values came from supplier documents, forwarder quotations, customs advice, testing evidence, or buyer assumptions. Date volatile inputs such as freight, exchange rates, taxes, and lead times. Use the stress test to expose sensitivity, then replace those scenarios with confirmed inputs rather than adjusting only the final unit cost. The result remains a planning record until the responsible parties confirm its open checks.