After the 90 -day stop announced by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, mutual duties of 20% towards the European Union and the increase of up to 125% of the rates for China, while the EU – with Giorgia Meloni as a forerunner who will fly to Washington on April 17 – is preparing to deal with the Tycoon, an climate of uncertainty wraps international markets. But in the hypothesis that, in the end, the duties will be confirmed, it is good to prepare to limit the damage by learning to read between the lines of global regulations to transform the challenges into opportunities.
First Sale Rule
According to the Exportusa Observatory (the consultancy company that helps Italian companies successfully enter the American market), the First Sale Rule – a well -known arrangement in the US customs context – is confirmed, today more than ever, a strategic tool for those who export to the USA. This rule allows you to calculate customs duties on the first sale price in the commercial chain (the lowest), and not on the last price paid by the American customer. The result? Reduction of the taxable value and, consequently, of the duties: a competitive advantage that is anything but marginal.
The sphere of services
“Everything that falls within the sphere of services in general and digital services (software and platforms)-explains Lucio Miranda, president of Exportusa-is not subject to duties. An element that makes even more strategic for many Italian companies to focus on the enhancement of its own know-how”.
Ecommerce directed by Italy to the USA
Ecommerce directed by Italy to the US is also back in the foreground. “Orders with a value of less than 800 dollars-explains Miranda-are exempt from duties. An opportunity that becomes even more interesting if we consider that this facility no longer applies to China, which today also sees the low value e-commerce (even only 5 dollars, for example). For Italy there is thus a window of concrete opportunities opens: we can be more competitive not only in the prices, but also on the front of the commercial structure”.
Consortium companies
For all other material product categories, a strategic move today could be to set up a company in the United States, in a consortium form between multiple companies in the same sector. “This company-continues the president of Exportusa-would act as a direct importer-district, avoiding the traditional top-up of 30-35% applied by third party distributors. In practice, you become the importer and distributor of yourself. With all the advantages in terms of margins, control and speed of access to the market that this entails. It is the time to move with vision, courage and international skills. Officially open the negotiations.
