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Why accurate product descriptions are so important

Customs officials require accurate and detailed product descriptions on all your international shipping documents. If they see inconsistencies or inaccuracies, they may need to examine your items, causing your shipment to be delayed or even refused entry.

Be specific

To facilitate clearance, the most important consideration with international shipping documents is to give specific descriptions.

For instance, "Food" is a vague description and doesn't give the broker enough information to classify the shipment and make entry on it. Furthermore, it may likely raise questions in the minds of customs officials. But specific descriptions such as "Food: 24 cases of canned, sliced peaches" will help get the shipment through customs without delay. Likewise, "Documents" is vague, but "30 pages of legal documents" is more specific.

Here are other examples of good versus bad descriptions:

Bad Description	Good Description
Parts	Two steel springs for woodworking machine.
Gift	One knitted men's sweater (100 percent cotton). Unsolicited gift.
Samples	150 inches x 300 inches nylon carpet samples for demonstration.

Notice that these descriptions are detailed and specific. The more detailed your description, the better. Include what the item is made of and how it will be used.

Other tips for your shipment descriptions

When completing your international shipping documents, also pay attention to the following:

• Always put exactly the same description of your item(s) on all your documents. Discrepancies among your documents may prevent the broker from making proper entry and may flag the attention of customs officials.
  
  
• Make sure your spelling is correct.
  
  
• Make sure the declared value is accurate.
  
  
• Avoid abbreviations (except for universally accepted shipping and incoterms such as CIF or FOB). Spell out the whole word.
  
  
• If you're completing your paperwork by hand, make sure your handwriting is legible.