TariffWatch questions we would rather answer plainly
By Andy Gaber, Founder · Published September 11, 2026 · Last updated September 12, 2026
TariffWatch estimates Section 232 exposure from public HTS, Federal Register, and BIS sources — free tools first, Watchlist after. This page is the indexable product FAQ: limits, capture→checkout, pricing, support, and retention. It is not a city-page farm, and not a rewrite of the Section 232 / first-sale / HTS-beginners guides already in the sitemap. For how the engine works, see the methodology.
What do the free TariffWatch tools actually do?
Three free tools, no login. The Exposure Checker (/tariffwatch/checker) takes up to 10 HTS codes plus an annual customs value and returns a heading-level Section 232 exposure estimate from the same deterministic engine as every scan API response. The Duty Impact Calculator adds a country-of-origin load factor on top of that engine — an order-of-magnitude stack, not a 10-digit classification. The HTS checker is a heading-prefix hit/no-hit against Federal Register 2026-15961 (the 14 proposed BIS derivative articles). Same inputs in, same findings out. No LLM is called.
What do the free tools not cover?
They are not a binding tariff classification and not customs classification advice under 19 CFR 111. They do not file comments on regulations.gov, do not transmit ACE/CBP entries, and do not certify clearance. They do not compute Section 301 China stacks as a first-class ruleset (the checker notes the stack; it does not price it). They do not auto-claim the ≤15% metal-content exemption. Country-of-origin factors on the duty-impact page are conservative multipliers, not USMCA proofs. Always verify against USITC HTS, the Federal Register notice, and your broker.
Is there a free-tool hard lock or a soft paywall?
No localStorage soft-paywall. Unlike PixelProof and EntryProof, TariffWatch does not budget free checks in the browser (3 + email bonus + 24h cooldown). The free tools stay free. Abuse control is a server rate limit on /api/tariffwatch/scan (5/minute, 50/hour per IP) that returns HTTP 429 — retry shortly, not “premium locked.” Email capture after a scan is optional: it sends the exposure report and then offers Watchlist checkout. It does not unlock extra free scans. If browser storage is missing (private mode), exit-intent and floater dismissals fail open; they never brick the checker.
What is free versus Watchlist paid?
Free is one-shot: you paste codes, you leave with an estimate. Watchlist is the ongoing monitor: after Stripe checkout you enter up to 20 HTSUS subheadings, and every Monday 9am UTC we email a digest of BIS / Federal Register notices from the trailing 7 days that touched those codes, with comment deadlines flagged. A silent week still gets a “nothing matched” digest — we do not invent filler. Watchlist does not secretly switch to a deeper classifier. Same public sources, watched over time.
How does capture → checkout work?
Run a free check. Optionally leave an email to receive the exposure report (we recompute from the stored scan row — the client cannot forge a number). The post-capture CTA starts Watchlist Stripe checkout after that email is on the form. Honest deep-links already in the product: /tariffwatch/watchlist?checkout=watchlist (monthly) and ?checkout=watchlist-year (annual). Those params select the interval; checkout POST still needs an email first so we can deliver the 7-day reverse trial. We do not invent remaining seats or a fake countdown.
How much is Watchlist, and what do I get?
Watchlist is $29/mo or $290/yr (two months free). Up to 20 HTSUS subheadings per subscription. Weekly Monday digest, comment-deadline warnings, and a silent-week confirmation when nothing hit. Live Stripe checkout is on /tariffwatch/watchlist — including the monthly deep link at ?checkout=watchlist. We do not invent per-code overage on that SKU; 20 codes is the honest cap. Annual is the same product on one invoice.
What is Founding Trio versus Watchlist?
Watchlist is TariffWatch only. Founding Trio is a 5-seat portfolio bundle: PixelProof + EntryProof + TariffWatch for $299 prepaid for 12 months. The founding rate is held at renewal while membership stays continuous; cancel and come back later and you re-enter at public pricing. It is not a lifetime lock and not a fake countdown. If you only need HTS monitoring, start Watchlist. Details live on /founding-trio.
Is there a free trial or a refund?
Watchlist checkout attaches a 7-day reverse trial on the live $29/$290 SKUs — cancel before day 8 and you should not be charged. After the trial, monthly Watchlist has a 30-day refund window on the most-recent charge (one refund per account); mid-cycle cancel is not pro-rated. Cancel anytime from the Stripe invoice/receipt or by emailing support@tariffwatch.app. Founding Trio ($299 prepaid) has a 30-day refund window. We do not guarantee a dollar amount of duty saved. Read /tariffwatch/terms before you pay.
How do I get support?
Email support@tariffwatch.app. That is the TariffWatch inbox on the live product host (tariffwatch.app). There is no in-app chat team and no BIS or CBP help desk we pretend to be. We are a small company: expect a human reply, not a 24/7 SLA. Do not write a retired brand mailbox.
What data do you collect, and how long do you keep it?
Checks store the HTS codes and annual customs value you submitted, plus a hashed IP for abuse control — not your raw IP. If you leave an email or subscribe, we store that email; Stripe handles cards. Exposure-scan rows are retained 30 days, then deleted. Email opt-ins stay until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete. We do not sell import data. Details and deletion live on /tariffwatch/privacy; cookies we set are listed on /tariffwatch/cookies; legal terms on /tariffwatch/terms.
Does TariffWatch file comments or entries for me?
No. The free tools estimate and draft starting points. We do not auto-file comments on regulations.gov, we do not transmit ACE entries, and we are not a customs broker under 19 CFR 111. If you use a comment-letter or inclusion-rebuttal workflow, you still review and submit. Software that helps you see public exposure is not a filing service and not a clearance.
Is this legal advice, and do you guarantee clearance or savings?
No. An exposure number is not legal advice, not customs classification advice, and not a CBP, BIS, or Commerce determination. We will not claim your shipment will clear, and we will not promise you will save $X. If a classification, country-of-origin, or exemption is a judgment call, that belongs with counsel and your broker — not this page.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel Watchlist from the Stripe invoice/receipt or by emailing support@tariffwatch.app; you keep access through the end of the paid period. There is no retention maze and no phone call required. The free tools also keep working after you cancel — they were never a paid entitlement.
Where to go next
Pricing strings on this page match the live SKUs: Watchlist $29/mo or $290/yr, Founding Trio $299/yr for all three products. Regulatory explainers (what Section 232 is, first-sale valuation, HTS for beginners) stay on those dedicated guides — we are not duplicating them here. Legal detail lives on Terms, Privacy, and Cookies. Questions that are not here: email support@tariffwatch.app.
TariffWatch is a data and workflow tool that estimates Section 232 tariff exposure from publicly available Federal Register, USITC, and CBP data. TariffWatch is NOT a licensed customs broker under 19 CFR 111, NOT a filer of record, and NOT a legal-advice service. This is not customs classification advice. Compliance decisions remain the responsibility of the importer and their customs broker or trade attorney. TariffWatch does not guarantee that any classification, exposure estimate, or comment letter will be accepted by CBP, BIS, or Commerce.