I did not realize how many rules needed to be followed to ship or sell something internationally. Some companies you can if they are part of the free trade agreement, but even then, you need to follow their standards for that product. For instance, if you want to ship or sell a car in the UK, you need to ensure that your product complies with relevant regulations and meet their safety regulations. One way to demonstrate compliance with a relevant product safety regulation is to follow agreed standard regulations for that particular product. I did not realize how much time it could take to set up a free trade agreement. The free trade agreement can often take months or years of negotiating to complete, it is not as easy as just a handshake. I think the free trade agreement works better than the other, when it comes to the taxes and the tariffs and licensing obligations it becomes to difficult. At my previous job, we had products being shipped in from China and some of the tariff charges were so high it made it difficult to make any profit on the product when the customer did not want to pay those charges.

Companies engaging in global trade are subject to both international and regional customs requirements concerning quotas, tariffs and licensing obligations. Doing business in foreign markets means becoming familiar with these regulations, especially if you are involved in exporting and importing goods.

Dealing with international customs can impact on your business, particularly in markets with high tariffs, strict quality regulations or export-import quotas

How would you respond to Tanya’s post?