Default HS code

HS codes are crucial for accurately calculating duties, taxes, and meeting customs requirements. To understand the complexities of HS codes and their role in streamlining logistics and calculations within Zonos, it is important to understand how our default HS codes work and their significance in the cross-border shipping process. This guide provides an overview of default HS codes and emphasizes the advantages of integrating Zonos Classify.

Your default HS code 

Default HS codes are utilized by Zonos for landed cost calculations, commercial invoices, and shipping labels in situations where product-specific codes are not provided.

While we offer a default HS code as a fallback option, we strongly encourage you to provide product-specific, country-specific HS codes whenever possible to ensure accuracy and facilitate a seamless clearance process. As an effective, powerful alternative to default HS codes, Classify is a robust tool that generates accurate HS codes for your products to improve calculation accuracy and customs clearance efficiency.

Note: It is important to note that each store has a single default HS code.

To add a default HS code to your store, go to Dashboard -> Settings -> Landed Cost and add your default HS code in the Default harmonized tariff code box.

When default HS codes are used 

Zonos Catalog is the recommended and efficient method for storing product-specific HS codes, ensuring compatibility with all Zonos products and services. If you are unable to store product-specific HS codes in the Catalog and prefer using your ecommerce platform to retrieve HS codes, consult our list of supported platforms to ensure compatibility for retrieving product-specific HS codes. In cases where neither the Catalog nor your ecommerce platform catalog has an HS code for your products, Zonos will fallback to using your default HS code as a last resort.

The process for selecting HS codes for Zonos calculations can be simplified as follows:

1. Check the product in Zonos Catalog for an HS code
2. Check your ecommerce platform catalog for an HS code
3. Resort to using your default HS code

Overwriting default HS codes 

If you use a Landed Cost guarantee solution, Classify may overwrite your default HS code depending on your integration type. Classify currently generates classifications and replaces default HS codes exclusively for GraphQL API-direct integrations, which includes all Shopify integrations. When integrated with Shopify, Classify generates a classification by using either the product name sourced from Shopify or, if the name is unavailable, by resorting to the product title.

If you are using one of these integrations and an item does not have a product-specific HS code assigned, Classify will automatically classify the item during the checkout process. We'll first check Catalog for the HS code, followed by the product listing in your ecommerce platform, if you have one. If neither source provides the HS code, Classify will then attempt auto-classification during checkout. In these integrations, default HS codes are used only when auto-classification times out at checkout, which is a rare occurrence.

Note: These autoclassifications will be one-time classifications and are not stored in your Catalog.