Clearing Internationally Shipped Items Through Government Customs Agencies

A computer system comprising:

• a processor;
• system memory coupled to the processor and storing instructions configured to cause the processor to:
• electronically receive shipping information in a first data format from a shipper, the shipping information indicating that an internationally shipped item is to enter a country under control of a carrier destined for delivery to an intended recipient at a physical location in the country and including one or more of:
• a waybill/tracking number, a commercial invoice, or bill of lading;
• create a unifying database entry including one or more import fee fields, one or more carrier fields, one or more recipient fields, one or more payment fields, and one or more broker fields;
• convert the shipping information from the first data format into a unified database format;
• store data from the received shipping information in the one or more carrier fields and the one or more recipient fields;
• set a payment indicator in the one or more payment fields to indicate that import fees for the internationally shipped package are unpaid;
• assign a customs broker to the international shipped item with a clearance timeframe based at least on broker location, broker licensure in the country, and broker effectiveness score;
• store the customs broker assignment in the one or more broker fields;
• automatically, and without user intervention, send an electronic broker assignment message to the customs broker, to the carrier, and to the shipper indicating that the customs broker is handling clearing the international shipment through the specified country's customs agency, including:
• send an electronic broker assignment message, including the one or more of:
• a waybill/tracking number, a commercial invoice, or bill of lading, to the customs broker in a local language of the customs broker;
• send another electronic broker assignment message to the carrier in a local language of the carrier in a second data format;
• and
• send a further electronic broker assignment message to the shipper in a local language of the shipper in the first data format;
• monitor an electronic customs feed in a third data format;
• identify an import fees amount due corresponding to the internationally shipped item in the electronic customs feed, the import fees due indicated in a currency of the country;
• convert the import fees amount due from the third data format into the unified data format;
• store data from the import fees amount due in the one or more import fees field;
• access the import fees amount due from the one or more import fee fields;
• electronically send an indication of the import fees due amount due along with an electronic payment link to the shipper;
• electronically receive an indication import fee payment;
• transition the payment indicator in the one or more payment fields to indicate that import fees are paid;
• formulate a payment notification in response detecting the transitioned payment indicator;
• convert the payment notification into the second data format;
• electronically send the payment notification to the carrier;
• electronically receive a delivery notification that the internationally shipped item was delivered to the recipient in the second data format from the shipper;
• convert the delivery notification from the second data format into the unified database format;
• and
• update the one or more recipient fields to indicate delivery of the internationally shipped item.