Customs Support, the neutral and dynamic partner for customs matters in Europe, announces the acquisitions of Verex Customs Services. Customs Support aims to be the leading digital and neutral customs broker in Europe.

Risks and Costs for the Seller

There is no risk and cost for the seller in getting the goods delivered to the buyer. The seller is not even responsible for loading the goods when they are picked up. The seller has to properly pack and label the goods and get them ready for shipment.

Customs is at the heart of our organization, but we also have subsidiaries that take care of other very important and special steps in import and export processes. I work at one of these subsidiaries: Freshport.

The European Union and the United States have released a joint statement in which they announce a lowering of tariffs for specific goods. These positive measures have been taken to enable easier market access to both markets.

They support importers and exporters, for example by creating export documents and certificates. They are also the link between importers and exporters and the Customs Authority. I spoke with Kevin in response to his interview with Fresh Plaza. 

Ships Sailing, but Where Are the Containers?

Container shipping from China to Europe and the U.S. is starting up again. The backlog of containers waiting to be shipped out is slowly getting smaller. However, there are still a few challenges. 

Many sailings were blanked in the past weeks. Next to stacks of goods waiting to be shipped out of China, this created a new problem. The blanked sailings have caused a shortage in empty containers. These empty containers are in the wrong place because ships filled with empty containers didn’t sail.

What Are Excise Goods?

Excise goods are goods containing alcohol, tobacco products, and mineral oil. When you import, sell or use excisable goods in the EU you have to pay excise duty. Since 2008 the EU member states have harmonized the excise duties within the EU, although there still are some country-specific rules.

Risks and Costs for the Seller

The seller is responsible for arranging and paying for transportation to the buyer-contracted carrier and arranging for any export documentation that is needed. Once the goods arrive at the first carrier the risk transfers to the buyer. This can be the ocean freight or air freight carrier, but can also be a carrier using another mode of transport, like barge, train, or truck.

Independent customs broker Customs Support has taken over Freshport. Freshport is an independent service provider for the clearance of mainly perishable goods and live animals, and is located on the runway at Schiphol. Freshport facilitates among other things inspections of public authorities.

This acquisition fits into the Customs Support strategy to grow in the customs market through targeted acquisitions. The combination has multiple (international) subsidiaries operating in the Netherlands, Germany, Poland and Belgium.