Notes from our own shipments
The costing and compliance mistakes we made ourselves, written up so you do not have to repeat them.
The first six digits of a product code are global. Everything after them is not.
An HS code is half an answer until you say which country will read it. Six digits are agreed worldwide. The digits after them, the…
1 Sep 2026Not every country charges a tax at the border that you can claim back
India charges IGST on the assessable value and again on the duty. The EU, the UK, the UAE and Singapore charge VAT or GST on CIF p…
1 Sep 2026Nine months to get paid is an Indian rule, not a law of nature
Indian exporters must realise export proceeds within nine months of shipment and hold the bank certificate that proves it. Of the …
1 Sep 2026SWS is charged on the aggregate, not on Basic Duty alone
SWS is charged on the aggregate of customs duties, not on Basic Duty alone. If your spreadsheet does the latter, every import you …
26 Jul 2026IGST on imports is cash flow, not cost — and mixing them up ruins your pricing
A GST-registered importer reclaims IGST as input credit. Basic Duty, AIDC, cess and surcharge are gone forever. Treating those two…
24 Jul 2026Your bank spread is eating a quarter of your export margin
You realise export proceeds at the buying rate and buy freight at the selling rate. Using one rate for both hides a real cost that…
22 Jul 2026