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William M. White Business Library

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Import/Export Resource Guide

American Association of Exporters and Importers
For 80 years the American Association of Exporters and Importers has been the national voice of American business in support of fair and open trade among nations. AAEI is the only national association dedicated exclusively to representing the interests of both U.S. exporters and importers before U.S. government agencies, Congress, international organizations, and foreign governments." "AAEI's members include manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of a broad spectrum of products including chemicals, electronics, machinery, footwear, automobiles and automotive parts, food, household consumer goods, toys, specialty items, textiles and apparel, and footwear. AAEI membership also comprises organizations serving the international trade community such as carriers, customs brokers, freight forwarders, banks, attorneys, and insurance firms. See their News and Related Links sections.

Export Assistance and Exporter Information

This site, with information provided by the Minnesota District Export Council, provides export tools, export information and resources on Minnesota exporting. The export tools section includes a how-to area, export documentation (with generic documents, NAFTA documents, shippers export declarations), and examples. Export information includes explanations of HS schedules and tariff rates, international market research, how to find export statistics, and service export resources.

Export Codes

Use the search function to find codes for commodities exported from the United States.

Export/import procedures and documentation HF1416.5.J64

Federation of International Trade Associations

The Federation of International Trade Associations was founded in 1984 and fosters international trade by strengthening the role of local, regional, and national associations throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada that have an international mission. This organization includes over 450 independent international associations. Its website seeks to "provide the most content-rich international trade site" and "provide a comprehensive global trade shop featuring goods and services needed by those involved in international trade." See their Trade Leads and Global Trade Shop.

Foreign Trade Statistics

This U.S. Census Bureau site is a good starting point for accessing current and historical foreign trade statistics, balance of trade information, top trading partners, as well as general foreign trade information including requirements for forwarding, U.S. export regulations, various foreign trade regulations, etc.

GATS: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's Global Agricultural Trade System

GATS includes international agricultural, fish, forest and textile products trade statistics dating from the inception of the Harmonized coding system in 1989 to present. GATS provides reports and analytical representations of trade data.
Import/export : how to get started in international trade HF1416.N45
Import handbook : a compliance and planning guide HF1455.I484

Massachusetts Institute for Social and Economic Research

This University of Massachusetts site, called MISER, provides "export and import statistics to clients located across the U.S. and around the world. Each quarter MISER produces its state export data series. MISER also provides monthly exports and imports by detailed Harmonized System commodity code." Some of their statistical products are restricted to members but some of it is free. See their Foreign Trade Database, and Foreign Trade Database Export Data and, in particular, January 2003 year-to-date U.S. Exports by State.

National Association of Export Companies

Founded in 1965 in New York City, NEXCO's mission is to provide the international trade community with a dynamic forum for networking, business solutions and advocacy." See their Web Resources for what they call the "most comprehensive searchable database of International Trade Web Resources on the Internet," with "more than 4000 links to International Trade / Import-Export Web sites ... annotated and indexed."

National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association
This organization, more than 100 years old, includes 600 customs brokers and freight forwarders in the United States. See their list of Useful Links.

Passport Global Market Information Database
(Campus-wide/Remote Access)

Extensive statistical marketing, business and economic information for over 200 countries.

Small Business Exporters Association
This organization is a council of the larger National Small Business United, consisting of 65,000 companies engaged in exporting from the United States. See their Classifying Your Products for Export, Starting an Export Company, Incoterms: Rules for Trade Logistics, and Foreign Trade Zones: U.S. Customs Procedures & Requirements.
Statistical Resources on the Web
This University of Michigan Library site, provided by their Government Documents Center, offers links to statistics on an enormous number of topics. See their Foreign Trade statistical sources links.
Trade Data Online
This Canadian government site provides a resource for trade data by trade type, by U.S. or Canada or province, by time period, by trading partner, by value and by product, with data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Statistics Canada. See also their guide to Exporting resources.
TradePort
This organization, funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, with significant assistance from the U.S. Commercial Service, the California Trade and Commerce Agency, and other sponsors, provides information on Getting Started, Researching Markets, Rules of Trade and Financing Exports, and more. Especially valuable is their Market Research Library.
U.S. Customs Service
This website provides an overview of import and export issues related to the U.S. Customs Service. You will find links with information on duty rates, HTS, rulings and regulations, small importer, publications and forms. There is also a link to ports of entry by state.
U.S. Tariff Database
This U.S. International Trade Commission site provides tariff and trade data for specific products. For interactive trade data, go to their Interactive Tariff and Trade DataWeb (free registration required). See also the Commission's homepage, its Information Center and its Publications and Reports, including the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.
U.S. International Trade Administration
This agency, part of the U.S. Commerce Department, assists the U.S. business community in selling its products and services abroad, in all areas of export management including trade agreements and trade opportunities. See the export information at their Trade Information Center, including their Export Programs Guide, and the export Trends Tables, Resources and References, and State Exports to Countries and Regions. For trade statistics, see the new TradeStats Express. For imports, see their Import Administration for laws and regulations, statistics, document library, and glossary of terms and phrases. This agency also publishes the periodical Export America.
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization, with 145 member nations, is the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world's trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. The goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers to do their business. See their Trade Agreements and Import Licensing sections.