Import with duty paid, export some of it unused within five years, and Customs refunds 99% of the duty on the exported share, Section 301 tariffs and processing fees included. The paperwork is the reason nobody files. The agent does the matching; a licensed drawback broker files.
What the customs agent checks
Unused merchandise drawback
Exports allocated to imports of the same part number, oldest first, within five years; 99% of the duty on the exported share.
By hand
Line up your broker's entry summaries (entry number, HTS, part number, quantity, duty) against your export invoices by part number.
The window
Five years from the import date.
Who pays
U.S. Customs, through a drawback claim your broker files in ACE.
What it looks like
2,000 valves imported with $12,960 in duty and Section 301, all exported to Mexico and Canada within 18 months: about $13,000 back.
Illustrative example (illustrative), not a reported customer result.
How it works
1. Give the agent its files
PDF, CSV, a photo of the bill, an email forward, or an automatic feed. The customs agent reads every line into the same structure.
2. It finds and prepares
Rules run nightly. Each finding records the evidence, the amount and a confidence. Claims above your thresholds wait for your approval.
3. Filed, chased, matched
Disputes send with one click, replies are read automatically, credits are matched to your invoices, and you pay 30% of what landed, on the 1st.
The free audit reads one file in about 30 seconds: PDF, CSV or a photo. Nothing is stored.
Open the free auditNo. We prepare the packet with entries, exports and the allocation; your licensed drawback broker files. No broker? We will point you to one.
Included where the law allows it, which is most unused-merchandise claims.
Free account, accept the authorization, add a card, give the customs agent one file. 30% of what lands, nothing otherwise.
Create your TraxRecovery accountAll eight audits: recovery.traxsail.ai · Walkthrough: parcel-audit-story