Visual Search makes HSclassification far more effective

A picture is worth a thousand words
Utilizing this method, you can identify the HS code by employing ImageSearch across various World Customs ruling databases.

The E-book format is a PDF file. After the payment procedure, you will be able to read it immediately.
No software is required. You can search for it by the internet browser.
No additional fee is required. You can search for it for free.

Below is the results of Image search for HS classification.

How it works

Search from many country's Ruling Database

Here is the list of countries that you can refer HS database.

United States, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Rep., Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom Canada China Japan India Colombia Australia Taiwan Türkiye (Turkey) Ukraine Israel Mauritius Peru Armenia Belarus Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Russia Ecuador Thailand Korea Norway Brazil Philippines Uruguay.

Many records include images and comprehensive details, backed by authoritative decisions. Simply enter the keyword for the item you’re targeting and select a similar item’s record to ascertain the HS code. This method enables you to efficiently find the correct HS code. Without it, would you resort to spending your entire day perusing the Tariff-related documents all day long?

Search results for “Cat tree"

Search results for “Carpets"

Search results for “Christmas goods"

Search results for “Metal furniture"

Search results for “Smart Watch"

About the author

Taichi Kawazoe

Author of Visualsearch for HS classification.

Experience

As a qualified customs broker accredited by Yokohama Customs for over a decade, I disseminate expertise in HS classification to a LinkedIn audience exceeding 10,000 followers.

Mission

providing support to customs professionals and trade practitioners worldwide on HS classification and FTA rules of origin.

Works

Creating HS classification article in LInkedin.

My article was introduced Customs Compliance & Risk Management issued by Lithuanian customs practitioners association (LCPA)

Purchase the book

The database consists of 29 countries Customs HS classification decisions containing 300,000 records.

Many records include images and comprehensive details, backed by authoritative decisions.

Simply enter the keyword for the item you’re targeting and select a similar item’s record to ascertain the HS code.

This method enables you to efficiently find the correct HS code.

Without it, would you resort to spending your entire day perusing the Tariff-related documents all day long?

Benefit 1

You can determine HScode with ImageSearch on the world Customs ruling database.

Benefit 2

Avoid overpayment of duties due to classification dichotomy or misclassification.

Benefit 3

Make the most of the opportunity to benefit from free trade agreements to reduce tons of customs duties.

Customers reviews

Feedbacks from HS classifiers.

I usually do not promote other people’s items for sale but I feel I want to make an exception for this book, written by an esteemed colleague and aficionado of the art of tariff classification (yes, I describe it as an “art”), 河副太智 (Taichi Kawazoe) It had no yet occurred to me to include an image search in my methodology and that to me at least is an eye opener. I always regarded that feature of that database as a bit of a gimmick but it turns out I was very wrong! Anyway, whether you are just starting out on the HS classification career path or are a seasoned (and spoiled) classifier like myself, Warmly recommended.
Great book & easy to understand.. purchased another book for a friend. Thank you ! Feedback 3Thanks for posting. This is great tool to incorporate into a classification process/methodology.
I can warmly reccommend the posts of 河副太智 (Taichi Kawazoe) showing so differend classification on the HS4 level worldwide. I have bought his book too
Amazing! Great work 河副太智 (Taichi Kawazoe) I would love a demonstration the next time I have a client that requires something like this!
Also from my side, I can‘t thank 河副太智 (Taichi Kawazoe) enough for his œvre. Someone who loves to think and discuss about the art of customs classification also in his spare time! This is never self-evident, not to mention that there are only a few classification experts, also globally spoken. It is always fun to see your posts.
I would like to thank you for providing me such useful material.You have improved my knowledge and concept a lot.
I have just discovered that it contained more than 300k HScode for products classified following the principles of the classification rules. Really fantastic!
Taichi Kawazoe(河副 太智) San , I believe your book can make big difference for us. Big thanks from Bangladesh.
Taichi Kawazoe(河副 太智) San, Thank you very much for share this complilation. My deepest respect and recognition to you as a master in classification and your willingness to share with all of us your expertise and valuable knowledge. Hope to ear more about the solution you are developing to clasificate.
Dear Taichi-san, what a great contribution you have made to customs community! Greetings from Indonesia.

Purchase the book

The database consists of 29 countries Customs HS classification decisions containing 300,000 records.

Many records include images and comprehensive details, backed by authoritative decisions.

Simply enter the keyword for the item you’re targeting and select a similar item’s record to ascertain the HS code.

This method enables you to efficiently find the correct HS code.

Without it, would you resort to spending your entire day perusing the Tariff-related documents all day long?
The E-book format is a PDF file. After the payment procedure, you will be able to read it immediately.
No software is required. You can search for it by the internet browser.
No additional fee is required. You can search for it for free.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us from contact form.

In this book you will learn...

The complexity of HS codes can easily lead to misclassification. Surveys indicate that approximately 30% of all declarations are misclassified. Misclassification or dichotomy in HS classification can have several repercussions:

  • Excessive payment of duties
  • Lost opportunities to benefit from Free Trade Agreements
  • Potential imposition of anti-dumping or countervailing duties Signals to customs of deeper issues,
  • potentially triggering audits Unanticipated delays in customs clearance

  • This book provides insights on how to circumvent these issues by accurately determining the appropriate HS codes, thereby streamlining trade procedures and maximizing the advantages of reduced customs duties through effective HS classification methods.

    In this guide, you will discover:

    1.Strategies for efficiently searching online for the correct HS code,
    ensuring smooth customs clearances, avoiding delays, and preventing unnecessary inspections by customs authorities.

    2.How to fully utilize Free Trade Agreements to significantly reduce customs duties,
    which can lead to substantial profit increases in ongoing trading activities.

    3.Methods to prevent the overpayment of duties caused by misclassification or classification dichotomy. This approach involves leveraging the World Customs
    HS decision database to obtain reliable information for defining the
    HS code of your target item.


    The database offers access to item descriptions, images, and the assigned HS codes, searchable by item keywords.
    This book is an essential resource for customs brokers, HS classifiers, trading companies, manufacturers, suppliers,
    trading consultants, and anyone involved in trade.

    It is also an invaluable guide for beginners just starting with HS classification, aiming to impart the knowledge gained from exploring Worldwide Customs decision databases.

    Through this book, I aim to share my experiences and the expertise I’ve acquired in this field.

    The worst scenario of inadequate HS classification

    I will present a cautionary tale of the severe consequences stemming from improper HS classification, illustrated by a judicial case.
    This real-life example demonstrates the dire outcomes of HS misclassification, which can result in losses amounting to millions of dollars. In a notable case, the Supreme Court of Thailand ruled against a leading Japanese automaker, Toyota, mandating a payment of $272.11 million due to incorrect HS classification.

    Source: Reuters

    In the beginning, TOYOTA intended to export Automobiles to Thailand.
    In this case, the tariff rate for Automobiles(HS:8703.23) is 80%(see the image)

    The duty rate for automobiles (HS:8703.23) is steep at 80%, and there is no Free Trade Agreement (FTA) preferential treatment between Thailand and Japan for this category. Conversely, under the FTA between Thailand and Japan, “Automobile parts” (HS:8708) benefit from a reduction in duty rates from 60% to 30%.

    Toyota devised a strategy to disassemble automobiles, ship them to Thailand as “Automobile parts,”
    and then reassemble them into complete cars after customs clearance.

    Had Toyota exported complete automobiles to Thailand, they would have faced an 80% duty rate.
    However, by disassembling them into parts, they reduced the duty rate to 30%, effectively cutting customs duties by half.

    This approach, known as Tariff Engineering, was employed from 2010 to 2012 for over 20,000 vehicles at Toyota’s Gateway factory.
    Yet, this tactic proved to be risky.

    Subsequently, Thai customs challenged this practice, arguing that the imported items were not mere parts since
    they could be reassembled into complete automobiles, classifying them as “Completely Knocked Down” units.

    To comprehend why customs considered these parts as complete automobiles, it’s essential to consult the
    “General Rules of Interpretation (GRIs).”

    The dispute between Thai customs and Toyota was protracted and eventually escalated to the courts.

    On September 15, 2022, the Supreme Court of Thailand affirmed a lower court’s decision, concluding that
    Toyota’s local subsidiary owed the government 10 billion baht ($272.11 million) in additional taxes for importing components
    that did not qualify for a reduced tariff.

    The judgment by the Thailand Supreme Court is detailed below.

    Sometimes I hear that “to reduce duty rate, disassemble the commodity into parts to import and reassemble them in the 
    targeting country, Wow this is a smart way of Tariff Engineering”

    But this is the inadequate solution for reducing the duty rate that most people easily come up with.

    In short term, it might work I admit, but customs officers are not foolish in overlooking this behavior. Therefore it turned out
    to be a nightmare one day.

    In order to avoid this nightmare, I strongly recommend reading this book.

    Purchase the book

    The database consists of 29 countries Customs HS classification decisions containing 300,000 records.

    Many records include images and comprehensive details, backed by authoritative decisions.

    Simply enter the keyword for the item you’re targeting and select a similar item’s record to ascertain the HS code.

    This method enables you to efficiently find the correct HS code.

    Without it, would you resort to spending your entire day perusing the Tariff-related documents all day long?
    The E-book format is a PDF file. After the payment procedure, you will be able to read it immediately.
    No software is required. You can search for it by the internet browser.
    No additional fee is required. You can search for it for free.
    If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us from contact form.

    As a customs professional, you will have the capability to create documents such as these.

    I have been distributing illustrated HS classification knowledge on SNS besed on the method of Imagesearch for HS classification.

    If you use this method, it can help you classify HS codes smoothly and serve as a valuable source of case studies for your cliants.
    It can also be a great way to disseminate useful information on web media and attract attention from many trade practitioners because many of them face common problems with HS classification.

    Purchase the book

    The database consists of 29 countries Customs HS classification decisions containing 300,000 records.

    Many of them have images and detailed information with the authority of the decisions.
    Just type the keyword of the targeting items and choose a similar item’s record to determine HS.

    With this method, you can find the appropriate HS code effectively.

    Without this method, how do you determine HS code?

    Reading Tariff and Explanatory note all day?

    The E-book format is a PDF file. After the payment procedure, you will be able to read it immediately.
    No software is required. You can search for it by the internet browser.
    No additional fee is required. You can search for it for free.
    If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us from contact form.