Guide
You are the importer of record, and what that means
Updated
Small sellers frequently believe the factory or the forwarder carries the customs exposure. In the ordinary case it is the seller, and the obligations are real.
What the role carries
The importer of record is responsible for the accuracy of the entry, the duty payable and the admissibility of the goods. That responsibility does not transfer because somebody else filed the paperwork.
Ask directly whether you are the importer of record on a shipment. If the answer is unclear, that is itself the problem.
Classification is the money
Duty rate and whether goods can enter at all follow the Harmonized System code. A code chosen for convenience by a forwarder you never spoke to is still your code.
Ask which code is being filed and why, and keep the entry documents. If a classification is later challenged, those are what you will be working from.
Other agencies
Depending on the product, agencies beyond customs may have requirements: consumer safety, food, chemicals. Each has its own rules and its own consequences for getting it wrong.
Establish which apply to your product before the first shipment, not when a container is held.
Keep the records
Entries, invoices, packing lists, bills of lading and any agency documentation. Retention obligations exist and the practical reason is simpler: a question about a shipment two years ago is answerable only from paper.
This costs nothing and it is the difference between a routine query and an expensive one.