Create and Assign Commodity Codes

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Use this article when you need to add HS codes (InfoPlus calls them commodity codes) to items you ship outside the United States. Customs uses these codes to set duties and taxes, and InfoPlus will not create an international shipping label for an item that is missing one. This article does not cover how to choose the right code for a product. These steps are done in the InfoPlus desktop app.

Before You Begin

• Permission level: You need access to edit the Commodity Code table and the Item table.
• Prerequisite: The items you plan to ship already exist in the Item table. To add items, see Create / Edit Items.
• Materials on hand:
  • The HS code for each product you ship outside the United States. To look up a code, use the Schedule B search from the U.S. Census Bureau or the World Customs Organization site (search for “HS Nomenclature”).
  • A short description for each code

Steps

Create a Commodity Code

1. Go to the Commodity Code table
2. Click Create New
   
3. In the Code field, enter the HS code using numbers only. Do not type periods or go over 12 characters.
4. In the Meaning field, enter a short description of what the code covers
5. Click Save

Assign the Code to an Item

1. Go to the Item table
2. Open the item and click Edit
3. Click the Details tab
   
4. In the Commodity Code field, select the code
5. Click Save
6. Repeat these steps for every item you ship outside the United States. If you ship kits, give a code to the kit item and to each component item. 

What You Should See

• The new code shows in the Commodity Code table.
• After saving the item table, the code shows in the Commodity Code field on the Details tab.
• When you ship a parcel order outside the United States, each item’s code is sent on the customs declaration.

Troubleshooting

If the Commodity Code field on your item is blank after you click Save:

Why this happens: The code has periods in it, which makes it too long to save on the item. InfoPlus does not show an error when this happens.

How to fix it:

• Go to the Commodity Code table and create the code again using numbers only, with no periods.
• Open the item, select the new code in the Commodity Code field, and click Save.
• After the page refreshes, check that the code shows in the field.

If your international label fails because an item has no commodity code:

Why this happens: InfoPlus will not create an international shipping label until every item on the order has a commodity code.

How to fix it:

• Check every item on the order and add a code to any item that is missing one.
• If the order includes a kit, check the kit item and each component item.

Next Steps

• If you still need to set up the rest of your international shipping, see Requirements to Set Up International Shipping.
• If you need to add or edit an item, see Create / Edit Items.
• If you build kits with a Job, see Overview of Jobs to learn how they show on customs forms.