Accurate product descriptions on customs documents, such as commercial invoices, are crucial for smooth processing and timely shipment clearance. Customs authorities require clear, detailed descriptions to classify goods correctly, calculate duties, and identify restricted items.
🚨 WARNING: Different countries handle goods with vague descriptions differently:
🇺🇸 For shipments to the United States: items are rejected by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). When this happens, your shipment is either delayed, failed, or returned to you. You can be blocked by US customs, and banned from shipping to the US in the future.
🇯🇵🇹🇭🇵🇭🇲🇾 For shipments to Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia: items are rejected by customs in the relevant country. When this happens, your shipment can be destroyed and a charge levied.
If you don't provide an adequate product description, your shipments could be delayed, returned to you, or destroyed. You could even be blocked by the country you are importing goods to, and banned from shipping to that country in the future.
This article covers best practices for writing product descriptions for international shipments, and making sure your shipments get to where they're going. For country-specific information, check the import requirements of the destination country with the relevant authority.
About product descriptions
A product description is a detailed summary of the items being shipped, and can include:
What the item is
Material composition
Intended use
Brand and model
The description helps customs calculate duties, assess any restrictions, and clear goods faster.
Accurate and specific product descriptions are especially important if you are creating orders using the Shippit APIs. If you don't include an HS (harmonised system) code when you create your order, Shippit uses the product description to determine the correct HS code to use. If Shippit can't determine an HS code with high enough accuracy, then it falls back to the default HS code you have set in your Shippit account.
For more information about international shipping with the Shippit APIs, see the Developer centre.
Write a good product description
The main considerations you need to include when you write a product description are:
What is the item?
What is it made of?
What is its purpose?
Unacceptable | Acceptable |
Accessories | Hair elastics, sunglasses, socks |
Clothing | Women's dresses made of 60% cotton 40% polyester |
Electronic goods | Electronic wrist-worn device with integrated heart rate monitor, accelerometer, and GPS. Contains lithium-ion battery. Plastic and metal construction. |
FlowStride Volt | Men's sports shoes |
Nuts | Hexagonal aluminium bicycle nuts |
Samples | Plastic bottle product samples |
Shorts | Men's 50% cotton 50% rayon shorts |
Toys | Children's toys made of plastic |
T-shirts | Women's 100% cotton t-shirt |
Best practices
Be precise and complete. Provide the tariff code, weight, quantity, and country of origin, where those things are known.
Don't use vague terms like "accessories" or "samples," as these can delay shipments.
Confirm the specific import requirements of the destination country before you start.
For a streamlined process, consider digital customs documentation to reduce paperwork and speed up clearance.