Who uses customs bonded storage?
Generally there are two scenarios in which bonded storage can be beneficial. An importer who has high duty levels on their product and/or slow moving goods may benefit by deferring the duty payment until you have a customer in place. Remember, you don’t save the duty, you defer it. You make a little interest on the duty money you defer, but unless that’s a huge amount over an extended storage time, you won’t make/save much money. An importer can also benefit if they have a shipment arriving in the U.S. with an eventual destination outside the U.S. (such as Canada or Mexico). Then you can hold the cargo at a bonded warehouse until you ship it across the border and never have to pay a U.S. duty.
