17-3-3818 US purchasers' questionnaire

OMB No. 3117-0016/USITC No. 17-3-3818; Expiration Date: 6/30/2020
(No response is required if currently valid OMB control number is not displayed)

LOST SALES AND LOST REVENUE SURVEY
PLASTIC DECORATIVE RIBBON FROM CHINA
This survey must be received by the Commission by January 10, 2018
See last page for filing instructions.
The information called for in this survey is for use by the United States International Trade Commission in connection
with its countervailing duty and antidumping investigations concerning plastic decorative ribbon from China (Inv. Nos.
701-TA-592 and 731-TA-1400 (Preliminary)). The information requested in the survey is requested under the authority of
the Tariff Act of 1930, title VII. This report is mandatory and failure to reply as directed can result in a subpoena or other
order to compel the submission of records or information in your possession (19 U.S.C. § 1333(a)). Further information
on this survey can be obtained from Nabil Abbyad (202) 708-1446, Nabil.Abbyad@usitc.gov.

Name of firm
Address
City

State

Zip Code

Website
Has your firm purchased plastic decorative ribbon (as defined on next page) at any time since January 1, 2014?

NO

(Sign the certification below and promptly return only this page of the survey to the Commission)

YES

(Complete all parts of the survey, and return the entire survey to the Commission)

Return questionnaire via the U.S. International Trade Commission Drop Box by clicking on the
following link: https://dropbox.usitc.gov/oinv/. (PIN: DECO)
CERTIFICATION
I certify that the information herein supplied in this survey is complete and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief and
understand that the information submitted is subject to audit and verification by the Commission. By submitting this certification
I also grant consent for the Commission, and its employees and contract personnel, to use the information provided in this survey
and throughout this proceeding in any other import-injury proceedings conducted by the Commission on the same or similar
merchandise.
I, the undersigned, acknowledge that information submitted in response to this request for information and throughout this
investigation or other proceeding may be disclosed to and used: (i) by the Commission, its employees and Offices, and contract
personnel (a) for developing or maintaining the records of this or a related proceeding, or (b) in internal investigations, audits,
reviews, and evaluations relating to the programs, personnel, and operations of the Commission including under 5 U.S.C.
Appendix 3; or (ii) by U.S. government employees and contract personnel, solely for cybersecurity purposes. I understand that all
contract personnel will sign appropriate nondisclosure agreements.
Name of Authorized Official

Title of Authorized Official

Date

Signature

Phone

Email address

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Lost Sales and Lost Revenue Survey- Plastic Decorative Ribbon

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GENERAL INFORMATION
Background.--This proceeding was instituted in response to a petition filed on December 27, 2017, by
Berwick Offray, LLC, Berwick, Pennsylvania. Countervailing and antidumping duties may be assessed on
the subject imports as a result of these proceedings if the Commission makes an affirmative
determination of injury, threat, or material retardation, and if the U.S. Department of Commerce
(“Commerce”) makes an affirmative determination of subsidization and/or dumping. U.S. producers of
plastic decorative ribbon have provided the USITC with allegations about sales or revenue that they
have lost due to competition from imports of plastic decorative ribbon from China. One or more
domestic producer(s) have named your firm in such an allegation. Questionnaires and other information
pertinent to this proceeding are available at
https://usitc.gov/investigations/701731/2017/plastic_decorative_ribbon/preliminary.htm
Plastic decorative ribbon covered by these investigations is certain plastic decorative ribbon having a
width (measured at the narrowest span of the ribbon) of less than or equal to four (4) inches, including
but not limited to ribbon wound onto itself, a spool, a core or a tube (with or without flanges), attached
to a card or strip; wound into a keg- or egg-shaped configuration; made into bows, bow-like items, or
other shapes or configurations; and whether or not packaged or labeled for retail sale. The subject
merchandise is typically made of substrates of polypropylene, but may be made in whole or in part of
any type of plastic, including without limitation, plastic derived from petroleum products and plastic
derived from cellulose products.
The subject merchandise includes ribbons comprised of one or more layers of substrates made, in whole
or in part, of plastics adhered to each other, regardless of the method used to adhere the layers
together, including without limitation, ribbons comprised of layers of substrates adhered to each other
through a lamination process. Subject merchandise also includes ribbons comprised of (a) one or more
layers of substrates made, in whole or in part, of plastics adhered to (b) one or more layers of substrates
made, in whole or in part, of non-plastic materials, including, without limitation, substrates made, in
whole or in part, of fabric.
The ribbons subject to these investigations may be of any color or combination of colors (including
without limitation, ribbons that are transparent, translucent or opaque) and may or may not bear words
or images, including those of a holiday motif. The subject merchandise includes ribbons with
embellishments and/or treatments, including, without limitation, ribbons that are printed, hot-stamped,
coated, laminated, flocked, crimped, die-cut, embossed (or that otherwise have impressed designs,
images, words or patterns), and ribbons with holographic, metallic, glitter, or iridescent finishes.
Subject merchandise includes “pull-bows,” an assemblage of ribbons connected to one another, folded
flat, and equipped with a means to form such ribbons into the shape of a bow by pulling on a length of
material affixed to such assemblage, and “pre-notched” bows, an assemblage of notched ribbon loops
arranged one inside the other with the notches in alignment and affixed to each other where notched,
and which the end user forms into a bow by separating and spreading the loops circularly around the
notches, which form the center of the bow. Subject merchandise includes ribbons that are packaged
with non-subject merchandise, including ensembles that include ribbons and other products, such as gift
wrap, gift bags, gift tags and/or other gift packaging products. Unless the context otherwise clearly
indicates, the word “ribbon” used in the singular includes the plural and the plural “ribbons” includes
the singular.

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Lost Sales and Lost Revenue Survey- Plastic Decorative Ribbon

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Excluded from the scope of this investigation are the following: (1) ribbons formed exclusively by
weaving plastic threads together; (2) ribbons that have metal wire in, on, or along the entirety of each of
the longitudinal edges of the ribbon; (3) ribbons with an adhesive coating covering the entire span
between the longitudinal edges of the ribbon for the entire length of the ribbon; (4) ribbon formed into
a bow without a tab or other means for attaching the bow to an object using adhesives, where the bow
has: (a) an outer layer that is either flocked or made of fabric, and (b) a flexible metal wire at the base
that is suitable for attaching the bow to a Christmas tree or other object by twist-tying; (5) elastic
ribbons, meaning ribbons that elongate when stretched and return to their original dimension when the
stretching load is removed; (6) ribbons affixed as a decorative detail to non-subject merchandise, such
as a gift bag, gift box, gift tin, greeting card or plush toy, or affixed (including by tying) as a decorative
detail to packaging containing non-subject merchandise; (7) ribbons that are (a) affixed to non-subject
merchandise as a working component of such non-subject merchandise, such as where the ribbon
comprises a book marker, bag cinch, or part of an identity card holder, or (b) affixed (including by tying)
to non-subject merchandise as a working component that holds or packages such non-subject
merchandise or attaches packaging or labeling to such non-subject merchandise, such as a “belly band''
around a pair of pajamas, a pair of socks or a blanket; (8) imitation raffia made of plastics having a
thickness not more than one (1) mil when measured in an unfolded/untwisted state; and (9) ribbons in
the form of bows having a diameter of less than seven-eighths (7/8) of an inch, or having a diameter of
more than 16 inches. For purposes of this exclusion, the diameter of a bow is equal to the diameter of
the smallest circular ring through which the bow will pass without compressing the bow.
Merchandise covered by this investigation is currently classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the
United States (“HTSUS”) under statistical categories 3920.20.0015 and 3926.40.0010. Merchandise
covered by this investigation also may enter under subheadings 3920.10.0000; 3920.30.0000;
3920.43.5000; 3920.49.0000; 3920.62.0020; 3920.62.0090; 3920.69.0000; 3921.90.1100; 3921.90.1500;
3921.90.1910; 3921.90.1950; 3921.90.4010; 3921.90.4090; 3926.90.9905; 3926.90.9910; 3926.90.9925;
3926.90.9930; 3926.90.9996; 5404.90.0000; 9505.90.4000; 4601.99.9000; 4602.90.0000; 5609.00.3000;
5609.00.4000; and 9505.10.2500. These HTSUS statistical categories and subheadings are provided for
convenience and customs purposes; the written description of the scope of this investigation is
dispositive.
Reporting of information.---If information is not readily available from your records, provide carefully
prepared estimates. If your firm is completing more than one questionnaire (i.e., a producer, importer,
and/or purchaser questionnaire), you need not respond to duplicated questions.
Confidentiality.-- The commercial and financial data furnished in response to this questionnaire that
reveal the individual operations of your firm will be treated as confidential by the Commission to the
extent that such data are not otherwise available to the public and will not be disclosed except as may
be required by law (see 19 U.S.C. § 1677f). Such confidential information will not be published in a
manner that will reveal the individual operations of your firm; however, general characterizations of
numerical business proprietary information (such as discussion of trends) will be treated as confidential
business information only at the request of the submitter for good cause shown.
Verification.-- The information submitted in this questionnaire is subject to audit and verification by the
Commission. To facilitate possible verification of data, please keep all files, worksheets, and supporting
documents used in the preparation of the questionnaire response. Please also retain a copy of the final
document that you submit.

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Lost Sales and Lost Revenue Survey- Plastic Decorative Ribbon

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Release of information.--The information provided by your firm in response to this questionnaire, as
well as any other business proprietary information submitted by your firm to the Commission in
connection with this proceeding, may become subject to, and released under, the administrative
protective order provisions of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. § 1677f) and section 207.7 of the
Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR § 207.7). This means that certain lawyers and
other authorized individuals may temporarily be given access to the information for use in connection
with this proceeding or other import-injury proceedings conducted by the Commission on the same or
similar merchandise; those individuals would be subject to severe penalties if the information were
divulged to unauthorized individuals.
Contact information.--Please identify the responsible individual and the manner by which Commission
staff may contact that individual regarding the confidential information submitted in this survey. This
may or may not be the person whose signature is at the bottom of page 1.
Name
Title
Email
Telephone
Firms operating more than one establishment should combine the data for all establishments into a
single response.

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Lost Sales and Lost Revenue Survey- Plastic Decorative Ribbon

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PURCHASE INFORMATION
Purchases and imports.--Report separately your firm’s domestic purchases and imports of
plastic decorative ribbon.

II-1.

“Purchase” – Purchase from a U.S. entity such as a U.S. producer, a U.S. importer, or other U.S.
firm.
“Import” – Purchase directly from a foreign supplier and your firm is the importer of record.
2014
Item

2015

2016

Quantity (in square yards)

Purchases of plastic decorative ribbon
produced in—
United States
China
All other countries1
Sources unknown
Total purchases

0

0

0

0

0

0

Imports of plastic decorative ribbon
from—
China
All other countries1
Total imports
1

Please identify these countries:

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Lost Sales and Lost Revenue Survey- Plastic Decorative Ribbon

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2. Changes in purchasing patterns.--Please indicate how the shares of your firm’s purchases of plastic
decorative ribbon from different sources have changed since January 1, 2014.
Source of
purchases

Did not
purchase

Decreased Increased

Constant

Fluctuated

Explanation for trend

United States

China

All other
countries
Sources
unknown

3. Major purchasing factors.--Please list, in order of their importance, the main factors your firm
considers in deciding from whom to purchase plastic decorative ribbon.
1.
2.
3.
Please list any other factors that are very important in your purchase decisions:

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Lost Sales and Lost Revenue Survey- Plastic Decorative Ribbon

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4. Purchasing subject imports rather than domestic products.—
(a)

Since January 2014, did your firm purchase imports of plastic decorative ribbon from
China instead of U.S.-produced plastic decorative ribbon?
Source

Yes
(also respond to parts (b) and (c))

No
(If “No” skip to next question)

China
(b)

If you responded “Yes” to part (a), was the imported product priced lower than the
domestic product?
Source

Yes

No

China
(c)

If you responded “Yes” to part (a), was price a primary reason for purchasing subject
imports rather than domestic product?

Source

China

Yes

If Yes, estimate the quantity
of imports purchased instead
of domestic product since
January 2014
(in square yards)

No

If No, please indicate the
reason your firm purchased
imports instead of domestic
product

Business Proprietary
Lost Sales and Lost Revenue Survey- Plastic Decorative Ribbon
5.

Page 8

U.S. producers and import competition.—
(a)

Since January 1, 2014, in connection with a sale or offer to sell plastic decorative ribbon
to your firm, did U.S. producers reduce their prices of domestically produced plastic
decorative ribbon in order to compete with lower-priced imports of plastic decorative
ribbon from China?
Source

Yes (also respond to
question part (b))

No (If “No”, skip to next
question)

Don’t know

China
(b)

If your firm responded “yes,” please provide an estimate of the reduction in U.S.
producers’ prices, and any additional explanations, such as timing (e.g., months/years),
frequency of price reductions, or other market/competitive factors.

Source
China

Estimated
reduction in U.S.
prices
(percent)

Additional explanation, including such information as
timing (e.g., months/years), frequency of price
reductions, or other market/competitive factors

%

6. Method of purchase--Please provide a general description of your firm’s method(s) of purchase
(e.g., individual purchase, contract, bids, Internet purchases, etc.) for plastic decorative ribbon.

7. Other explanations--Please provide any additional comments in this box.

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Lost Sales and Lost Revenue Survey- Plastic Decorative Ribbon

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OMB INFORMATION
8. OMB statistics.--Please report the actual number of hours required and the cost to your firm of
completing this survey.
Hours

Dollars

The questions in this survey have been reviewed with market participants to ensure that issues of
concern are adequately addressed and that data requests are sufficient, meaningful, and as limited
as possible. Public reporting burden for this survey is estimated to average 4 hours per response,
including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering data, and completing and reviewing the
survey.
We welcome comments regarding the accuracy of this burden estimate, suggestions for reducing
the burden, and any suggestions for improving this survey. Please attach such comments to your
response or send to the Office of Investigations, USITC, 500 E St. SW, Washington, DC 20436.

HOW TO FILE YOUR SURVEY RESPONSE
Please do not attempt to modify the format or permissions of the survey document.
Please submit the completed survey using one of the methods noted below. If your firm
is unable to complete the MS Word survey or cannot use one of the electronic methods
of submission, please contact the Commission for further instructions.
• Upload via Secure Drop Box.—Upload the MS Word survey along with a scanned copy of the signed
certification page (page 1) through the Commission’s secure upload facility:
o
o
o

Web address: https://dropbox.usitc.gov/oinv/
Enter Investigation: Select “plastic decorative ribbon” in the drop down menu
Pin: DECO

• E-mail.—E-mail the MS Word survey to Nabil.Abbyad@usitc.gov; include a scanned copy of the signed
certification page (page 1). Submitters are strongly encouraged to encrypt nonpublic documents that are
electronically transmitted to the Commission to protect your sensitive information from unauthorized
disclosure. The USITC secure drop-box system and the Electronic Document Information System (EDIS)
use Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 cryptographic algorithms to encrypt data in
transit. Submitting your nonpublic documents by a means that does not use these encryption algorithms
(such as by email) may subject your firm’s nonpublic information to unauthorized disclosure during
transmission. If you choose a non-encrypted method of electronic transmission, the Commission warns
you that the risk of such possible unauthorized disclosure is assumed by you and not by the Commission.
If your firm did not purchase this product, please fill out page 1, print, sign, and submit a scanned copy
to the Commission.