Frequently Asked Questions - Commodities
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Q: I do not know the exact quantity or value of a commodity, what should I do?
A: AES allows you to provide your best estimate of the quantity and value of commodity data. As soon as you know the actual values you should retrieve the shipment, amend the data, and resubmit to AES.
Q: What value should I report?
A: The amount to be reported to AES is the value at the U.S. Port of Export (Selling Price of the USPPI, or cost if not sold, including inland freight, insurance , and other charges to the U.S. Port of export) (nearest whole dollar;omit cents figures).
Q: Why are the Commodity Code, and 1st Quantity and Measure Conditional, aren't they always required?
A: For most shipments yes, but not all. Some shipments, such as HouseHold Goods are "Limited Reporting Shipments." For these shipments you should not enter the Commodity Code, Quantity or Measure."
Q: How do I know which shipments are "Limited Reporting Shipments"?
A: Click on the Help link just to the right-hand side of the Export Code Field, and scroll down until you see the "Limited Shipment Information Required …." Section.
Q: How do I find out which Unit of Measure I should be reporting for my commodity?
A: You can do this in one of two ways:
- Click on the Help Link next to the Commodity Code field, in the Help window Click on "Full Listing." This will take you to the Census look-up www. Use this look-up to find your commodity. On the right-hand side of the commodity line you will find the correct Unit of Measure.
- Make a guess, submit your shipment to AESDirect. If you guessed wrong AESDirect will give you an error message, this message will also tell you the correct Unit of Measure to use.
Q: What Quantity should I enter for a commodity?
A: Always enter the Quantity of your commodity measured in the units reported in the Unit of Measure Field.
Q: Should I enter the "." in the commodity code?
A: No, only enter the straight 10 digits.
Q: Should I enter cents in the Value field?
A: No, enter only whole $ (round to the nearest) with no "." or cents.
Q: Should I enter decimal fractions in the Gross Weight?
A: Enter only whole KG (round to the nearest) with no "." or decimals.
Q: What are the most common Export Code and License Code values?
A: You are responsible for entering the correct combination for each shipment, but for normal shipments with no licensing requirements the combination will most likely be, Export Code "OS," License Code "C33."
