Bill of Lading (BL) data is sourced from shipping manifests and is best for finding trading companies and their contact details. Customs data is sourced from official government declarations and adds the financial detail — declared value, duty, tax and tax IDs. Customs data is priced higher because it is harder to obtain, contains sensitive price and duty information, and is more commercially valuable.
What is Bill of Lading data?
A bill of lading is issued for every ocean shipment. BL data captures the physical movement of goods: the shipper (exporter) and consignee (importer) with their names, addresses, phone, email and website, plus the product, HS code, volume, ports, vessel, container and BL number. It is the fastest way to find suppliers and buyers and to track competitors.
What is customs data?
Customs data comes from the declarations importers and exporters file with customs authorities. On top of the product and parties, it adds the financial and regulatory side: declared customs value, CIF/FOB value, unit price, duty rate and duty amount, VAT/taxes, incoterms, and the exporter/importer tax IDs.
Side-by-side comparison
| Bill of Lading data | Customs data | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Shipping manifests / carriers | Government customs declarations |
| Best for | Contacts & shipment tracking | Prices, duties & market sizing |
| Exclusive fields | Phone, email, website, vessel, BL & container numbers | Customs value, duty, VAT, tax IDs, incoterms |
| Price tier | Lower | Higher (premium) |
Why is customs data more expensive?
- Harder and costlier to source. Many governments restrict, license or charge for transaction-level customs data, and it often must be obtained through official channels. That upstream cost is passed on.
- It contains the money. Declared values, unit prices and duties are the numbers competitors guard most — far more valuable for procurement, pricing and market research than contacts alone.
- Tax IDs & official identifiers. Customs records include registered tax IDs (EIN/GST/VAT), enabling precise company matching — high-value, sensitive data.
- Scarcer supply. Far more countries publish BL/manifest data than release detailed customs data, so availability is lower and prices higher.
- More processing. Customs datasets require extra normalization of currencies, tariff codes and duty calculations.
Which should you buy?
- Find suppliers/buyers and get contacts → Bill of Lading data.
- Benchmark prices, analyse duties, size a market, verify by tax ID → customs data.
- Full due diligence → both.
Not sure which fits your goal? Request a free sample of either and see the fields for yourself.
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