Who We Are

Importer Handbook is an independent publishing team that explains the paperwork and payment mechanics of importing. We are not a customs broker, freight forwarder, or payment processor. We do not sell software or take a commission on your shipments. We write, update, and fact-check guides on Incoterms, customs entries, commercial documents, and supplier payments so that first-time and occasional importers can ask better questions of the professionals they hire.

The site began in 2019 when our founding editor, a former export documentation clerk, kept getting the same questions from friends starting small import businesses: which Incoterm puts the risk on the seller, what a commercial invoice must show, why a wire transfer and a letter of credit behave differently when a supplier misses a deadline. The answers existed, but they were scattered across broker newsletters, government PDFs, and forum threads. We started collecting them in one place, with sources cited and dates checked.

What We Do

We publish reference articles and checklists, not opinions about which supplier or forwarder to use. Each guide is written to answer a specific procedural question: how to read a bill of lading, what a customs bond covers, when a payment term shifts risk, which documents a bank will reject under a letter of credit. We revise articles when rules change, and we mark the revision date at the top of each page.

We do not accept payment for coverage. Our revenue comes from a paid email course and from licensing our checklists to small business associations; neither affects what we write. When we link to a government form or a bank's guide, we link to the primary source.

Our Mission and Values

Our mission is to make the administrative side of importing legible to people who did not train in it. Three values shape the work:

• Accuracy over speed. We would rather publish a guide a week late than guess at a threshold or a deadline. Every number and form reference is checked against a current official source or a named practitioner.
• Plain language. We define terms the first time we use them and avoid jargon where a plain word works. Where jargon is unavoidable, we explain it once and then use it consistently.
• No hidden agenda. We do not rank forwarders, brokers, or banks, and we do not accept affiliate fees for referrals. If we mention a company, it is because their public documentation illustrates a point.

Why Trust Us

We are transparent about what we are not. We are not licensed customs brokers, and nothing on the site is legal or tax advice. Our articles are starting points for conversations with your broker, bank, or attorney, not replacements for them. We say so on every guide.

Our editorial process is simple: a writer drafts from primary sources, a second editor checks every factual claim against those sources, and a practitioner reviews guides that involve customs or payment procedure. Reviewers are named on the article, along with their relevant experience. When we get something wrong, we correct it and note the change at the bottom of the page.

Our Team

We are a small editorial team with backgrounds in export documentation, trade finance operations, and business publishing. Our founding editor spent six years preparing commercial invoices and certificates of origin for a mid-sized exporter. Our customs reviewer is a licensed customs broker who reviews entries for small importers. Our payments reviewer spent a decade in trade finance operations at a regional bank, processing letters of credit and documentary collections. None of them write about products or suppliers; they write about process.

How to Use This Site

Start with the Incoterms primer if you are choosing terms for a first order. Read the customs entry walkthrough before your first shipment arrives. Use the document checklist when you prepare a bank payment. If you cannot find an answer, write to us; the questions we receive shape what we publish next.

We are based in the United States and write for US importers, though the procedural logic often applies elsewhere. If you spot an error or a rule that has changed, tell us. The handbook gets better when readers correct it.