Your Customs Entry Program
Deserves a Broker That Keeps Up
If your current broker is reactive, generic, or slow to flag exposure; you’re carrying risk they aren’t managing. Shapiro’s licensed brokers work at the intersection of classification precision, real-time compliance intelligence, and specialized program expertise. We file accurate entries the first time, every time, across every port and mode you run.
Shapiro At a Glance...
Licensed customs brokers on every account: not entry clerks
100+ years filing
at every U.S. port of entry
Pre-arrival ACE/ABI filing
for ocean and air
Active AD/CVD, UFLPA, and PGA screening on every entry
Shapiro 360° real-time entry visibility and ERP/TMS integration
C-TPAT
partner ready
Signs Your Current
Broker Isn't Cutting It
Experienced trade teams know the difference between a broker filing entries and a broker running a compliance program. If any of the following sound familiar, it may be time to evaluate alternatives:
- Classification reviews only happen when you ask, not proactively when CBP issues new CROSS rulings or scope clarifications
- AD/CVD exposure isn’t caught until after the entry is filed, or after an audit
- Your UFLPA documentation strategy is reactive: you respond to CBP detention notices instead of building supply chain evidence ahead of time
- FTA claims aren’t being filed because “your supplier hasn’t provided the cert”; no follow-up system in place
- You’re calling your broker for entry status instead of seeing it in a system
- Post-entry corrections, reconciliation filings, and protests aren’t managed consistently
- Section 301 tariff exposure isn’t being reviewed for exclusion applicability or engineering-out opportunities
- Your broker doesn’t proactively flag Federal Register notices or CBP CSMS messages relevant to your commodity codes
What Shapiro Does Differently
We treat entry filing as a compliance discipline, not a document processing function. Every account is staffed by CBP-licensed brokers with active commodity knowledge, not a shared service center that rotates staff.
Classification That
Holds Up Under Audit
Our brokers classify to the GRI, apply all applicable chapter notes, and cross-reference current CROSS rulings before every entry. When there’s a defensible position at a more favorable rate, we take it and document the rationale. When there’s ambiguity, we tell you; we don’t silently pick the easy number.
AD/CVD: Rate Accuracy
and Scope Management
We screen every entry against the current ITC/Commerce order database before filing. That means correct cash deposit rates, proper bond posting for entries where it’s required, and scope ruling awareness so you’re not inadvertently importing into an active order on a product you think is outside scope. We also monitor annual administrative reviews: the rate you deposit today may not be your final liability.
UFLPA:
Built-In, Not Bolted On
Forced labor compliance isn’t a checklist we pull out when CBP sends a detention notice. We screen your commodity codes and supply chain data against the UFLPA Entity List at the entry level, flag high-risk sourcing combinations before shipment; when your goods are detained, we build the clear and convincing evidence package CBP requires to overcome the rebuttable presumption. High-risk commodities (polysilicon, cotton, tomatoes, aluminum, steel, and downstream products) get heightened pre-shipment review.
FTA: Filed Correctly,
Every Applicable Entry
FTA savings only materialize if the claim is filed and the documentation is airtight. Shapiro’s trade analysts conduct rules-of-origin analysis against your actual BOM and sourcing data, manage certificate-of-origin collection from suppliers, and ensure preferential claims are applied on every qualifying entry, not just the ones where your supplier remembered to send the cert. We also catch FTA claims that’ve lapsed due to certificate expiry before CBP does.
FTZ and Bonded Warehouse:
Entry Optimization, Not Just Filing
We file FTZ admissions, weekly entry summaries, and zone-to-zone transfers. For bonded warehouse accounts, we manage Type 21 and 22 entries, surety bond capacity, and withdrawal scheduling. More importantly, we advise on whether your commodity profile and volume warrant the administrative overhead of each program; we also model the duty economics against direct consumption entry. If the inverted tariff benefit is worth it for your manufacturing inputs, we’ll show you the numbers.
PGA: Every Agency,
Every Requirement, Before Filing
Roughly 40% of entries trigger a partner government agency requirement. Shapiro identifies applicable PGA filings at classification, before CBP issues a hold, and prepares FDA prior notices, USDA-APHIS permits, EPA certifications, CPSC documentation, and other agency data as part of the standard entry workflow. PGA holds are largely preventable. We prevent them.
Entry Program Infrastructure
A capable brokerage isn’t just good people; it’s systems that support scale, accuracy, and accountability.
Pre-Arrival Filing
We file via ACE/ABI before cargo arrives for ocean and air shipments. CBP gets maximum processing time; you get faster release and lower exam risk.
Automated Compliance Validation
Before any entry transmits to CBP, our systems run automated checks against current HTS schedules, AD/CVD databases, UFLPA entity lists, and PGA triggers. Anomalies (flagged HTS-origin combinations, missing required fields, unusual declared values) route to a licensed broker for review before submission, not after a CBP reject.
Shapiro 360°: Real-Time Entry Visibility
Every entry we file is visible in Shapiro 360°: status from documentation receipt through CBP release, exam notifications, PGA hold alerts, and exception flags in real time. EDI and API connections to your ERP, TMS, or WMS eliminate manual data re-entry and accelerate the documentation-to-filing cycle. Your compliance and operations teams stop waiting for status-check calls.
Post-Entry Management
Entry accuracy doesn’t end at release. We manage duty payments, reconciliation filings, CF-28 and CF-29 responses, prior disclosures, and post-summary corrections. Your entry record stays accurate and defensible across the full five-year CBP statute of limitations window.
Duty and Compliance Reporting
Consolidated duty spend by HTS, origin, and vendor. Classification trend analysis. AD/CVD exposure summaries. FTA utilization rates. Compliance exception logs. Data structured for your trade compliance and finance teams, not just your broker’s internal records.
Who Switches to Shapiro
The importers and exporters who move their programs to Shapiro typically share a few common situations:
High-volume importers whose current broker can’t keep pace with entry volume across multiple ports and modes without errors or communication gaps
Trade compliance teams managing multi-country sourcing who need a broker that runs AD/CVD, UFLPA, and FTA analysis as standard practice, not on request
Importers of regulated commodities (food, ag, chemicals, electronics, consumer goods) where PGA misses have caused holds and commercial damage
Companies with meaningful Section 301 exposure that haven’t had a systematic classification review or exclusion analysis
Manufacturers using or evaluating FTZ operations who need a broker that understands weekly entry summaries and inverted tariff structuring, not just admissions paperwork
Compliance officers who’ve received CF-28s or CF-29s and realize their broker doesn’t have the depth to respond effectively
Trade teams that have grown past their current broker; they were fine for simpler programs but can’t support the compliance complexity the business now carries
Why Shapiro?
Licensed Brokers,
Not Processing Staff
Every entry is handled by a CBP-licensed customs broker with active commodity knowledge. When a classification question arises, a tariff engineering opportunity appears, or CBP sends a request for information, the person managing your account has the credentials and expertise to respond, not escalate to someone who does.
100+ Years of
Institutional Knowledge
Shapiro has been operating at the intersection of U.S. customs law and global trade since 1915. That tenure means deep knowledge of how CBP enforces regulations in practice, not just what the regulations say; this includes how audits develop, how scope inquiries get resolved, and where enforcement priorities shift before they show up in public guidance.
Integrated
Freight Forwarding
Shapiro operates brokerage and freight forwarding together. That means the documentation, arrival timing, and entry data your broker needs don’t travel through a third-party handoff where information gets lost or delayed. Compliance visibility starts at booking, not at port arrival.
Full-Service Compliance
Under One Roof
Entry filing, HTS classification reviews, binding ruling requests, post-entry audit defense, protest filings, prior disclosure preparation, FTA eligibility analysis, UFLPA documentation packages, FTZ structuring advice, and tariff consulting. You don’t assemble a team of specialists. We are the team.
National Port Coverage,
Dedicated Account Teams
Licensed at every U.S. port of entry. Your entries don’t get passed to a regional office when your cargo routes through a different port: your team handles it. And when cargo is in jeopardy at a port, we have the relationships to move.
Switching Brokers Is Easier Than You Think
The friction of switching brokers is almost always lower than the cost of staying with a broker that’s underperforming your program. Shapiro manages transitions, including power of attorney transfers, historical entry data migration, and supplier documentation collection, so continuity isn’t interrupted during the handoff.
- Power of attorney and CBP bond coordination handled by Shapiro
- Historical entry and classification data reviewed and documented during onboarding
- Supplier communication templates provided for FTA certificate collection
- System integration with your ERP/TMS scoped and implemented during setup
- Dedicated onboarding team: not a generic welcome packet
Frequently Asked Questions
When a product sits near the edge of an AD/CVD order’s scope, we document the classification rationale, review available scope rulings from Commerce; where the position warrants it, we file a scope inquiry with the Department of Commerce before or concurrent with entry filing. We don’t make the call silently. You get the analysis and the recommendation, and you decide how to proceed.
When CBP detains a shipment under UFLPA, the importer has a limited response window and must meet a clear-and-convincing evidence standard. Shapiro’s response process begins with a supply chain mapping exercise to identify every node from raw material to finished product, followed by assembly of documentary evidence for each stage: production records, transaction documentation, labor certifications, and third-party audit reports where available. We’ve worked through detentions across polysilicon, cotton-containing goods, aluminum, and other high-priority commodities. More importantly, we work with clients proactively to build this evidence before shipment, not after detention.
We maintain a certificate expiry tracking system by supplier and entry, generate advance renewal requests to suppliers before certificates lapse, and flag any entries where a preferential claim would be invalid due to documentation gaps. If a supplier can’t provide a valid certification, we assess whether the rules-of-origin criteria can be met under a different evidentiary basis before abandoning the claim.
We classify under the GRI in sequence (GRI 1 through 6) and document the analysis for every classification that isn’t straightforward. For products with genuine ambiguity, we research relevant CROSS rulings, WCO commentary, and Explanatory Notes. Where the position is defensible but not certain, we discuss the risk profile with you and, where appropriate, pursue a binding ruling request from CBP to create certainty.
A CF-28 (Request for Information) or CF-29 (Notice of Action) requires a substantive, well-documented response. Our brokers prepare the response with full supporting rationale: classification authority, valuation documentation, origin evidence, or whatever the specific request demands. If the CF-29 proposes action we believe is incorrect, we file a protest within the statutory 180-day window. If a prior disclosure is appropriate to mitigate penalty exposure, we advise on that option and prepare the submission.
Yes. We file at every U.S. port of entry, across ocean, air, rail, and truck modes. Multi-port accounts are managed by a single dedicated team with full visibility across all active entries; classification consistency, duty reporting, and compliance protocols apply uniformly regardless of where cargo moves.
Ready to Run a Better Entry Program?
If your import program has outgrown your current broker, or if you’re carrying compliance exposure you haven’t fully mapped: we’d like to talk. Start with a no-obligation review of your current entry program: classification consistency, AD/CVD exposure, FTA utilization, and UFLPA supply chain risk.
