# Economy Imports API (https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/economy/imports)

> Returns what a US company imports by sea, from public US customs bill-of-lading records. Response is `{ company, top_suppliers, hs_codes, recent_shipments, matches, selection }`. `company` carries the importer's name, country, address, website, lifetime and last-12-month shipment counts, first and most recent shipment dates (ISO), supplier count and the other names it files under. `top_suppliers` lists up to 25 overseas suppliers by shipment count, each with country, lifetime and 12-month shipments, total weight in kilograms and the HS headings it ships; a supplier `name` (and a shipment's `supplier`) is null where the manifests do not name the shipper, and those counts are kept. `hs_codes` lists up to 25 four-digit HS headings by shipment count, each with its chapter. `recent_shipments` lists the latest bills of lading, newest first: date, bill number, supplier, supplier country, product description, weight in kilograms, container count, quantity and unit, and the ocean route (for example 'Asia, Pacific'). `hs_code` on a shipment is filled only when the shipper wrote a tariff number into the manifest text, which is uncommon; use `hs_codes` for the product mix. Ports of loading and discharge are not published per shipment. A brand often files under several names (a parent, a US subsidiary, a fulfilment site), so the answer is chosen in three steps and `selection` says which one applied. `name_match`: the filer whose name equals yours, ignoring spacing and endings such as Inc, LLC and USA, with the most shipments ('Nike' returns 'Nike Usa' rather than a small entity called 'Nike', and 'Walmart' returns 'Wal Mart'). `partial_match`: otherwise, the filer with the most shipments whose name contains yours as whole words ('Peloton' returns 'Peloton Interactive'). `largest_search_hit`: otherwise, the candidate with the most shipments. Every candidate is listed in `matches` with its shipment count and last shipment date, and the one answered has `selected: true`; to target a different one, call again with its exact `name`. Only US imports by ocean freight are covered, so air freight, exports and non-US trade are absent, and some importers have their manifests withheld by request. A name with no US import records returns 404 and costs 0 credits. A billed call typically takes 8 to 12s and can reach about 25s, so set a client timeout of at least 45s. Exact repeats are served from a 24-hour cache at 0 credits.

TL;DR: `GET /v1/economy/imports` costs 20 credits per call, whatever the limit. A company with no US import records returns 404 and costs 0 credits, and a cached repeat within 24 hours costs 0 credits. and returns SocialCrawl's unified JSON schema. Single x-api-key auth, 100 free credits on signup.

## Parameters

| Parameter | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `company` | yes | The US importer's company name, as a brand ('Nike') or as it appears on shipping documents ('Nike Usa'). Endings such as Inc, LLC and USA are ignored when matching. 1 to 200 characters. |
| `limit` | no | How many recent shipments to return, newest first, from 1 to 50. Defaults to 25. The price is the same for any value. |

## Code example

```bash
curl -G "https://www.socialcrawl.dev/v1/economy/imports" \
  --data-urlencode "company=Nike" \
  -H "x-api-key: sc_YOUR_API_KEY"
```

## FAQ

### How do I find a US company's overseas suppliers?

Send GET /v1/economy/imports with company set to a brand or filer name, for example Nike. You get the importer's top overseas suppliers by shipment count with country and weight, the HS headings it ships, and the latest bills of lading, newest first.

### How does the company match work?

A brand often files under several names. The answer is chosen as name_match, partial_match or largest_search_hit, and selection says which applied. Nike resolves to Nike Usa. Every candidate is in matches, and you can call again with an exact name to target a different one.

### What do the shipment records contain?

Date, bill number, supplier, supplier country, product description, weight in kilograms, container count, quantity and the ocean route. hs_code on a shipment is filled only when the shipper wrote a tariff number into the manifest, so use hs_codes for the product mix.

### What does it not cover?

Only US imports by ocean freight. Air freight, exports and non-US trade are absent, ports are not published per shipment, and some importers have their manifests withheld by request.

### How long does a call take?

A billed call typically takes 8 to 12 seconds and can reach about 25 seconds, so set a client timeout of at least 45 seconds. Exact repeats are served from a 24 hour cache at 0 credits.

### How much does one imports call cost?

20 credits per call, whatever the limit. A company with no US import records returns 404 and is not billed. New accounts get 100 free credits with no card.

See the full Economy API: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/platforms/economy

## Pricing

- Standard endpoints: 1 credit per call
- Advanced endpoints: 5 credits per call
- Premium endpoints: 10 credits per call
- 100 free credits on signup, no credit card required. Cached responses cost 0 credits. Credit packs never expire.
- Full pricing: https://www.socialcrawl.dev/pricing

## Explore with AI

Questions this API answers, phrased for an AI assistant:

- How to see which suppliers a US company imports from
- Is there an API for US customs bill of lading data?
- How to find where Nike sources its products