We’ve introduced a new tool into Click & Drop that aims to make it easier for our customers to get the right electronic customs information for international order you despatch. The tool will attempt to search for and correct any incorrect or incomplete customs (HS) codes or customs descriptions.
Any customs information we assign via the automatic customs lookup is selected as the best match to the customs description you provided. If the description is not accurate, you can search again to find the correct description for the product. For the avoidance of doubt, you remain responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the data, information, pre-advice and documentation you have submitted and acknowledge and agree we will rely on the data and information submitted.
How long should HS/Customs codes be?
A standard customs code on a product will be 6 digits long, but this number will often need to be extended depending both on the item itself, and the destination country. There’s no fixed number every time, even for the same country. Orders with 6, 8, or 10 digits could all be perfectly valid, depending on what is being sent and where it is going.
For information on which customs codes and customs descriptions you should use, please see: https://www.trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/commodities
What does the automatic customs lookup try to do?
The automatic customs lookup attempts to do the following 3 actions:
1. Adding country specific customs code digits
When a product with a standard 6-digit product HS/Customs code is added to an order, the Customs Lookup Tool will automatically add the remaining digits up to 8 or 10 to the electronic customs information on the order depending on the destination country, if they are required.
2. Improving customs descriptions
When the order description is either incomplete, vague, or incorrect, we will try to look up and enter a more precise customs description.
You can test this in the Products page – if you click into a product, and scroll down to the ‘Customs information’ section, there is a looking glass icon next to ‘custom description’.
Clicking this will search for some suggestions.
In our example below, the tool has determined that ‘shirt’ is a vague or incomplete description and so has suggested shirts/blouses instead.
3. Improving mismatches between customs codes and customs descriptions
When a customs code and customs description do not match, the tool will attempt to make suggestions to correct the mismatch.
In our example below, we have a customs code and customs description that do not match. Using the search as before, it has suggested some alternatives and their customs codes:
How do I check if my data has been changed?
Whenever you are manually applying postage to one or more orders, the customs codes and descriptions are visible on Step 4. Review/Edit package contents of the 'Apply postage' page.
If a change has been made to extend the 6 digit product customs code for the destination country, it will be visible here. You should review this data before you complete the apply postage step and make any changes if necessary before you generate labels and mark your items as despatched.
If you have imported any orders via spreadsheet (including Click & Drop Desktop and Dropbox integrations) or via Click & Drop Public API, you can bypass the apply postage stage by including all necessary weight, shipping service, package format, and customs information as part of the data you imported. In this scenario, you will not see the Step 4. Review/Edit package contents of the 'Apply postage' page.
If the automatic customs details lookup feature has made a change to the customs data of any of your products contained in orders imported this way, you can review them in your Product page.
We have added a new 'Requires review' column to the Products page. if any of your products have a yellow warning triangle in this column, we have flagged that the customs code or description provided may be incomplete or incorrect.
You can click to expand the product row and check your submitted details (See 2. Improving customs descriptions above). We recommend you perform this step before you generate labels for or despatch any orders containing products flagged in this way:
How can I opt out of the automatic customs details lookup?
If you do not wish for us to tray to automatically correct any incorrect or incomplete customs (HS) codes or customs descriptions, you can switch this feature off for your account.
To do so, navigate to your Settings > Customs, and uncheck the 'HS Code & Description auto-lookup' box as shown below.
If you cannot access your settings page, you will need to ask the account owner, or a user with admin permissions to perform this step for you.