Duty Drawback Company Powered by Algorithmic Optimization

A duty drawback company manages the process of recovering import duties that U.S. Customs and Border Protection refunds when imported goods are re-exported, used in manufacturing for export, or destroyed. Services typically include eligibility assessment, document collection, import-export matching, claim preparation, and filing with CBP. Some companies, like Zollback, also provide algorithmic optimization to maximize the refund amount and handle filing directly via certified ABI software.

Your company likely qualifies if you import goods into the United States and subsequently export them, use them in the manufacturing of goods that are exported, or destroy them under CBP supervision. Common qualifying scenarios include manufacturers importing raw materials, retailers re-exporting unsold inventory, and companies returning defective or rejected merchandise. An eligibility assessment — typically free — is the fastest way to determine qualification and estimate refund potential.

Duty drawback is fundamentally a combinatorial matching problem — pairing import records to export records across millions of possible combinations to find the highest-value permutation. Manual providers using spreadsheets or legacy desktop software can only evaluate a fraction of possible matches. Zollback's algorithms evaluate all possible combinations, recovering 15–20% more than the industry leader in head-to-head comparisons.

Processing timelines vary significantly by provider. Traditional duty drawback companies typically take 9–12 months to process and file a claim due to manual workflows and legacy software. Zollback's end-to-end automation compresses that timeline to 10–15 working days for document processing and claim preparation. Actual refund disbursement from CBP depends on government processing schedules after the claim is submitted.

Performance-based pricing means the duty drawback company charges a percentage of the refund amount recovered rather than billing upfront fees or hourly rates. You only pay if and when a refund is successfully recovered and deposited to your account. This aligns the provider's incentives with yours — they are motivated to maximize your refund, not just submit claims. Zollback operates entirely on this model with no upfront fees.

There are several primary drawback types under U.S. Customs regulations. Manufacturing drawback applies when imported materials are used to produce goods that are exported. Unused merchandise drawback covers imported goods re-exported in their original condition. Rejected merchandise drawback applies to goods returned to a foreign supplier due to defects or non-conformance. Destroyed goods drawback covers eligible imports that are destroyed under CBP supervision. Many companies qualify for multiple types simultaneously.