HS Codes for Amazon & Shopify Sellers: A Practical UK Checklist

# HS Codes for Amazon & Shopify Sellers: A Practical UK Checklist

If you sell on Amazon, eBay, Shopify or your own store and ship into the UK, you've probably seen the "HS code / commodity code" box on labels and forms.

Most sellers either:

- guess a code that looks "roughly right",
- copy whatever their supplier used, or
- leave it to the courier and hope for the best.

That works until a shipment is delayed, fees jump, or a marketplace asks you to provide product HS codes across your whole catalogue.

This guide gives you a simple HS code checklist, plus real examples, so you can clean up your SKUs and avoid nasty surprises.

## Why ecommerce sellers struggle with HS codes

Compared to traditional importers, online sellers often deal with:

- hundreds or thousands of SKUs
- constant product changes
- minimal customs training

The result is chaos:

- different codes used for the same product on different shipments
- inconsistent paperwork
- red flags in audits

The good news: you don't need to become a customs broker. You just need a repeatable process and some basic checks.

## 10‑point HS code checklist for Amazon/Shopify sellers

Use this checklist before you confirm a product's code.

### 1. Do you know the exact material?

"Plastic" vs "silicone" vs "rubber" can matter. For textiles, note cotton vs polyester vs wool. For blends, get rough percentages.

### 2. Is it knitted or woven (for clothing)?

T‑shirts and hoodies often fall under different headings depending on knit/woven.

### 3. Is it a set/kit or single item?

Tool sets, gift sets, bundles ("coffee mug + spoon") may be treated as sets with their own rules.

### 4. Is there any electronics or battery?

Adding a battery or plug can shift the code into electrical goods and bring in extra safety rules.

### 5. Is it for children or adults?

Age matters for clothing, toys and some other products.

### 6. Is it food, drink, supplement or cosmetic?

These have their own chapters and can trigger extra regulations.

### 7. Is the description clear enough?

"Home decor item" is useless. "Wooden wall sign, printed, decorative only" is much better.

### 8. Have you checked your supplier's code against UK rules?

- Treat supplier codes as starting suggestions only.
- Run your own check based on the product description and UK tariff.
- If you change the code, record why.

### 9. Do you use the same code for the same SKU everywhere?

Your store, your invoices, your customs paperwork and your warehouse sheets should all match.

### 10. Have you written down the "why"?

A one‑line explanation is enough: "Classified as cotton knit hoodie under heading X because main fibre is cotton and it's a knitted garment."

## Real examples for typical ecommerce products

### Example 1 – Phone case

Details: TPU phone case, flexible plastic, for smartphones.

- Material: plastic
- Use: protective cover for phones
- Watch out for: if it's combined with electronics (battery, LEDs)

### Example 2 – LED strip kit

Details: 5m LED strip, 12V, power adaptor, remote, for decorative home lighting.

- Components: LEDs, power supply, remote
- Set/kit: yes, whole lighting kit
- Customs often treat it as lighting equipment, not just "wire" or "electronics" generically.

### Example 3 – Hoodie

Details: Unisex hoodie, 65% cotton, 35% polyester, knitted fabric.

- Material: knit, cotton‑rich
- Classification normally under knitted apparel of cotton, not generic "sweater".

### Example 4 – Yoga mat

Details: TPE or PVC yoga mat, non‑slip, for exercise.

- Material: plastic or rubber
- Use: exercise, fitness
- Ensure description mentions exercise purpose; this helps distinguish from generic floor coverings.

### Example 5 – Mug/tumbler

Details: Stainless steel insulated tumbler, with plastic lid.

- Material: primary is stainless steel
- Use: drinkware
- Insulation and double walls may affect classification; material and function both matter.

## Where to store HS codes in your ecommerce setup

Pick one place to be the "source of truth", for example:

- a Google Sheet, or
- your product database (Shopify metafields, custom fields, etc.)

For each SKU, store:

- HS code
- One‑line rationale
- Invoice description
- Date and who decided it

Then feed that into:

- shipping label tools
- invoices and commercial documents
- customs declarations (via courier or broker)

## How TariffGenius can help ecommerce sellers

If you have 20 SKUs, manual research is manageable. If you have 200 or 2,000, you need help.

With TariffGenius, you can:

- paste a product description or upload a CSV of SKUs
- get suggested HS codes with:
- one‑line rationale
- invoice‑ready description
- confidence score and flags for "tricky" cases (sets, mixed materials, etc.)
- export everything as CSV and push it into your store or WMS

You still review and approve the final codes, but you save a lot of trial‑and‑error and keep a clean audit trail.

## Final tips for Amazon/Shopify HS codes

- Don't guess – at least note material, use, and whether it's a set or single item.
- Use the same HS code consistently for each SKU across all documents.
- Keep a simple spreadsheet that links SKU → HS code → rationale.
- Use a tool like TariffGenius to produce consistent, documented suggestions and invoice text at scale.

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