Because fashion and retail tariff provisions have historically carried high duty rates, companies in these industries have had to look for creative but legal solutions to reduce their duty burdens. Issues specific to the fashion and retail industries include the following.
- Ongoing changes to the classification of fashion items, accessories, and footwear, many of which stem from CBP seeking to increase duties on widely imported items.
- Because of relatively low profit margins, fashion and retail importers have an extra incentive to mitigate duties, including Section 301 duties, through strategies such as tariff engineering, first sale, and duty drawback.
Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg has a long history of working with fashion and retail companies.