Import compliance guides
Plain-language explanations of the CBP and CPSC situations importers run into — what a hold or a form means, which certificate a product needs, and where each one points next.
Prefer to watch? Guides marked have a short video version on the page — or see them all in one YouTube playlist.
Held shipments and customs notices
What a hold, a status message, or a CBP form means, and who normally answers it.
- Why is my shipment held at U.S. customs? video · 1:09Why a shipment gets held at U.S. customs: CBP exams, CPSC partner-agency holds, and forced-labor detentions — how long each lasts and who handles it.
- CBP “Under Review” vs “Hold Intact” — what the status meansCBP “Under Review” and “Hold Intact” are partner-agency cargo statuses, not a release. What each one means, why they differ, and what to check next.
- CPSC customs hold: why is my shipment held, and what happens next? video · 1:09A CPSC customs hold, step by step: the Under Review and Hold Intact messages, the 5-day window to answer a detention notice, and which certificate applies.
- What is a CBP Form 4647 (Notice to Mark or Redeliver)? video · 1:12CBP Form 4647 is the customs Notice to Mark and/or Redeliver: what it means, the 30-day marking window, the 180-day protest limit, and who answers it.
CPSC certificates and eFiling
Which certificate a consumer product needs, and how the eFiling requirement fits.
- What is the CPSC eFiling requirement? video · 34sCPSC eFiling: the electronic certificate requirement for imported consumer products, who files, the July 8 2026 date, and what it does not change.
- CPC vs GCC — which certificate does my product need? video · 38sMade mainly for kids 12 or under? It needs a CPC, tested by a CPSC-accepted lab. Other products a CPSC safety rule covers need a GCC. How to tell.
- CPSC disclaim vs certificate: how to tell which one appliesCPSC disclaim vs certificate: a certificate says a regulated product complies; a disclaim says certificate data is not required. How to tell which applies.
- What is a Children's Product Certificate (CPC)? video · 34sA Children's Product Certificate (CPC) certifies a children's product meets the CPSC safety rules that apply, based on accepted lab testing.
- Does CPSC issue certificates? Who actually issues a CPC video · 34sCPSC doesn't approve products or issue certificates. The importer or U.S. maker writes the CPC or GCC on lab testing. What Amazon asks for instead.
- What is a GCC certificate? (General Certificate of Conformity) video · 34sA GCC (General Certificate of Conformity) is the importer's or U.S. maker's statement that a product meets CPSC rules. Who needs one, and what it says.
- What is Reese's Law (button cell battery rules)?Reese's Law led CPSC to set 16 CFR part 1263 for button and coin batteries: child-resistant compartments, use-and-abuse testing, and the dates it applies.
Forced labor and the UFLPA
The forced-labor rules that can bar goods from entry, and how to check a supplier first.
- My shipment was detained under the UFLPA — what now? video · 1:09CBP detained your goods under the UFLPA? You have 30 days to export, destroy or ask for a review, up to 90 with extensions. What each path needs.
- UFLPA Entity List: 190 entities after the October 29, 2026 update video · 32sThe DHS UFLPA Entity List: 190 entities as of the October 29, 2026 update. What it is, how companies get added or removed, and how to check a supplier.
- CBP detained my shipment under the UFLPA — what it means video · 1:09Detained under the UFLPA? The law presumes the goods were made with forced labor. How you can contest it, or export or destroy them, and the 90-day limit.
- What is a Withhold Release Order (WRO)?WRO means Withhold Release Order: CBP can hold goods it believes were made with forced labor. How it works and how it differs from the UFLPA list.
More guides
- Is Tiana & Co. on Amazon's Service Provider Network? video · 1:12Tiana & Co. is listed in Amazon's Service Provider Network under Compliance. What the listing means, what it does not, and how to verify it yourself.
- CBP Form 28 vs Form 29 (CF-28 vs CF-29): what's the difference between the two customs notices? video · 41sA CF-28 (CBP Form 28) means customs wants information or documents about your entry. A CF-29 means customs is changing, or plans to change, the entry.
- What is the UFLPA (Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act)?The UFLPA presumes goods tied to Xinjiang or a listed entity are made with forced labor and barred from U.S. entry unless the importer rebuts it.
- Xinjiang and forced labor: what is the U.S. import risk?Goods made wholly or in part in China's Xinjiang region are presumed made with forced labor and barred from U.S. entry. What that means for sourcing.
- CPSC vs FCC: which certificate does my product need? video · 32sThe CPSC covers product safety. The FCC covers devices that give off radio waves. A product can need one, both or neither. How to tell, with examples.
- How do I respond to a customs detention notice from CBP? video · 1:09Customs is holding your shipment while it decides. The notice says why, for how long, and what could speed things up. How to read it and reply in time.
- What documents does my customs broker need? video · 52sMost entries start with an invoice, a packing list and a bill of lading. When a certificate of origin, a safety certificate or a translation is needed too.
- Does imported food need FDA facility registration?FDA food facility registration for imports: which foreign facilities must register under 21 CFR Part 1 Subpart H, the exemptions, and what it leaves out.
- What is FDA prior notice for imported food?FDA prior notice for imported food: what it is, how far ahead it must reach FDA, how it is filed through ABI/ACE or PNSI, and which food is exempt.
- What is FSVP (the Foreign Supplier Verification Program)?The Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) under 21 CFR Part 1 Subpart L: what it is, that it sits with the U.S. food importer, and who is exempt.
- Does an imported medical device or drug need FDA registration?Usually, yes. The foreign maker of a drug or medical device registers with FDA and lists it. A device's U.S. importer registers too. It isn't FDA approval.
- Why did Amazon reject my CPC certificate? video · 39sWhy a Children's Product Certificate (CPC) gets rejected even when a seller has one: the exact-product match, the accepted lab, and the age-grading trap.
- What goes in a UFLPA detention response package?What CBP looks for in a UFLPA detention response: the supply chain traced to the raw material, the payments, production and shipping records, in English.
- My supplier isn't on the UFLPA Entity List — why were my goods detained? video · 1:02A supplier absent from the UFLPA Entity List does not clear the goods: the forced-labor presumption reaches upstream inputs, and a WRO needs no name.
- Does moving production out of China avoid UFLPA?Moving production out of China does not clear UFLPA on its own: the forced-labor presumption follows where the cotton was grown, not the sewing country.
- CPSC-accepted lab vs. any accredited lab — what's the difference? video · 39sFor a CPC, the lab must be accepted by CPSC for each safety rule it tests to. Accredited alone doesn't count. How to check a lab on CPSC's public list.
- Does my product need a CPSC tracking label?Selling a children's product? It needs a CPSC tracking label: a permanent mark on the item and its packaging that shows the maker, the date and the batch.
- Why is CBP voiding importer of record numbers? (Form 5106 accuracy, from September 18, 2026)From September 18, 2026, CBP voids an importer of record (IOR) number if its Form 5106 details are wrong or incomplete. What must be right, who fixes it.
- How do I screen a supplier for forced labor?How to screen a supplier for forced labor: the UFLPA Entity List, CBP withhold release orders and the sanctions lists in order, and what each check proves.
- How to read a third-party test report for a CPCWhat a lab test report for a CPC shows, block by block, and what to check before a Children's Product Certificate or a listing can rest on it.
- What a pre-shipment inspection report shows, and when to book oneWhat a pre-shipment inspection report shows: the sample checked, the defects found, the counts, the checklist, and why it comes before the balance.
- Factory audit vs. supplier screening — what each one provesA factory audit scores one site on one day; a screening checks legal list status. What each proves, what neither does, and where UFLPA due diligence sits.
- Walmart asked for my CPC or GCC — what does the request mean? video · 34sFor a children's product, Walmart wants a CPC and a third-party lab test report. Where they go in Seller Center, how long review takes, why one comes back.
- TikTok Shop asked for compliance documents — which certificate does my product need? video · 34sTikTok Shop may ask for compliance documents in categories like toys and kids' clothing. A children's product takes a CPC; other CPSC goods take a GCC.
- Does a handmade children's product on Etsy need a CPC? video · 34sUsually yes: a handmade children's product needs a Children's Product Certificate, issued by the maker. What Etsy asks for, and what small-batch changes.
- How long does it take to get a CPC, and for Amazon to approve it? video · 34sThe CPC has no approval wait. The time goes to lab testing and the marketplace review: Amazon's own figure, what sellers report, and what adds weeks.
- What does Amazon look at besides the CPC? video · 39sBesides the CPC, Amazon checks the lab report, photos of every side, the tracking label, warnings, manuals and the listing's age. What each has to show.
- Who should I contact to get a CPC for Amazon? video · 34sWho to call for a CPC: the importer signs it, a CPSC-accepted lab tests, the supplier sends samples, a broker handles entry, the marketplace reviews.
- Amazon wants “annual testing or document verification” for my toy — what does it mean? video · 39sAmazon's yearly toy check in plain words: what the notice says, when an old test report can be verified, the 12-month rule, and when a listing comes down.
- Amazon asked me to “submit compliance documents” for a children's product — what does it want? video · 34sAmazon's request to submit compliance documents for a children's product: what the email says, the CPC, test report and photos, and how to appeal it.
- How old can my CPC and test report be for TikTok Shop? video · 1:12TikTok Shop wants a children's product's CPC and lab test report each issued in the last 365 days. What it asks for, and how Amazon and Walmart differ.
- What does Amazon need to list a product with a lithium battery?Lithium-battery product on Amazon? It asks for the UN 38.3 test summary, its battery exemption sheet, FBA battery fields and, for some, $1M insurance.
- What do I lose if I pay an Alibaba supplier directly? video · 1:12Paying an Alibaba supplier directly? You lose Trade Assurance, Alibaba's refund promise. What it covered, what it never did, and what to check first.
- What does a CPSC Notice of Violation (Letter of Advice) mean for my shipment?A CPSC Notice of Violation, or Letter of Advice, says a product broke a safety rule. What it asks for, how to answer it, and what happens to held goods.
- Amazon asked for button cell or coin battery documents — what does it want?Amazon's button cell and coin battery request: the UL 4200A test report, the GCC and the warning photos it asks for, and what the law itself requires.
- Amazon asked for clothing storage unit (dresser) testing — what does it want?Amazon's clothing storage unit rule: which dressers it covers, why an approved testing company checks them, the test report, GCC and photos it wants.
- Amazon asked for bike helmet compliance documents — what does it want?Amazon's bike helmet rule: the 16 CFR 1203 test report, the GCC or CPC, the photos it wants, and why the law treats the helmet's label as its certificate.