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Valued packing list and commercial invoice in international cargo transportation from the USA

If accepted, a valued packing list (VPL) can substitute for commercial invoices (CI) when shipping goods from the USA overseas.

Commercial invoice

A commercial invoice is an essential shipping document in international cargo transportation. Unless a valued packing list substitutes it, it must be submitted to any international shipment. Your cargo cannot be released to international shipping until you provide a commercial invoice on your shipping goods or valued packaging list.

A commercial invoice serves different purposes when shipping goods from the United States. The most crucial commercial invoice is to consider and assign customs duty upon arrival shipping goods to the destination. However, a commercial invoice can calculate marine cargo insurance, act as proof in international trade, identify a commodity shipping abroad for the US CBP, etc.

When shipping goods from the USA, commercial invoices must be in English. In the US, commercial invoices must comply with Section 141.86 of US customs regulations on shipping merchandise internationally from the United States of America. It must provide information on:

• The port of entry, which the goods are designated to;
• Shippers (sellers) and buyers' full name, address, and valid contact information;
• A detailed description of shipping goods;
• The number and type of shipping units, the weight, and measures;
• Value of each item in USD based on the exchange rate on the date of export;
• The country of origin of the goods; and
• All products or services furnished for the production of goods being imported are not included in the invoice price (if any)

An accurate seller invoice or a buyer's detailed purchase receipt typically complies with the above requirements. If you buy and ship or sell and ship from the United States, it is a good idea to submit a copy of the original invoice to your international shipment.

Valued packing list

However, if you're shipping commercial cargo and cannot submit a copy of your sale-purchase receipt for some reason, you may consider submitting a proforma commercial invoice in the form of a valued packing list. Most of the time, this works, but it may cause questions at customs.

Valued packing list in shipping household goods and personal effects from the USA overseas

If you ship household goods or personal effects from the US, the only way to comply with international shipping regulations is to submit a valued packing list.

To prevent confusion when an inexperienced shipper fills a valued packing list, here are some suggestions:

• When creating a valuable packing list, don't make it complicated; stick to common sense. The document must clearly show what you are shipping.
• Regarding international shipping from the USA mixed household goods or personal effects, if no major commodity is described, we may suggest the HS Code 4016.99.05 "Household articles not elsewhere specified or included."
• If you ship boxes with about the same content and value, combine them all in one line. Do not list each box separately.
• You do not know the exact weight of your boxes. That's OK. Just roughly estimate everything.
• For used household goods, you assign value in US$ on your own, like at a yard sale. There is no need to search for 20-year-old purchase receipts. However, remember that customs can match the value with the fair market value of similar items at any time.

Perhaps the most frequently asked question is, "How detailed should I describe the content in boxes?" 

The answer is: On the one hand, you don't have to list each spoon and fork that you are shipping. On the other, the description should reflect the content.

You can describe it like this: 3 boxes with used clothes, toys, and dishes. The weight is 60 lbs. The value is US$600.

However, avoid too uncertain descriptions. Do not submit the shipment like this: 12 boxes with household goods. The weight is 360 lbs. The value is $2,499.