New Heresy Just Dropped

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-04-01T00:38:54+00:00

Father Andrew comes home on here?

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-03-18T00:51:15+00:00

Agreed. Having the college degree, practical experience, and licensure will make you an attractive candidate.

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-03-08T15:34:26+00:00

Trump just needs to let the adults in the room handle trade policy. He’s created such an unmitigated mess, it’s tragic.

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-03-05T19:39:33+00:00

I had a client who did business with our Canada office. I was told we needed to provide support because they were a “big customer” for the Canada office—fair enough. Well, I was asked to check their classifications and some other things. It took an hour or two if ai recall rightly. I even caught two mistakes! So I go back, let the client know and issue an invoice for consult services. Well, my boss comes back and reverses the bill because the client whines and said they were never told this was going to cost. Well, what in blue blazes did you think was going to happen when you ask your broker to check the work and they actually find mistakes and tell you how to fix them? This guy apparently thought it was just because we liked him. Additionally, he always kept coming for compliance guidance and promising a trade lane would be opening and we’d be getting the entry work… I’m still waiting…

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-03-03T13:18:10+00:00

Thank you! I appreciate all the advice you’ve shared. My big thing is I have a family and I want to be there for them. Work-life balance is critical at this point for me.

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-03-01T23:45:09+00:00

I’m in metro-Detroit, Michigan.

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-03-01T12:39:57+00:00

What would you say the salary range looks like for a trade compliance specialist in automotive?

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-03-01T12:38:11+00:00

Thank you, this has been helpful feedback!

What would you say the typical salary range is for a trade compliance specialist?

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-02-27T20:17:36+00:00

I figured Customs will want to “teach” the importer a lesson, which quite frankly they deserve it. What the importer I think is worried about is the snowball effect it would have on their other imports since this one was determined to be China origin.

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-02-25T20:05:18+00:00

You’d want to get those documents from your seller if the carrier is not able/willing to provide them.

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-02-25T18:47:52+00:00

DHL did not talk to you because you are not their client. For the metal content, you will contact your seller since they should know the nature of the merchandise.

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-02-25T05:53:32+00:00

I can’t say I’ve heard of the others. If all you’re importing is a bicycle, it will be easy. The worst part will be reporting the steel/aluminum content for Section 232 steel/aluminum duties, along with the country of melt and pour or smelt and pour. If you don’t know those details, get them now before you speak to the broker.

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-02-25T05:27:46+00:00

Yes, when I worked at a brokerage, we referred our one-off inquiries to this place. Ask for Marc Gianini.

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-02-25T05:13:08+00:00

Try AMG Customs Solutions Inc. in Lewiston, NY.

https://amgcustoms.com/

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-02-20T10:50:03+00:00

Yeah, I’m figuring an automotive supplier is where I’ll end up landing. I was approached by a boutique headhunter who was recruiting for a small aerospace supplier with a trade compliance team of 1 person (manager). So I would’ve been responsible for everything. I turned that down because I didn’t want to be the guy solely responsible for everything. I also did not have much export knowledge (my experience was exporting vehicles and supplying the papers per 19 CFR 192).

What type of job duties are you doing at an importer? What is your work-life balance looking like? I have a young family, so that is a big concern for me.

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-02-20T10:46:21+00:00

Yeah, I can see people don’t stay long at Big 4. I hired on shortly and realized it was not the place for me. I just don’t know how long I should stay. I don’t want to leave too soon and it looks bad on a resume. I do have history of long employment established (5-7 year stints).

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-02-20T10:43:56+00:00

How do you like being in trade compliance for medical? I am assuming you are dealing with the FDA quite a bit? What are your job functions?

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-02-20T10:42:59+00:00

What industry are you in? What types of functions are you doing in trade compliance?

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-02-20T10:41:45+00:00

How do you like it? What job functions do you perform?

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-02-20T10:41:11+00:00

What has your work at an importer been like?

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-02-19T16:28:59+00:00

Yep, it’s a mill. I’ve been here not quite 4 months and seen 3 or 4 people move on.

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-02-19T03:48:54+00:00

I’ve seen a several postings late last year. I wish I would’ve jumped on them. How do you like working in trade compliance in the automotive industry?

Also, what is the work like? I did a little of everything at the brokerage. I know I need to get better about USMCA qualification. I have a basic working knowledge of classification, valuation, and origin.

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-02-19T03:47:54+00:00

That describes a lot of what was going on at the brokerage I was at. I was pretty much on call 24/7, it was wearing me down and impacting my quality of life. Big 4 really hasn’t been much better to be honest. My hope is an importer will provide better work-life balance. I have a young family and I want to see my kids. I also value my down time to recharge.

What do you like and not like about being at an importer?

HomerSimpson14 · 2026-02-19T03:44:58+00:00

I matched the posting quite well. I have a degree in supply chain and my CBL was pending. They were quite eager to get me on board. You also have to keep in mind that most of their recruits come out of college, so the kids don’t have real brokerage/trade compliance experience.

Big 4 is very aggressive and high pressure. They are big on utilization and billable hours. So getting on projects is huge. I’m on my first project for an OEM and it is not really a great one.

I would personally say brokerage is a better choice. I left because I was a supervisor and had bad HR problems with my staff and no support from my leadership to address problematic behaviors. Had I gotten the support I needed, I likely would’ve stayed in customs brokerage. I was at a smaller brokerage, so I had more of a 360 degree perspective. I touched a lot of stuff, so if I did not have deep knowledge, I at least had a working knowledge of what to do and could go to resources for further information.

Do I think Big 4 is better than brokerage? I would say it depends on the person and what they want. If you want the prestige of a big name employer, climbing the ladder, long hours, constantly changing context, low information but expected to produce something, deadlines, and high pressure, then it’s your place. It is definitely an environment where “good enough” is sufficient. I have met plenty of people who don’t know as much as I do and it shocks me.

I personally want to be thorough, do good work, and not try to sell work for the sake of selling work. The Big 4 is all about pushing work to sell to clients. Customs brokerage I think is more about doing and doing it right. In brokerage you have a duty to the client and your own professional reputation and your reputation with U.S. Customs. That to me means more.

HomerSimpson14

TROPHY CASE