What are the problems encountered by a customs broker?

Answer 1

Let's start from square one and there is not nearly enough for me to write otherwise we would be here for the next 10 years. For one, the exam is extremely difficult. And with no real world experience? You are almost guaranteed to fail. For instance the April 2003 exam had a national passing rate of 2%! And up to 80% of licensed attorney's (people who passed the bar exam) fail the brokers exam. And guess what? Passing it is just the start. Afterwards you have to apply to the Department of Homeland Security to actually become a Customs broker for CBP. They will do an intensive background investigation and you will be interviewed by an special agent from the DHS who will recommend "yes or no" on the license. Remember when you skipped class and were arrested at 16 years old for smoking a joint in the high school bathroom? Your dad hired a $500/hr lawyer and the court "expunged" the arrest from the records. Or did they? Application DENIED. How about your credit? Everyone has some credit disputes or even delinquencies these days. Just look at the foreclosures going on. Do you have less than average credit? Application DEINIED. Get the picture? They look for ANY and EVERY reason to deny your application. They don't want you or anyone else to become a Customs Broker. It's that simple. And assuming you are Mr. or Mrs. perfect and you are granted the license you face a competitive "mature" market with falling salaries and entry fees nationwide. Everyone is competing on "price" just like in a 3rd world country. As result wages and salaries are falling nationwide. You would be better off working for Customs. In this field you carry a high degree of professional risk and low reward (income). And that's not all - the entire time you are licensed Customs Broker Management looks for ANY EXCUSE to revoke your Customs Brokers license. You see, Customs regulations are bigger than the biggest bible you have ever seen. For Customs Brokers (as well as importers) they exist SOLEY as a means to an end of total and complete control by the government (Customs) where they may issue fines, and revoke your license AT WILL. If you think these regulations were written by Customs to "facilitate rights, fairness, and due process" you are sadly mistaken. People become dedicated experts in this field, (as a Customs Broker) then one day they get into an argument with the wrong person, and it's all over. And because NOBODY is perfect (not even the women down the hall with 30 years of experience) Customs will always find something. Always. No matter what. That's how it starts. Then they start looking at you, and grind away until they find something. It's called selective enforcement. This is basically an "abuse of discretion" that you cannot prove under any circumstances. Ironically (actually it not) one of the few "defenses" you have if they try to disbar you is that it's an "abuse of discretion". Which you then must "prove" which nobody can or EVER has. If you look at all the cases in the court of International Trade not ONCE has a Customs broker ever won a case against Customs trying to revoke their license (aka: destroy their life) for ANY reason. This is because they have total control and UNLIMITED resources from the USA taxpayers. It costs you everything but it costs them nothing! You will see teams of government prosecutors funded courtesy of our tax dollars against one lone attorney for the Customs broker who is charging the Broker $500/hr to defend himself against the government. It's a pointless battle. Think twice before you make becoming a Customs Broker your life. The license is as valuable as many college degrees, yes. But one day you will make an innocent mistake, or negligent oversight, and Broker Management will latch on like a great white shark and shake their jaws until there is nothing left but your life's career/work shredded into pieces laying in shambles. They will destroy your entire life then cite a *regulation* to back it up. Why? Because they can. Or more precisely because of a naïve oversight, innocent mistake, or other "violation" you made simply because you forgot one of the 1 million and 500 thousand regulations you are supposed to remember This is the truth. And that is just the start of it. If you lose your license you're essentially banned for life from the only thing you know how to do! Then.. surprise, surprise, you discover you are worthless in the outside job market. Proceed with extreame caution in this occupation. It is hard enough to get the license, let alone keep it. And when all you know is Customs brokerage, and that is taken away from you; your life is essentially over. Regards, A Customs Broker.