shawn ham

marketing @

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

AI SDR pricing in Oct 2026 runs from $1.50 per person prospected to $20,000 a year - with the big names quote-only. Don't buy on sticker price. Model it on your real list size and traffic, then run a time-boxed pilot with one success metric agreed up front.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

94% of B2B buyers used AI during their last purchase, and 51% now start research with a chatbot instead of Google. If AI answers can't name you with a specific use case, you never make the shortlist. Publish proof, not slogans.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

Drewry's container index rose 2% to $4,585 per 40ft box - Shanghai to LA now $8,007, to NY $10,166. Shanghai waits fell from 97 hours to 38, but 8 Asia-Europe blank sailings are set for next week. Book early and pad lead times.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

USTR just proposed extending the China-ship port fee suspension to Jan 9, 2027 - comments due Oct 30. One carrier was misclassified as a vehicle carrier and faced a $34M annual bill on 1% auto cargo. Check how your carriers are classified before the pause ends.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

Section 338 plot twist: Trump signed a new proclamation TODAY reshuffling the 50% duties on Canadian goods - some products drop off the list, others get added. Effective 12:01 a.m. ET Oct 30, on top of Section 232 duties. Canada importers: check your HTS codes.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

A US importer just sued in the Court of International Trade over Trump's 50% Canada tariffs: Gellert Global says Section 338 exceeded presidential authority and duties hit before the 30-day waiting period. It wants the duties stopped and refunded with interest.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

US-Mexico metals talks just stalled over steel and aluminum tariffs. Mexico wants relief, Commerce pushed back, and big progress may wait until after the Nov 3 midterms. Metals importers: uncertainty is the price of admission now.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

CBP's updated Section 301 China guidance takes effect in ACE at 6 p.m. ET tonight. Five product exclusions added over HTSUS changes. If you paid 301 duties on those goods, refund path is Post Summary Correction or protest - watch the filing deadlines.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

Someone's entire lead-gen system runs on Claude for $74/mo: Claude $20, Apify $0, Apollo free tier, Firecrawl $0, Instantly $47. Prospecting went from $15k/yr seats to near-zero. The tools were never the expensive part - knowing which companies are actually buying is.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

CBP pushed the de minimis mail deadline again: new informal-entry rules for international mail now start Jan 20, 2027, not Oct 22. The $800 duty-free mail era is over - parcels get Entry Type 13 filing. Small-parcel importers are scrambling to comply.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

Your prospecting subscription may be the most expensive thing you don't need. Apollo at $99/mo, ZoomInfo at $15k/yr - while developers buy verified leads for under a cent via pay-per-use APIs. Enrich a few hundred rows a month? Run the math before you renew.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

The FMC just proposed a $200k fee per US port call on Spanish-flagged vessels - plus import restrictions on 5 HS chapters ($3.1B in goods, incl. $837M olive oil). Importers will switch suppliers fast. Shipment data shows you who, before they announce it.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

Dec 4 deadline for solar importers: the polysilicon Section 232 price floors kick in. $21/kg polysilicon, $100/kg ingots+wafers, $0.22/W cells, $0.38/W modules, plus 15% ad valorem on derivatives. File your entry docs or the tariff defaults to the full MIP.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

New Section 232 front: Trump declared wind-turbine imports a national-security threat by proclamation (Reuters) - no tariffs yet, but 180 days of trade talks start now. Suppliers: Mexico, France, India, Denmark, Germany. If that lane is yours, watch the docket.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

Quick poll for anyone sourcing overseas: what's the ONE piece of buyer intel you wish you had before the first outreach? Mine: are they actually still shipping right now. A stale supplier list has burned more deals than bad pricing.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

ICC's maritime bureau just flagged ~80 shipping fraud cases: Qingdao containers listed as California-bound were loaded onto vessels heading elsewhere. Buyers had paid in advance. A shipment record that contradicts their story is the cheapest due diligence you'll ever do.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

CBP now voids importer-of-record numbers over bad Form 5106 data. One wrong email can freeze imports. Check: 1) EIN belongs to the actual importer 2) monitored email on file 3) no broker address as your contact 4) POA directly with you. Fix through your broker as an ABI update.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

CBP wants to see your supply chain. A Sept 2 proposal would force importers to name every party in the chain, add technical tracing, and submit foreign export docs. Comments due Dec 1. Supply-chain visibility is becoming a filing requirement, not a nice-to-have.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

Today was supposed to be CBP's postal-entry enforcement day. Pushed to Jan 20, 2027 - 90 extra days. The mail channel will need electronic filing, bonds, and duty payment. If you move samples or small restocks by mail, set it up now, not in January.

[shawn ham @mszgalaxy]

Yesterday the CIT certified a NATIONWIDE class for IEEPA tariff refunds - $30B in duties on the table. CAPE Phase 3 still only covers plaintiffs with court orders. If you paid IEEPA duties Feb 2025-Feb 2026, your entry records are your claim. Organize them now.