A practical guide to using official U.S. Census import statistics for wholesale buyers, Amazon FBA sellers, and sourcing teams.
Most sellers research products on Amazon first. Import data lets you see macro demand before competitors notice rising categories on the marketplace.
SourceLucid combines Census import values, country shares, tariff rates, and an opportunity score so you can prioritize categories worth deeper research.
MoM import growth above 15% in a category with meaningful absolute import value.
Rising share from Vietnam, Mexico, India, or Taiwan — potential China alternatives.
Strong value-to-weight ratio — a proxy for favorable FBA unit economics.
Moderate tariff exposure — high duty rates can erase margin before you launch.
Use opportunity pages to review 12-month trends and country breakdowns.
Add promising categories to your watchlist and monitor monthly reports for shifts.
Validate with supplier quotes, landed cost models, and Amazon keyword research before ordering inventory.
Import data shows category-level demand signals: total import value, growth trends, source countries, and approximate unit economics via value-to-weight ratios.
Census publishes monthly import statistics, typically with a lag of several weeks. SourceLucid syncs this data and scores categories for opportunity potential.
Amazon tools measure marketplace demand. Import data measures what is physically entering the country — a leading indicator for wholesale and private-label sourcing.