What to ask for
Where the data goes
Your customs broker builds the entry from the invoice lines, your forwarder books and prices the freight from the packing list, and the receiving warehouse checks the goods in against it. Each uses its own software and layout, but they all need the same details, and they all stop on the same mistakes. Fix them before the goods ship, not at the border.
Common errors and their fixes
HS codes losing their leading zero
Cause: Codes in chapters 01 to 09 start with a zero: 0901.21 for roasted coffee, 0403.20 for yoghurt. Excel reads them as numbers and drops it, so 0901.21 becomes 901.21, which isn't a valid code.
Fix: Format the HS code column as Text before typing or pasting, and check the CSV after saving. See the leading zeros guide.
HS codes turned into 9.01E+09
Cause: A 10-digit code without dots, such as 0901210010, is a long number to Excel, which shows it in scientific notation and can save it that way.
Fix: Keep the column as Text, or write codes with their dots (0901.21.0010). The scientific notation guide shows how to recover them.
Codes too short to classify
Cause: A 4-digit heading such as 6109 says T-shirts but not what they're made of. The first 6 digits are the international HS code; importing countries add more (8 in the EU, 10 in the US).
Fix: Give at least the 6-digit code, and the full code for the country the goods are going to if the supplier knows it. The broker confirms the final classification.
Descriptions customs can't classify
Cause: Parts, samples, accessories, gift or general merchandise doesn't say what the goods are, so customs asks, or holds the shipment until it knows.
Fix: Say what each item is, what it's made of and what it's for: cotton men's knitted T-shirts, not apparel; stainless steel water bottles, not bottles.
Country names instead of codes
Cause: China, PRC, Mainland China and P.R. China are all the same country to a person, but not to customs software expecting a 2-letter ISO code.
Fix: Write country of origin as a 2-letter code such as CN, VN or MX. Find and replace each name once for the whole column.
Origin confused with ship-from
Cause: Goods made in Vietnam and shipped from a Hong Kong warehouse are of Vietnamese origin. Origin decides the duty rate and any trade agreement, so the wrong one can mean the wrong duty.
Fix: Ask suppliers where each item was made, or last substantially changed, not where it was shipped from.
Prices with symbols, or currencies mixed
Cause: $4.50/pc, USD 4.50 and 4,50 € in one column, or some lines in dollars and some in euros without saying which, can't be totalled or converted.
Fix: Write prices as plain numbers with a separate 3-letter currency code, the same on every line of an invoice. The currency symbols guide shows how to clean a column.
Kilograms and pounds in one column
Cause: One supplier weighs in kg, another in lb, and the column header just says Weight. The totals are meaningless and the freight quote is wrong.
Fix: Put the unit in the header, such as Gross Weight (kg), and convert everything to it: 1 lb is 0.4536 kg.
Gross weight lighter than net
Cause: Gross weight includes packaging, so it can't be less than the net weight of the goods. When it is, the columns are swapped or a unit is wrong.
Fix: Check each line or carton: gross at least net, both in the same unit.
Totals rows and subtotals
Cause: A Total row at the bottom of the invoice or packing list is read as another line of goods, doubling the quantity and value.
Fix: Remove totals and subtotals before sending. The broker and forwarder add them up.
Packing list and invoice don't match
Cause: Quantities on the packing list that don't add up to the invoice's, cartons missing from the count, or SKUs named differently on the two documents make customs and the warehouse stop to count.
Fix: Use the same SKUs on both, and check the packing list's quantities (per carton times cartons) add up to each invoice line.
Dates that read two ways
Cause: 03/04/2026 is 3 April to a European supplier and 4 March to an American broker, so invoice and ship dates can be months out.
Fix: Use YYYY-MM-DD (2026-04-03) for every date. See the date formatting guide.
A last check
Before sending, total the invoice's quantities and values and the packing list's cartons, quantities and gross weight, and compare them with each other and with the supplier's own totals. A difference usually means a missing line, a totals row or a unit mix-up.
Keep each SKU's HS code, description and country of origin once they're agreed with your broker, and reuse them on every shipment. Most of these errors come from retyping the same products from scratch.
Checklist before you send
Collecting invoices and packing lists from suppliers?
Send suppliers a form instead of a spreadsheet. The commercial invoice template keeps HS codes as text and takes country of origin as a code, and the packing list template fixes weights in kilograms and dimensions in centimetres.
Try the commercial invoice templateRelated Guides
Relevant Templates
Import Builder is an independent product. This guide isn't customs advice: your customs broker and the importing country's customs authority decide classification, origin and duty.