The Role of Logistics and Customs Compliance in Entering the US Market

Entering the US market requires companies to prepare their operations to import, store, and sell while meeting customs requirements, maintaining inventory control, and supporting scalable growth.

Many Latin American brands assume that entering the US market depends on launching sales, opening an online store, or starting operations on Amazon. However, expansion depends on how the company structures its operations, where it stores merchandise, and how prepared it is to meet US market requirements.

When a company aims to sell in the US on a sustained basis, the merchandise must enter the country through formal import procedures, remain available for warehousing or fulfillment, and, in many cases, meet specific requirements for labeling, documentation, tariff classification, or category-based regulations. At this point, logistics and customs compliance become core drivers of growth.

When Courier Shipping No Longer Meets the Need

In the early stages, many brands use traditional courier services for their shipments. This model may work for samples, individual products or small volumes. However, when a company needs to bring merchandise into the country for storage, fulfillment or commercial distribution, the operation requires a stronger structure.

In this context, Gonzalo García, Founder and CEO of Markentry USA, notes that “the standard solution is to operate through an IOR and a licensed customs broker that manages clearance with US Customs and Border Protection”. In these cases, the IOR may be the company itself, provided it has a US entity or a third-party provider that coordinates customs clearance, documentation, tariff classification, valuation, payment of duties and taxes and product-specific regulatory requirements.

Lisandro Mogliati, Principal at Licenciado Mogliati, shares this view and clearly summarizes the shift in scale. “The company builds a more professional operation by bringing in other core partners. A freight forwarder transports the cargo into the US, while a customs broker takes charge of the full customs clearance process, including documentation, duty payment and release at destination. At that point, the merchandise goes directly to a warehouse ready for fulfillment”, he explains.

Customs Compliance in Entering the US Market

The objective extends beyond getting cargo into the country. As Esteban Leiva, CEO of Group Eleva, explains, this structure also allows companies to “process formal entries of palletized cargo or containerized freight, resolve customs clearance and documentation, coordinate US storage and fulfillment, integrate retail, supermarket or e-commerce distribution, and prevent rejections, delays or regulatory issues at customs”.

Selling in the US Without a Company-Owned Operation Is Possible

One of the game changers in international expansion is that brands no longer need to build a full physical footprint in the United States before they start selling. They do not always need to lease a warehouse, hire local staff, or open offices on day one.

In this regard, García states that “many brands adopt an asset-light model by relying on marketplaces such as Amazon FBA or other sales channels, along with 3PL providers that cover storage, order preparation and returns”. In some cases, the company can sell as a foreign entity. In others, it may create a US LLC with no employees, depending on its commercial and tax model.

This structure “typically covers the formal import of merchandise into the US, the use of external 3PL warehouses and fulfillment operations, integration with Amazon, Walmart Marketplace, Shopify or other channels, order preparation and dispatch from the US, outsourced storage management, packing and shipping, and support with compliance, FDA, labeling and commercial documentation”, Leiva says.

For brands validating demand, this model lowers initial risk, since it “allows them to start without large investments, test the market on a limited scale and scale in line with demand”, Mogliati says. Ultimately, “it allows companies to enter the US without heavy fixed costs and with a flexible structure”, he adds.

Direct Imports Through a Third Country Demand Coordination

Another increasingly common scenario involves brands that operate in one country, manufacture in another and want to sell directly in the United States. Although this may appear technically demanding, companies use this model regularly when it is properly structured.

According to Leiva, “the process does become more technical and strategic, yet today it represents a fully viable operation that international brands use more often as they seek tax and logistics efficiency”. In these cases, the company does not need to clear the merchandise first in its country of origin; instead, it structures the operation under a direct import model into the US.

Customs Compliance in Entering the US Market

Regarding the benefits, Mogliati notes that operating this way “eliminates duplicate logistics, reduces costs, and speeds up timelines”. Its main advantage lies in the ability to avoid unnecessary movements.

However, that efficiency demands coordination. “Compared with a domestic model, the added difficulty lies in coordinating multiple jurisdictions, correctly defining the IOR and legal responsibility, and avoiding compliance errors at origin and destination”, García warns. “With an experienced forwarder and broker, plus an aligned 3PL/FBA operation, the process becomes standard and scalable,” he concludes.

When the company builds the chain correctly, the merchandise can leave the country of origin, enter the United States through formal import procedures, move into local storage, and supply different sales channels. Risk increases when companies improvise the process without clear roles, proper trade documentation or a partner capable of coordinating origin, customs, and destination.

An Operating Base to Enter the US with Greater Control

US expansion does not depend solely on market access. Companies also need the operational capacity to sustain activity as sales grow. To achieve that, logistics and customs compliance must connect with storage, fulfillment, stock traceability, and replenishment. Through its Miami warehouse, AeroWork helps brands and sellers operate in the United States without building their own infrastructure at the outset.

To learn how we can help you structure a logistics and customs operation ready to sell in the United States, contact the AeroWork team.

 

The Biggest Obstacles LATAM entrepreneurs Face When Entering the US market

US expansion often stalls due to compliance, structure, and inventory control, which create early operational barriers.

For many Latin American entrepreneurs, expanding into the United States seems like a natural next step after consolidating sales in their home markets. In practice, however, entering the US market depends on much more than having a strong product or opening new sales channels.

One of the most common mistakes in that transition is assuming that reaching the US market is mainly about driving sales or solving product shipping. That gap between expectations and reality is one of the main reasons a promising expansion is delayed and becomes more expensive.

The First Point of Friction Is Not Always What Entrepreneurs Expect

When an entrepreneur in LATAM starts planning an expansion into the United States, the first concerns are usually logistics, inventory, and regulatory compliance. However, as Adrián Álvarez, Managing Partner at Midas Consulting, points out, “if you do not have a product adapted to what the American market needs, you can have all of that in place and it still will not work”. Before discussing operations, then, there is a more basic question to answer: whether the offer is truly aligned with demand, expectations, and the commercial logic of the US market, which is far from homogeneous.

Juhi Naithani, Co-Founder of Fracxnal, emphasizes two major barriers. First, she notes that “US tax and compliance enforcement and documentation expectations are stricter and more audit-driven”. She also explains that “structuring the US entity and its relationship with the parent organization has many repercussions, including transfer pricing processes, which companies often disregard, leading to issues later on”.

Business professionals reviewing US market documents during a strategic meeting.
A corporate meeting scene focused on market research, legal requirements and expansion planning for the United States.

Along the same lines, Riley Doudna, Founder and Managing Partner of Andes Edge Consulting, argues that many Latin American entrepreneurs underestimate what it really means to operate legally within the US system: “I mean having a local structure that actually works: an operational bank account, a tax address, a registered agent, a defined tax nexus and someone who understands state-by-state sales tax obligations”.

Soft Landing Remains a Key Factor for Lower-Risk Market Entry

For years, soft landing was associated with a fairly basic idea of market entry: an address, some physical space, and a certain network of contacts. However, Doudna believes that the concept has evolved.

“Today, real soft landing is operational: having access to warehousing infrastructure, logistics execution, legal support and a network that allows you to make fast decisions without being physically present”, he says. Naithani reinforces that point: “if this is the model presented, soft landing is a must for any foreign business looking to succeed in the United States”.

Currently, as Álvarez explains, “having a soft landing model is essential because it gives you market validation, helps with regulatory setup, provides initial infrastructure, and may even open the door to key introductions”. Its value lies not only in supporting the landing itself, but in preventing costly detours in time and money during the most sensitive phase of expansion.

Regulatory and Customs Knowledge Can Stall Expansion Before It Begins

Among all the factors that delay or complicate entry into the United States, regulation is often one of the least visible at the outset. It may not look like the main risk in the early stages, but when something goes wrong, the impact tends to be immediate: goods held up, extra costs, penalties, wasted time and damage to the customer experience.

The lack of knowledge matters “a great deal, because the IOR/EOR setup cannot be improvised from abroad”, according to Álvarez. He also stresses that import classifications, local requirements and those formal roles must be addressed from the start rather than treated as a later correction, because “the product may even be illegal or require changes to comply with regulation”.

Doudna shares that view and explains that “in the US, you cannot simply ship a product and expect it to arrive. You need an IOR with a legal presence in the country, correct tariff classification, compliance with FDA regulations if your product is for consumption and a clear understanding of the rules in each state where you plan to sell”. As for the consequences of regulatory blind spots, he adds that they “do not always cause immediate failure, but they often cause something almost worse: delays that kill momentum”.

Naithani frames the issue in business terms: “Lack of knowledge of US regulatory and customs mechanics has the ability to not just slow down business expansion, but stop or stall it detrimentally”. The consequences are not only operational. A shipment that is held, rejected or destroyed because of incorrect documentation or non-compliance can affect revenue, generate additional charges and erode customer trust even before the operation is fully established.

Scaling From LATAM Requires Real-Time Inventory Visibility and Faster Response Times

For entrepreneurs selling through e-commerce or marketplaces, entering the United States is not only about having a product available. It also means sustaining an operation with visibility, traceability and responsiveness from a distance. That is where another common friction point appears: trying to manage an operation spread across multiple players, time zones and systems without connected infrastructure.

shipping-port-logistics-cargo-transportation-import-export-international-open-sea 1 (2) (1)
shipping-port-logistics-cargo-transportation-import-export-international-open-sea 1 (2) (1)

Naithani explains that inventory is often split across warehouses in LATAM, goods in transit and US logistics operators. “A lack of integration across these platforms can lead to over or underselling, which further impacts seller performance metrics and ranking”, she says. This affects not only actual stock availability, but also seller performance, reaction speed and the end-customer experience in a market accustomed to fast delivery and precise tracking.

According to Doudna, entrepreneurs often lose control of their inventory “as soon as they start to scale. They do not have integrated systems that tell them in real time how many units are available, how many are in transit and how many need to be replenished”. In response, he notes that “the solution is not necessarily expensive technology. It is having a connected system: a 3PL that offers real-time inventory dashboards, is integrated with your sales channel and has automatic replenishment alerts”.

That is why operational visibility is no longer a differentiator. It has become a basic requirement. Having access to inventory data in real time, knowing what is available, what is in transit and when replenishment is needed allows entrepreneurs to make better decisions from Latin America instead of operating blindly. In the US market, where the commercial promise is tightly linked to logistics execution, that responsiveness is central to competitiveness.

How AeroWork Can Become the Partner Your Consultancy or Agency Needs

AeroWork strengthens consultancies and agencies that provide US market entry services by serving as their local operating arm. While the consultancy leads strategy and manages the customer relationship, AeroWork delivers execution: soft landing, fulfillment, warehousing, office solutions, logistics compliance, and bilingual support. 

If your agency or consultancy supports companies expanding into the US, AeroWork can be your operational partner.

Contact us to explore a collaboration partnership and build a more complete, scalable, and high-value solution for your customers.

 

How LATAM Companies Can Sell in the US

AeroWork enables LATAM brands to operate in the US market without setting up a local entity, thanks to a variable-cost structure, bilingual support, and scalable logistics services.

 

AeroWork addresses one of the most relevant barriers for any Latin American company seeking to enter the US market without a local operating footprint. It allows businesses to store inventory in Miami, pick and pack orders, ship purchases, and provide bilingual customer support, all without building a physical or administrative presence in the US.

First, this reduces market-entry friction. As a result, companies do not need to make a high fixed-cost investment or incur sunk costs before validating demand. In addition, AeroWork turns what would otherwise be an international expansion initiative with many moving parts into a simple outsourced operating model with room to grow.

What Does AeroWork Solve?

For a LATAM brand, selling in the US requires a clear understanding of domestic logistics, delivery times, returns, traceability, inventory management, labeling, operating standards, and regulatory requirements.

There is also a common perception that doing business in the US demands opening a legal entity, hiring staff, leasing warehouse space, and building an internal structure, which is often costly and unnecessary in the early stages.

At the same time, in the e-commerce space, if a brand wants to start selling, test demand, or supply direct-to-consumer channels— across different marketplaces or specifically on Amazon—it cannot afford to wait months to build its own infrastructure.

How LATAM Companies Can Sell in the US

AeroWork takes on logistics operations and the required infrastructure so brands can focus on selling, strengthening their market position, and scaling their business.

Selling in the US Without Infrastructure, Staff, or a Legal Entity

AeroWork’s main value lies in serving as an entry platform into the US market. The company already has a warehouse in Miami, established processes, technology, staff, and execution capacity in place. This allows customers to enter the market with a ready-to-deploy solution.

The offering includes inbound freight reception, storage, inventory control, pick-and-pack, and order dispatch. In other words, it meets the operational core of e-commerce.

This is especially relevant for brands that:

No Inventory Minimums and a Pay-Only-for-Usage Model

AeroWork operates without rigid inventory minimums and offers prorated storage. In practice, customers do not need to commit upfront to large stock volumes or pay for fixed capacity they may not yet use.

Instead of incurring high structural costs, they pay based on the space actually used and the actual operational activity at each stage. This approach lowers initial financial exposure, makes it easier to test demand with a limited number of units or boxes, and supports phased growth as sales increase.

Value-Added Services That Strengthen Day-to-Day Operations

AeroWork also offers services such as kitting, quality control, labeling, and FBA preparation. It can also serve as a remote operations extension to conduct physical inspections and validation tasks. This means it also addresses core operating needs for brands that require remote oversight, product customization, or specific merchandise preparation.

How LATAM Companies Can Sell in the US

This is especially useful for:

Technology, Inventory Visibility, and Customer Assistance

The use of ShipStation integrated with SAP, together with real-time traceability, gives companies the control and predictability they need to keep inventory under close, remote watch. In addition, compared with many US-based 3PL providers, AeroWork offers a major advantage for LATAM companies: Spanish-language service and stronger cultural alignment.

To learn more about AeroWork’s services, please contact our team.

How to Import from China and Sell Directly in the US

A practical guide to sourcing goods in China, structuring cross-border logistics, and executing direct distribution into the US market with a focus on cost control, lead times, and regulatory compliance.

 

For years, many Latin American companies have built their business models by importing goods from China and selling them in their domestic markets. For those already working with Chinese suppliers, expanding into the US does not require starting over. Origin sourcing is already secured. Supplier relationships are in place. In many cases, purchase volumes are already defined.

The real shift occurs at destination. Importing and operating in the US requires companies to:

Import Chinese Goods and Sell in the US Without Investing in Infrastructure or Building Fixed Costs

AeroWork allows companies to import goods from China and sell them in the US without setting up their own operation. Instead of building an internal structure in this market, companies can rely on a solution that oversees the full US operation:

All of this comes with operational visibility and Spanish-language support, a factor that continues to matter for companies across the region.

Logistics and customs personnel inspecting imported goods at a US port during a shipment process designed to import from China and sell directly in the US.
This image shows the compliance and customs stage of cross-border logistics, where imported goods are inspected and processed to help companies import from China and sell directly in the US efficiently and legally.

AeroWork provides a soft-landing, warehousing, and fulfillment solution in the US for companies that want to sell in this market without building their own local infrastructure. Through its Miami-based operation, AeroWork receives imported goods, stores products, manages inventory, prepares orders, and coordinates domestic shipments. In addition, it offers offices and flexible workspaces for companies that need an operational, commercial, or administrative base in the US without taking on the fixed costs of their own facility.

Why AeroWork Changes the Market Entry Equation for LATAM Companies

One of the main barriers to selling in the US often lies in the upfront cost. Setting up a proprietary operation requires warehouse leasing, staff hiring, administrative capacity, and long-term commitments. AeroWork removes that barrier and enable to start operating without a structural investment, paying only for the storage space and logistics services they actually use. 

Another key advantage is that there are no inventory minimums. This means a company can ship a limited number of units, test market response, and adjust its strategy based on real sales data. For brands that already sell across LATAM, this operational flexibility carries particular value because it facilitates

 them to replicate their commercial model without incurring disproportionate risk in the first shipment.

In this way, AeroWork works as a vehicle for market validation and supports growth without adding fixed costs. Companies do not need to commit their full investment upfront. They can start with a limited shipment volume and assess how US customers respond to their specific product offering before scaling operations.

Operational Control Without a Proprietary Structure

Even without a physical presence in the US, companies can maintain visibility over their operation: available stock, inventory movements, processed orders, and completed shipments. This allows teams to make fast decisions, adjust commercial campaigns, or replenish goods without losing control of the business.

Warehouse staff managing inventory, packing orders, and preparing shipments in a US fulfillment center for companies that import from China and sell directly in the US.
A US-based warehouse operation handles storage, inventory management, and order fulfillment for brands that want to import from China and sell directly in the US without building their own logistics infrastructure.

The model also incorporates additional services that companies often struggle to manage remotely, including quality control, labeling, kit assembly, and platform-specific preparation for platforms such as Amazon FBA. The warehouse team can perform these manual tasks directly at the facility, without third-party providers or extra coordination.

A Service Built to Scale Without Operational Barriers

As the business grows, AeroWork’s US logistics operation scales with it. Companies do not need to switch providers. AeroWork can design a tailored solution that fits their operational needs. This allows each company to increase volume, expand storage capacity, or raise shipment frequency.

With AeroWork, companies can import goods from China, store inventory in the US, manage orders, and meet local requirements without building their own structure.

Contact our team to learn more about our services.

How an International Market-Entry Consulting Firm Expanded Its US Market-Entry Services

By adding logistics support in the US, the company broadened its market-entry offer and delivered stronger execution for its customers.

 

Expanding into the US is often part of the growth plans of many international companies. However, transforming that ambition into a functioning operation requires careful coordination between strategy and execution. International market-entry consulting companies frequently play a key role in helping companies evaluate opportunities and prepare for entry into the US. However, building a clear plan is only one step. Turning that plan into a functioning business structure requires operational capabilities to support the project once the expansion begins.

Customer Challenge

One customer is an International market-entry consulting company that works with foreign companies seeking to establish operations in the US market. Its mission is to support customers in planning and implementing a successful entry strategy. This includes market research, business structures, logistics, design, production, staffing, and sales or work points. In some cases, projects begin at zero; in others, the goal is to replicate or adapt a model that already performs well in another country.

Complexity

For many Latin American retailers, entering the US represents a strong growth opportunity. However, execution often becomes the real test. Companies need a clear commercial plan, local support, and an operational model that can be implemented quickly and responsibly. For our customer, the main challenge as a consulting firm lies in turning a commercial plan into an operating business in the United States. 

That process requires coordinating several stages simultaneously while also helping its customers understand the level of investment, discipline, and execution required to succeed in that market. This responsibility becomes even more demanding when working with companies that arrive with ambitious goals and limited resources. 

AeroWork Solution

The consulting company partnered with us to incorporate warehousing and distribution services into the market entry structures it designs for foreign companies expanding into the US.

Through this partnership, at AeroWork, we provide the logistics support that complements the consulting company’s advisory and implementation work. Our services include storage, web order processing, shipment management, and distribution to different retail locations. This gives our customer the ability to present a more comprehensive solution to its customers, backed by a trusted logistics partner that supports execution once the business model has been defined.

Conclusion

Through its partnership with us, the company strengthened its ability to deliver a more comprehensive market-entry model for companies expanding into the US. By integrating warehousing, order processing, and distribution services into its broader advisory structure, it can support projects beyond strategy and planning by adding operational resources through a trusted logistics partner.

Contact our team to learn how AeroWork can strengthen your market-entry offering with warehousing and distribution support in the US.

 

How to Sell in the US Without Establishing a Legal Entity

AeroWork allows companies to test market demand, store inventory, and fulfill orders in the US without setting up an LLC or hiring in-house staff.

Expanding into the United States is often viewed as a structural leap: forming an LLC, hiring local staff, leasing warehouse space, committing to fixed overhead, and addressing an unfamiliar regulatory framework.

The AeroWork model allows operations in the US without establishing a legal entity or building an in-country structure. It provides a logistics soft landing, flexible fulfillment capabilities, and regulatory support—through its parent company, Aerodoc—to address import and customs requirements.

The Traditional Challenge: Growth Requires Infrastructure

When a company seeks to sell in the US, it typically encounters four barriers:

In many cases, cost exposure and operational friction delay the decision before real demand is validated. AeroWork removes that initial barrier.

How the AeroWork Model Operates

AeroWork serves as a logistics hub in Miami, offering:

In practical terms, through AeroWork’s service, a company can:

While large 3PL providers prioritize volume and automation, AeroWork operates as a flexible, high-touch partner. For industries commercializing premium or high-value products, where packaging, customer experience, and execution detail directly influence brand reputation, this model represents a strong strategic advantage.

Structural Advantages for Entrepreneurs and Expanding Brands

1. Capital Allocation
No capital is tied up in fixed infrastructure or long-term contractual commitments. Companies pay strictly based on actual usage.

2. Risk Exposure
The market can be tested with limited inventory. If the model proves viable, operations can scale. If not, sunk cost remains minimal.

Far More Than Warehousing in the US

AeroWork is backed by Aerodoc, supported by more than 25 years of experience in international logistics. When required by the customer, this support extends to a fully integrated operation that begins at origin—for example, pickup in China—continues through international freight and customs management under IOR/EOR structures, and concludes with coordinated delivery through to the final destination.

This goes beyond domestic warehousing and fulfillment in the United States. It is a fully integrated solution with operational control and end-to-end visibility across the logistics chain.

Scaling in the US no longer requires building infrastructure on day one.

Contact our team to learn more about our services.

 

 

Q&A

Is it legal to sell in the United States without forming an LLC or a local legal entity?

Yes. Companies can sell in the US without a local entity by using a US fulfillment model and ensuring import compliance, including defining IOR/EOR responsibilities.

What documentation is required to import and sell in the US without a local entity?

Typically, a commercial invoice and packing list are required, along with tariff classification details. You must also designate an Importer of Record (IOR) and/or Exporter of Record (EOR) to meet U.S. customs compliance requirements.

How much does US warehousing and fulfillment cost without building local infrastructure?

Costs generally include pay-as-you-go storage, per-order pick-and-pack, and optional value-added services such as labeling or kitting. This model enables US market entry without minimum inventory commitments or long-term contracts.

How can an overseas company sell via Amazon FBA without establishing a US entity?

By using US-based Amazon FBA prep services to label, prepare, and route inventory to FBA. This approach supports faster US go-to-market execution without forming a local company.