Author: Jason Wapiennik

Since the modernization of the customs laws in the 1990s, importing into the United States has operated on a principle…

When an importer discovers a customs violation in its own past entries — an undervaluation, a misclassification, an origin error…

When a CBP officer starts asking about the cash you are carrying, it is natural to want to explain —…

Nearly every commercial import into the United States is backed by a customs bond, yet most importers give it little…

When your cash is taken at an airport, one of the first things to sort out is who actually took…

Importers often use “penalty” as a catch-all for any money CBP demands, but customs law draws a sharp line between…

Country-of-origin marking is one of the most overlooked corners of import compliance, and one of the easiest ways for an…

When customs or another federal agency takes your cash, a natural first question is: where does it actually go? Does…

One of the most common questions travelers have is also one of the most misunderstood: how much cash can you…

A penalty notice from U.S. Customs and Border Protection is alarming, and the instinct is often either to panic or…

Failing to declare more than $10,000 at the U.S. border is one of the most expensive mistakes a traveler can…

Travelers carrying a large amount of cash across the U.S. border often hesitate at the reporting requirement, worried that declaring…

Many people assume that importing through a corporation or LLC puts a wall between a customs penalty and their personal…

In July 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security jointly published A Resource Guide to…

Seeing “held in customs” on your tracking is unsettling, but it covers a wide range of situations — from a…

A federal trademark registration protects your brand on paper. Recording that trademark with U.S. Customs and Border Protection protects it…

Antidumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) are the most financially dangerous corner of U.S. customs law, and also the most misunderstood.…

Tracker — last updated: early July 2026 This page tracks CBP’s refund process for the IEEPA tariffs struck down by…

A seized USPS package sits in a unique legal position, and which way it breaks depends on what was inside…

A DHL package seizure is, more often than not, a customs matter — and that sets it apart from FedEx…

A seized UPS package can mean two very different problems. It might be a shipment of goods that CBP stopped…

When a FedEx package is seized, the first question is not “how do I get it back” — it is…

An antidumping order slaps a triple-digit duty on a category of Chinese goods. Within months, imports of that same product…

Section 301 tariffs still cover most Chinese-origin goods entering the United States in 2026, layered on top of ordinary duties…

A shipment arrives at a U.S. port. CBP inspects it, decides the goods bear a counterfeit trademark, and seizes them.…