Global shipping woes continue to tangle the supply chain, and you’re probably experiencing the effects (higher prices, long delays) in both your personal life and in your business. But certain international shipping challenges existed before the pandemic began, including managing shipments of defective products. What’s your business to do when your order finally arrives from an international supplier… and it’s not right?
Returning off-spec products to a seller in another country has never been simple, so businesses need local off-spec shredding options. Getting your shipment out of the country and back into its country of origin requires that it move through an American port and an international port and be accepted for return by the original seller, a lengthy journey on which things can go wrong at any step.
You may have to pay duties to get your shipment out of the U.S. and into its country of origin. Exporters are at the mercy of port inspectors, who assess what fees are owed for outgoing shipments. Then you’ll have to wait who-knows-how-long for it to actually be shipped and get through customs at the country of origin. It’s famously difficult to get returned exports through international ports, especially China.
Even if your business is willing to go to the hassle and expense of trying to return off-spec products to another country, there’s no guarantee that your seller will accept them. Depending on what country your seller is in, and the terms of the agreement you made with them, there’s a good chance that they will refuse to either repair your goods or refund your money. You could also be on the hook for any money you paid to get the goods back to the seller.
If an importer doesn’t accept your off-spec products when they reach their country of origin, your defective goods may be considered abandoned and will ultimately be destroyed—unless they have some resale value, in which case there’s no telling where your business’s goods will end up. Any off-spec products that have your company’s name or are proprietary to your company could be sold through the black market without your permission.
All of which is to say: When your business is stuck with products that are defective for any reason, shipping them back to an international port could be a wasted effort that ends with those goods ultimately being destroyed and your business being out a lot of money. Your time is better spent trying to get your seller to provide a refund or replacement goods, and disposing of your off-spec products in a secure way.
Off-Spec Shredding for Your Proprietary Products
Of all the ways to manage defective or unsellable products, destruction is the best of the off-spec solutions. Destroying your goods is the only way to keep them out of someone else’s hands. You can’t control what happens to your business’s off-spec products (and who ultimately ends up in possession of them) if you ship them back to an international seller, or if you throw them in the Dumpster behind your building.
That might not be a big deal if your order was something innocuous and low-value like a shipment of promotional pens printed with your company’s name on them. But if your off-spec products are your company’s intellectual property—like prototypes for new products, or defective inventory—protecting them is a matter of protecting your brand and reputation.
For example, say a luxury fashion company receives a shipment of its signature purses that are too poorly made to be sold in its stores. If a reseller got access to those purses, the black market would be flooded with low-quality bags that are printed with the fashion brand’s logo. Because they’re poorly made, the branded purses would start falling apart immediately and could make people think badly of the company. Destroying the off-spec items allows the company to maintain its reputation as a luxury brand and maintain control over its public image. Destroying defective goods may also entitle a business to get a refund of any import duties it paid.
As for destruction methods, shredding is the best choice out of your possible off-spec products. Powerful commercial shredders can destroy leather, metal, plastic and other materials in minutes. Once the off-spec products have been torn into tiny shreds, the shreds can be recycled or responsibly discarded.
The loop is closed; business leaders can focus on replacing their defective products instead of worrying about a security breach involving the company’s intellectual property.
Northeast Data Destruction has shredded off-spec products of all types and sizes, from leather purses to metal car rims. When returning defective products to an international seller isn’t feasible, shredding is a quick and secure way of keeping them out of the black market and protecting the value of your brand. Northeast Data Destruction can allow your business to witness the shredding process and provide you with a Certificate of Destruction, which you’ll need to get your duty fees refunded. If you have questions about off-spec shredding, contact me today.