A held container is the most stressful moment in importing: the demurrage clock keeps running and your customer is waiting. The best defense is a shipment prepared properly before it leaves origin, which is how we run every door-to-door import we manage.
Already stuck?
Call us with the bill of lading or air waybill, the invoice, the packing list, and any CBP or agency notice. We tell you what is blocking the shipment and what it takes to clear it, usually within one business day. Commercial imports only. See who we work with.
Why Cargo Gets Held
- CBP exams: a VACIS X-ray, a tailgate exam, or a full intensive exam.
- Documentation issues: a missing or inconsistent document.
- Partner-agency holds: an FDA or USDA review.
- Classification or valuation questions from the entry desk.
What We Do
We identify exactly why your cargo is held, provide CBP or the agency with what they need, coordinate exam logistics with the terminal, and stay on it until your goods are released. Then we line up drayage so the container moves the moment it clears.
Switching From Another Broker?
We welcome importers who ship regularly and want one team for freight, customs, and delivery. The cleanest time to switch is before your next shipment leaves origin, so we can prepare the documents and plan the freight. Customs clearance on its own is welcome, including cargo already sitting at the port.
What importers call us about
- Cargo already at the port and you need a broker to take it out. Your container is at the Port of Los Angeles, Long Beach, or San Pedro and nobody is clearing it. We file the entry, pay the duty, and arrange the pickup.
- Held for weeks, and you never got a notice. We find out why it is held: a CBP exam, a missing ISF, a document, or another agency. Then we answer it and push for release.
- Arriving today and you still need a clearance broker. Send the bill of lading or air waybill, the invoice, and the packing list. We can file quickly and set up a bond if you do not have one.
- Your supplier is asking for your customs broker's information for the ISF. Give them ours. We collect the ISF details from the supplier or their forwarder and file at least 24 hours before the goods are loaded.
- You need a customs bond. A single-entry bond covers one shipment. A continuous bond covers every entry for a year and suits regular importers. We arrange either.
- Containers coming in that need customs filing and delivery. Entry, duty, release, drayage, and delivery to your warehouse, handled together so the container moves inside its free time.
More detail: ISF filing and customs bonds, single-entry and continuous.
If the problem starts at origin
Some problems start before the goods ship: missing export documents, supplier paperwork that does not match the invoice, or ISF details nobody has collected. Our team in China can work with your supplier on those before the cargo is loaded.
Keep the next shipment clean
Once this shipment is released, we set up the classification, the bond, and the ISF routine so the next one clears on arrival. For regular importers, DDP Advantage puts sourcing, freight, customs clearance, and duties under one flat, guaranteed rate. See DDP shipping.
We handle commercial imports only.