Customs Misdeclaration of Luxury Jewelry Triggering Fines and Seizures

$10,000–$40,000 per incident (customs rejection for missing authenticity documentation, 2–3 week delay, cold storage, gemologist rework to re-issue certificates, customer satisfaction loss) • $15,000–$60,000 per shipment (customs seizure 5–10 days, cold storage $500/day, re-processing fees, potential 10–15% duty recalculation on declared value, loss of customer credibility for late delivery) • $20,000–$50,000 annually (incomplete outbound declarations on repairs, customs holds, customer disputes over returned item legitimacy, lost repeat business from international clients)

CRM Manager logs issue in spreadsheet or CRM notes; initiates replacement shipment using original order details without refreshing HS codes, valuation, or certificates; no systematic review of declaration completeness before re-export • Email chain between sales associate and shipping partner; manual copying of product descriptions into courier forms; reliance on memory of material composition; no standardized product master with pre-assigned HS codes • Email-based order routing to logistics with informal item descriptions; Excel spreadsheet order tracking; manual HS code lookup and supplier contact for authenticity certificates performed post-sale by operations team