Let us guide you...
A gold mine of data and service
We have a wealth of trade data. Some is very general. Some is incredibly
specific. Unless you know what you need, all of it can be incredibly confusing.
We, the Foreign Trade Division of the U.S. Census Bureau, have over ten
(10) years of experience in processing customized trade data requests
and even more experience answering the questions that inevitably follow.
That makes an unbeatable customer service combination.
Unfortunately, some web sites republish trade data and provide next to
nothing in customer support. They dump the information into a database
and leave you, the user, to fend for yourself. When you have questions,
they point you elsewhere and won't give you answers.
We don't have that problem.
Regardless of the size of your request, we will get it to you as soon
as possible and answer any questions you have. After all, we're the source
of the data. Who would know better?
Interested? Want to know more?
Let us guide you.
What is "merchandise trade"?
"Merchandise trade" describes the trade in physical goods.
Cars, trucks, planes, turbines, animals, etc. make up merchandise trade.
Services, however, are not classified as merchandise trade. Money made
from movies shown outside the U.S. is counted under services trade --
not merchandise trade.
Also be aware that we
only have statistics for U.S. trade.
Classifications: The basics
There are many ways to classify products. What suits one purpose will
not suit another. Take
a look at what's involved in classifying your products.
Examples of customized requests
We can do a customized request for you. These requests can contain data
on specific commodities, countries and customs districts (where the goods
cross the border). You can see data on the values, quantities and methods
of transportation (to name a few).
Below are examples of some of the possible customized reports:
- Commodity by country: This report focuses on the countries
with which the U.S. is trading a specific product. If you're looking
for a new country to which you can ship your product, this might be
what you're looking for.
- Country by commodity: This report focuses on what is traded
between the U.S. and specific countries. If you want to trade in a specific
market, this will go you an idea of what kind of competition you may
have.
- District by commodity: Focus on a geographic location to see
what it is shipping with other countries. Useful in analyzing the business
of seaports or airports.
These are not the only options! If there is data available, we can work
it into a report. Just ask!
Costs
There may be costs associated with your customized requests (as low as
$10-$15). However, we will inform you about those costs before sending
you any data. That way you'll at least know whether or not your information
is available. If the costs is no problem, we'll run the request and get
it to you as soon as possible. If you'd rather not pay, we may be able
to suggest alternative sources.
Request information on a customized
request
As you can see, there is a lot of trade information available. We can
help you sort through it and decide what you need to achieve your goals.
There are several ways to start the process:
- Call us at (301) 763-2227
- E-mail us at ftdreqinfo@census.gov
- Fill out our Customized Request Information
form. Tell us what you think you'll need, and a member of our staff
will contact you about your request.
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FTD Web News
What is required for me to ship charity goods to Haiti?
From GLOBAL REACH: "In order to facilitate the movements of these goods, we offer the following guidance that applies to any goods not requiring a license, such as food, clothing, and medicines." (January 22, 2010)
Foreign Trade has GLOBAL REACH
Foreign Trade has just created and published its official blog, "Global Reach." Visit it to discuss the Foreign Trade Regulations, Export Filing (AES), Trade Data, and other trade related topics. Posts are current and relevant to you as the filer, exporter, data user, or curious blog reader. (January 5, 2010)
FTZ: Guidelines for Submtting Statistical Data
(PDF) (1.8 MB)
Guidelines and best practices for fulfilling FTZ's statistical reporting requirements are now available.
NEW EXPORT TRAINING VIDEOS!!!
- Training videos on topics such as the Foreign Trade Regulations, AESDirect, NAFTA, Taxes/Tariffs, Commodities, etc. now available!
2009 Constant Dollar Data
- The Census Bureau identified a processing error that caused incorrect deflators to be applied to the revised data for 2009. The data have been corrected.
2009 DATA PRODUCT CHANGES
- U.S. Census Bureau will modify the structure of several data products to accommodate changing technology and user demand.
EXPORT COMPLIANCE SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS
- The export environment has dramatically changed. Come and understand what it takes to remain compliant, aware and out of trouble.
2003 AES Option 4 Moratorium
Option 4 Filing Review Process Suspended
AES Compliance Best Practices:
Best Practices for maintaining AES Compliance are now available.
Related Party Database Application:
Time series RELATED PARTY data for specific commodities and countries.
ORDER AND DOWNLOAD FOREIGN TRADE DATA PRODUCTS:
- Online Order Form
- FTD DropBox
- Merchandise Trade Downloads
NEW Schedule B Search Engine:
It's new. It's flexible. It has more options.
NEWEST TRADE DATA!
- Get the basics!
- Learn more!
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