In Warehance, a Customs Configuration is a reusable set of rules that controls how customs declaration information — item values, descriptions, weights, tariff codes, country of origin, and more — is calculated for international shipments. Instead of relying on a single hardcoded behavior, you define exactly where each piece of customs data should come from and what defaults, adjustments, and validation rules should apply. Warehance then applies the configuration automatically whenever a label is created for an international (or military APO/FPO/DPO) shipment.
How Warehance Chooses Which Configuration to Use
When you create a shipping label for an international order, Warehance resolves the customs configuration in this order:
- Order-level configuration — If the order has a Customs Configuration set on it (manually in the order's advanced settings, or automatically by an automation rule), that configuration is used.
- Account-wide default — Otherwise, if a Default Customs Configuration is set in your Shipping Settings, that configuration is used for all international shipments.
- No configuration — If neither is set, Warehance falls back to its standard built-in customs handling.
Only active configurations are applied. If your account default is deactivated, Warehance skips it.
The Hierarchy Concept
Most settings in a customs configuration are hierarchies: ordered priority lists of data sources. For each item on the shipment, Warehance tries each source in order from top to bottom and uses the first one that has a value. For example, a value hierarchy of Order Item: Customs Value → Product: Value means "use the customs value set on the order line if there is one; otherwise fall back to the product's value."
In the configuration form, hierarchies are drag-and-drop lists — drag sources to reorder them, remove sources with the x button, and add more with the Add source button.
Creating a Customs Configuration
Step 1: Click Customs Configurations in the left sidebar.
Don't see it? You need the Manage Customs Configurations permission, and the feature must be enabled for your account.
Step 2: Click the Create button in the top right corner.
Step 3: Work through each tab of the form (detailed below): Basic, Value, Description, Weight, Product, Currency, Export, and Validation.
Step 4: Click Save Configuration.
If a tab contains a validation error, its tab label turns red so you can find and fix it before saving.
Basic Tab
- Configuration Name (required) — The name shown in the configuration list and in dropdowns throughout Warehance.
- Configuration Description — Optional free-text description.
- Status — The Enable this configuration for use checkbox controls whether the configuration is active. It is checked by default. Inactive configurations cannot be used as the account default and are hidden from selection dropdowns.
Value Tab
Controls the declared value for each item on the customs form.
- Value Hierarchy (required) — The priority order for determining item values. Available sources:
- Order Item: Customs Value — the customs value set on the order line
- Order Item: Item Price — the order line's unit price
- Order Item: Line Total — the order line's total
- Order: Subtotal Proportional — splits the order subtotal across items in proportion to each line's value
- Order: Subtotal Equal — splits the order subtotal equally across line items
- Product: Customs Value — the customs value on the product record
- Product: Price — the product's price
- Product: Value — the product's value
Value Adjustments — applied after the value is resolved from the hierarchy:
- Type — None (default), Markup Percent, Markdown Percent, Markup Fixed, or Markdown Fixed.
- Amount — The percentage (0–100) or fixed amount to apply.
- Rounding Rule — None (default), Up, Down, or Nearest.
- Value Round To Decimals — Number of decimal places to round to (default 2).
Value Constraints — applied after adjustments:
- Minimum Value (Per Item) — Items below this value are raised to it (default 1).
- Maximum Value (Per Item) — Items above this value are capped at it. Set to 0 for no maximum (default 0).
Description Tab
Controls the item description printed on customs forms.
- Description Hierarchy (required) — Available sources: Product: Customs Description, Product: Name, and Order Item: Name.
Length Constraints:
- Maximum Length (characters) — Default 100.
- Auto-truncate if too long — When checked, descriptions that exceed the limit are automatically shortened.
Some carriers have strict description limits (e.g., Shippo = 30 characters). Carrier-specific limits are always enforced when the label is created, regardless of this setting.
Weight Tab
Controls the per-item weight (in ounces) declared on customs forms.
- Weight Hierarchy (required) — Available sources:
- Product: Weight — the weight on the product record
- Calculated: Proportional — divides the total package weight across the units in the shipment
Weight Constraints:
- Minimum Weight (oz per item) — Items below this weight are raised to it (default 0.1).
- Weight Distribution Method — Proportional (default), Equal, or None.
- Weight Distribution Factor (0.0-1.0) — Safety margin applied to calculated weights so the total declared customs weight does not exceed the actual package weight (default 0.9, i.e. 90%).
Product Tab
Controls country of origin and tariff (HS) codes.
- Country of Origin Hierarchy (required) — Available sources: Product: Country Of Manufacture and Config: Default (uses the Default Country below).
- Default Country — The fallback country of origin (default US).
- Tariff Code Hierarchy (required) — Available sources: Product: Tariff Code, Product: Custom Field1, Product: Custom Field2, and Product: Custom Field3.
If your tariff codes live in a product custom field rather than the dedicated tariff code field, add that custom field to the hierarchy.
Currency Tab
Controls the declared currency and the contents type of the shipment.
- Currency Hierarchy (required) — Available sources: Order: Currency and Config: Default (uses the Default Currency below).
- Default Currency — USD - United States Dollar (default), CAD - Canadian Dollar, EUR - Euro, GBP - British Pound Sterling, or AUD - Australian Dollar.
No currency conversion is performed — the currency setting only labels the declared values; it does not convert them.
- Contents Type Hierarchy (required) — Available sources: Order: Customs Contents Type (the contents type set on the order) and Config: Default (uses the Default Contents Type below).
- Default Contents Type — Merchandise (default), Gift, Documents, Returned Goods, Sample, or Other.
Export Tab
Controls US export documentation and what carriers should do with undeliverable packages.
- EEL/PFC Threshold — Shipments with a total declared value above this amount require export documentation (AES ITN). Default $2500.
- Non-Delivery Option Hierarchy (required) — Available sources: Order: Non Delivery Option and Config: Default (uses the default below).
- Default Non-Delivery Option — What happens if the package cannot be delivered:
- Return to Sender — Ship the package back to the origin address (default).
- Abandon package — Dispose of the package at the destination.
Validation Tab
Enables strict validation to ensure customs data is complete before a label is created.
- Require tariff codes on all items — Fail the shipment if any item is missing a tariff code (off by default).
- Require country of origin on all items — Fail the shipment if any item is missing country information (on by default).
- Allow zero-value items — Permit items with a $0 declared value (off by default).
Enabling strict validation may cause shipment failures if product data is incomplete. When validation fails, the label is not created and the error tells you which items are missing data. Ensure your products have all required customs information before turning these on.
Setting an Account-Wide Default
Set a default configuration to apply to every international shipment that doesn't have its own order-level configuration.
Step 1: Go to Settings and open Shipping Settings.
Step 2: In the Label Defaults section, find the Default Customs Configuration dropdown.
Step 3: Select your configuration (or None to use Warehance's standard built-in customs handling) and save.
Setting a Configuration on a Specific Order
Override the account default for an individual order.
Step 1: Open the order and find the Settings card.
Step 2: Click Show advanced options.
Step 3: In the Customs & International section, choose a configuration from the Customs Configuration dropdown.
Step 4: Click Save Changes.
The Customs & International section also lets you set the order's Incoterms, Customs Contents Type, and Customs Contents Explanation — values that hierarchy sources like Order: Customs Contents Type read from.
Applying a Configuration Automatically with an Automation Rule
Use an automation rule to set a customs configuration on orders that match specific criteria — for example, all orders from a particular store or client.
Step 1: Click Automation Rules in the left sidebar and create a new rule.
Step 2: Choose the Order Created or Order Updated trigger.
Step 3: Add criteria to match the orders you want (client, store, shipping country, etc.).
Step 4: Add the Set Customs Configuration action and select the configuration to apply.
Step 5: Save and enable the rule.
The automation sets the configuration at the order level, so it takes priority over your account-wide default — this is the way to apply different customs rules to different clients or stores.
Managing Existing Configurations
From the Customs Configurations page you can manage everything in one place:
- Use the All, Active, and Inactive tabs to filter the list.
- Flip the Active toggle on a row to activate or deactivate a configuration without deleting it.
- Click a configuration's Name (or choose Edit from the Actions menu) to open and modify it.
- Choose Delete from the Actions menu to remove a configuration permanently.
Deactivating is usually safer than deleting — an inactive configuration keeps its settings and can be re-enabled later, but it will no longer be applied to shipments or appear in selection dropdowns.