If I could have access to the CBP entry records and data from the Department of Commerce, I could bet you that at least half of my competitors at the big box retailers are committing fraud when reporting their value of the imported goods. Some of them are currently selling

Importing from Vietnam? China-origin parts rerouted ≠ Vietnam-origin goods. This isn’t a routing issue. It’s a felony.

Every ops person has that one SKU. Mine’s still wrapped. Still untouched. Sometimes I visit it just to remind myself: Never assume. Always test.

No one talks about post-entry amendments. But they’re the real compliance flex. Fix your mistake before CBP calls. It costs less and says more.

Product dev tip: Just because you like it doesn’t mean anyone wants to buy it. Ask me how I know. Actually, ask my warehouse. 🫠

At this point, my ChatGPT has just become my dear lawyer. I'll be sending a letter of intent to sue to 3 companies and one person before the end of the day. It might work, it might not, but sure, it'll scare them, and I'm fine with that.

Every time you don’t clarify something, you’re adding debt to a future argument. Silence always compounds.

My first import was wrong. It’s still here. Still mocking me. Still teaching. I don’t hide it. I own it. Because that one wrong call made me dangerous now.

Lead time is never just “3 weeks.” It’s 3 weeks plus whatever your supplier isn’t telling you.

People show off wins. I keep my first big loss in storage. (My warehouse) Wrong call. Wrong market. Wrong time. But that container taught me more than any victory ever did.

CBP audits don’t start with a knock. They start with an algorithm. And by the time they call, they already know the answer.

We automated entire warehouses. We’re piloting self-driving freight. But ports? Still run like it’s 1979 because someone’s job might change.

“Country of origin” isn’t where it ships from. It’s where the magic happens. Transformation. Assembly. Identity shift. If you can’t defend it, you can’t declare it.

Declared $10 per unit. Invoice shows $15. Wire confirms $20. CBP sees all three. And they don’t fine you for the cheapest one, they fine you for the difference.

When was the last time your County Tax Collector invited you cafecito? Is it a genuine cafecito or a trap? Not sure why I’m feeling forced to go🫣😂

Banning port automation to “protect jobs” is like canceling Waymo so Uber drivers don’t feel left out. It’s not pro-worker. It’s anti-future.

My first container. One wrong product. 4 years later, it’s still sitting in a warehouse. Sometimes the cost isn’t money, it’s a quiet reminder of who I used to be.

You’ll never get the forecast right. But you can get the reaction right. Build systems that flex, because the plan will break.

Every time I open my inventory system, I see it. The SKU that never moved. The ghost of assumptions past. And somehow, it still haunts me louder than anything I’ve sold.

Most bad suppliers don’t get caught on QC. They get caught on excuses. If you’re chasing updates, you’re not managing... you're surviving.