The CERS advantage isn’t just in ease of use. International trade rules evolve steadily, and so do the regulatory infrastructures that support them. This means that reporting requirements can also change, which can be hard for smaller exporters to keep up with. Even so, customs authorities still demand accurate data collection and reporting and can impose penalties and sanctions if you don’t comply—even if this happens because of an innocent mistake.
“For the average small business, dealing with customs and exporting issues can have its challenges,” says Audrey Ross, a logistics and customs specialist at Orchard Custom Beauty. “Because of this, smaller businesses have often pushed their customs responsibilities onto third parties such as brokers. This can expose them to compliance violations. CERS can help you avoid such mistakes by making reporting easier, faster and more transparent.”
Dewar provides an example that could plausibly have happened under the old paper-based system. “Let’s say, you’re exporting food products, but your forwarder, for some reason, assigns the goods a tariff classification for flooring, and you didn’t check for errors before the shipment went out. Now, you’re looking at a compliance risk and possible penalties,” he says. “But with CERS, you can easily validate the declarations made on your behalf by a broker or forwarder before the goods are shipped.”
To sum up: CERS helps you reduce your compliance risks and administrative burden, so you can spend your time on more fruitful pursuits.
