17-3-3790 US purchasers' questionnaire

OMB No. 3117-0016/USITC No. 17-3-3790; Expiration Date: 6/30/2020
(No response is required if currently valid OMB control number is not displayed)

U.S. PURCHASERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE
CARTON-CLOSING STAPLES FROM CHINA
This questionnaire must be received by the Commission by December 20, 2017
See last page for filing instructions.
The information called for in this questionnaire is for use by the United States International Trade Commission in
connection with its antidumping investigation concerning carton-closing staples from China (Inv. No. 731-TA-1359
(Final)). The information requested in the questionnaire 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 firm’s possession (19 U.S.C. § 1333(a)). Further information on this
questionnaire can be obtained from Yasnanhia Cabral (202-205-2230, yasnanhia.cabral@usitc.gov).

Name of firm
Address
City

State

Zip Code

Website
Has your firm purchased carton-closing staples (as defined on next page) from any source (domestic or foreign)
at any time since January 1, 2014?

NO

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

YES

(Complete all parts of the questionnaire, and return the entire questionnaire 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: CART)
CERTIFICATION
I certify that the information herein supplied in response to this questionnaire 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 questionnaire 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
proceeding or other proceedings 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

Phone:
Signature

Email address

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-Closing Staples from China (Final)

Page 2

PART I.—GENERAL INFORMATION
Background.--This proceeding was instituted in response to a petition filed on March 31, 2017, by North
American Steel & Wire, Inc./ISM Enterprises, Butler, PA. 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 dumping. Questionnaires and other information pertinent to this
proceeding are available at
https://www.usitc.gov/investigations/title_7/2017/carton_closing_staples_china/final.htm.
Carton-closing staples may be manufactured from carbon, alloy, or stainless steel wire, and are included
in the scope of the investigation regardless of whether they are uncoated or coated, regardless of the
type of coating.
Carton-closing staples are generally made to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
specification ASTM D1974/D1974M–16, but can also be made to other specifications. Regardless of
specification, however, all carton-closing staples meeting the scope description are included in the
scope. Carton-closing staples include stick staple products, often referred to as staple strips, and roll
staple products, often referred to as coils. Stick staples are lightly cemented or lacquered together to
facilitate handling and loading into stapling machines. Roll staples are taped together along their
crowns. Carton-closing staples are covered regardless of whether they are imported in stick form or roll
form.
Carton-closing staples vary by the size of the wire, the width of the crown, and the length of the leg. The
nominal leg length ranges from 0.4095 inch to 1.375 inches and the nominal crown width ranges from
1.125 inches to 1.375 inches. The size of the wire used in the production of carton-closing staples varies
from 0.029 to 0.064 inch (nominal thickness) by 0.064 to 0.100 inch (nominal width).
Carton-closing staples subject to this investigation are currently classifiable under subheadings
8305.20.00.00 and 7317.00.65.60 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (‘‘HTSUS’’).
While the HTSUS subheadings and ASTM specification are provided for convenience and for customs
purposes, the written description of the subject merchandise is dispositive.
Purchaser.--Any firm engaged, either directly or through a parent company or subsidiary, in purchasing
carton-closing staples from another firm that produces, imports, or otherwise distributes carton-closing
staples.
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.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)

Page 3

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.
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.
I-1.

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

Dollars

The questions in this questionnaire 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 questionnaire is estimated to average
25 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering data, and
completing and reviewing the questionnaire.
We welcome comments regarding the accuracy of this burden estimate, suggestions for
reducing the burden, and any suggestions for improving this questionnaire. Please attach such
comments to your response or send to the Office of Investigations, USITC, 500 E St. SW,
Washington, DC 20436.

Business Proprietary
U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)
I-2.

Page 4

Establishments covered.--Provide the name and address of your U.S. establishment(s) covered
by this questionnaire, if different from that listed on the cover page. Firms operating more than
one establishment should combine the data for all establishments into a single response.
“Establishment”--Each facility of a firm involved in the purchase of carton-closing staples,
including auxiliary facilities operated in conjunction with (whether or not physically separate
from) such facilities.

I-3.

Ownership.--Is your firm owned, in whole or in part, by any other firm?
No

Firm name

I-4.

Address

Extent of ownership
(percent)

Related importers/exporters.--Does your firm have any related firms, either domestic or
foreign, which import carton-closing staples into the United States or which export cartonclosing staples to the United States?
No
Firm name

I-5.

Yes--List the following information.

Yes--List the following information.
Country

Affiliation

Related producers.--Does your firm have any related firms, either domestic or foreign, which
produce carton-closing staples?
No
Firm name

Yes--List the following information.
Country

Affiliation

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)

Page 5

PART II.--PURCHASES
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 questionnaire.
Name
Title
Email
Telephone
II-1.

Purchases and imports.--Report your firm’s total U.S. purchases and imports of carton-closing
staples. Please report separately for your purchases from U.S. producers and importers, and
your imports for which your firm was the importer of record.
“Purchase” – A transaction to buy product from a U.S. corporate entity such as a U.S. producer,
a U.S. distributor, or a U.S. firm that has imported the product.
“Import” – A transaction to buy from a foreign supplier in which your firm is the importer of
record.
Quantity (in 1,000s staples)
Calendar years
Item

2014

2015

January-September
2016

2016

2017

Purchases of carton-closing
staples produced in—
United States
China
Sweden
All other countries:1
Sources unknown
Total purchases

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Imports of carton-closing
staples from-China
Sweden
All other countries1
Total imports
1

Please identify these countries:

.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)
II-2.

Page 6

Changes in purchasing patterns.--Please indicate how the shares of your firm’s purchases of
carton-closing staples 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
Sweden
All other countries
Sources unknown
II-3.

Country knowledge.--Please indicate the countries of origin with which your firm has
experience or information in the carton-closing staples market.
United
States

II-4.

China

Sweden

Other
countries

Other countries (specify)

Supplier identification.--Please list your firm’s FIVE largest suppliers for carton-closing staples
since January 1, 2014. Also, provide the share of the quantity of your firm’s total purchases of
carton-closing staples that each of these suppliers accounted for in 2016.

No.

Supplier’s name

City and state

Share of quantity of
2016 purchases

1

%

2

%

3

%

4

%

5

%

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)

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PART III.--MARKET CHARACTERISTICS AND PURCHASING PRACTICES
III-1.

Firm type.--Which of the following best describes your firm as a purchaser of carton-closing
staples (check all that apply)?
End user

Retailer

Distributor

Other

Describe other

If your firm is a distributor of carton-closing staples, please answer questions III-2 and III-3.
III-2.

Competition for sales.--Does your firm compete for sales to customers with the manufacturers
or importers from which your firm purchases carton-closing staples?
No

III-3.

Yes

If yes, please describe.

Types of customers.--What are the major types of consumers to which your firm sells cartonclosing staples?

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)

Page 8

If your firm is an end user of carton-closing staples, please answer questions III-4 and III-5.
III-4.

End uses.--List the top 3 products your firm makes using carton-closing staples and estimate the
percent of your total production cost that is accounted for by carton-closing staples and by other
inputs (such as labor, energy, and other raw materials).
Share of total cost in each of the product(s) your
firm produces accounted for by
Product(s) your firm
produces

III-5.

Carton-closing staples

Total
(should
sum to
100.0%
across)

Other inputs

% +

%

=

0.0 %

% +

%

=

0.0 %

% +

%

=

0.0 %

Demand for end use products.-(a)

Has the demand for your firm’s final products incorporating carton-closing staples
changed since January 1, 2014?
Increased

(b)

No change

Decreased

Fluctuated

Has this had any effect on your firm’s demand for carton-closing staples?
No

Yes

Explain

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)
III-6.

Page 9

Substitutes.--Can other products be substituted for carton-closing staples?
No

Yes--Please fill out the table.

End use in which this
substitute is used

Substitute

Have changes in the price of this substitute
affected the price for carton-closing staples?
No Yes

Explanation

1.
2.
3.
III-7.

Demand trends.--Indicate how demand within the United States and outside of the United
States (if known) for carton-closing staples has changed since January 1, 2014. Explain any
trends and describe the principal factors that have affected these changes in demand.

Overall
increase

Market

No
change

Fluctuate
Overall
with no
decrease clear trend

Explanation and factors

Within the United States
Outside the United States
III-8.

Country preferences.--Do you or your customers ever specifically order carton-closing staples
from one country in particular over other possible sources of supply?
No

Yes

If yes, identify the countries and explain.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)

III-9.

Page 10

Importance of purchasing domestic product.--Please fill out the table below, estimating the
percentage of your firm’s total 2016 purchases of carton-closing staples that required cartonclosing staples produced in the United States.

Purchases that did not require domestic product
Purchases that were required by law or regulation to be domestic product
(e.g., government purchases under “Buy American” provisions)
Purchases that were not required by law or regulation, but were required by
your customers to be domestic product
Purchases that were required to be domestic product for other reasons
(explain:
)
Total (should sum to 100.0%)

Estimated percentage of
your firm’s total 2016
purchases of cartonclosing staples
%
%
%
%
0.0 %

III-10. Conditions of competition.-(a)

Is the carton-closing staples market subject to business cycles (other than general
economy-wide conditions) and/or other conditions of competition distinctive to cartonclosing staples?

Check all that apply.

Please describe.

No

Skip to question III-11.

Yes-Business cycles (e.g.
seasonal business)
Yes-Other distinctive
conditions of competition
(b)

Have there been any changes in the business cycles or conditions of competition for
carton-closing staples since January 1, 2014?
No

Yes

If yes, describe.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)

Page 11

III-11. Decisions based on producer and country-of-origin.--How often does your firm, and if known,
do your customers, make purchasing decisions involving carton-closing staples based on its
producer or country of origin?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

If at least sometimes, explain.

Decision based on producer
Your firm
Your customers
Decision based on country of origin
Your firm
Your customers
III-12. Availability of supply.--Has the availability of carton-closing staples in the U.S. market changed
since January 1, 2014?
Availability in the U.S.
Please explain, noting the countries and reasons for the
market
No Yes changes.
U.S.-produced product
Subject imports
Nonsubject imports
III-13. Supply constraints.--Has any firm refused, declined, or been unable to supply your firm with
carton-closing staples since January 1, 2014 (examples include placing customers on allocation
or “controlled order entry,” declining to accept new customers or renew existing customers,
delivering less than the quantity promised, being unable to meet timely shipment commitments,
etc.)?
No

Yes

If yes, please describe.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)

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III-14. Availability of specific product types.--Are certain grades/types/sizes of carton-closing staples
only available from certain country sources?
No

Yes

If yes, please identify the countries and the grade/type/size.

III-15. Purchasing frequency.-(a)

How frequently does your firm make purchases of carton-closing staples (check one)?
Daily

(b)

Weekly

Monthly

Quarterly

Annually

Other

If other, specify

Has this purchasing frequency changed since January 1, 2014?
No

Yes

If yes, please describe.

III-16. Number of suppliers contacted.--How many suppliers does your firm generally contact before
making a purchase? Between
and
firms
III-17. Supplier negotiations.--Do your firm’s purchases of carton-closing staples usually involve
negotiations between supplier and purchaser?

No

Yes

If yes, explain the factors your firm generally negotiates and note
whether your firm quotes competing prices during negotiations.

III-18. Change in suppliers.--Has your firm changed suppliers since January 1, 2014?

No

Yes

If yes, please list the supplier(s), whether the firm was added or
dropped, and the reasons for the change.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)

Page 13

III-19. New suppliers.--Are you aware of any new suppliers, either foreign or domestic, that have
entered the market since January 1, 2014?
No

Yes

If yes, please identify the firms.

III-20. Supplier qualification.--Do you require your suppliers to be or to become certified or qualified
to sell carton-closing staples to your firm?
If yes, provide the following information.
 The number of days to qualify a new supplier.
 A general description of the certification or qualification process. Also, a brief
description of the factors that you consider when qualifying a new supplier (e.g., quality
of product, reliability of supplier, etc.).

No

Yes

Number
of days Process and factors

III-21. Failure to certify.--Since January 1, 2014, have any domestic or foreign producers failed in their
attempts to certify or qualify their carton-closing staples with your firm or have any producers
lost their approved status?

No

Yes

If yes, please identify these firms, the countries where they are located,
and the reasons why they failed the certification/qualification.

III-22. Major purchasing factors.--Please list, in order of their importance, the main factors your firm
considers in deciding from whom to purchase carton-closing staples (examples include
availability, extension of credit, contracts, price, quality, range of supplier’s product line,
traditional supplier, etc.).
1.
2.
3.
Please list any other factors that are very important in your purchase decisions:

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)

Page 14

III-23. Purchasing factors.--Please rate the importance of the following factors in your firm’s
purchasing decisions for carton-closing staples.

Factor

Very
important

Somewhat
important

Not
important

Availability
Brand recognition
Delivery terms
Delivery time
Discounts offered
Extension of credit
Minimum quantity requirements
Packaging
Price
Product bundling
Product consistency
Product range
Quality meets industry standards
Quality exceeds industry standards
Reliability of supply
Technical support/service
U.S. transportation costs
III-24. Quality characteristics.--What characteristics does your firm consider when determining the
quality of carton-closing staples?

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)

Page 15

III-25. Minimum quality.--How often do carton-closing staples from the following countries meet
minimum quality specifications for your uses or your customers’ uses?

Source

Always

Usually

Sometimes

Rarely or
never

Don’t
know

United States
China
Sweden
Other
III-26. Frequency of decisions based on price.--How often does your firm purchase the carton-closing
staples that is offered at the lowest price?
Always

Usually

Sometimes

Never

III-27. Price leaders.--A price leader is defined as (1) one or more firms that initiate a price change,
either upward or downward, that is followed by other firms, or (2) one or more firms that have a
significant impact on prices. A price leader is not necessarily the lowest-priced supplier.
Please list the names of any firms you considered price leaders in the carton-closing staples
market since January 1, 2014.
Firm(s)

Describe how the firm(s) exhibited price leadership

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)

Page 16

III-28. Purchasing subject imports rather than domestic products.—
(a)

Since January 2014, did your firm purchase imports of carton-closing staples from China
instead of U.S.-produced carton-closing staples?

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 1,000 staples)

No

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

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)

Page 17

III-29. U.S. producers and import competition.—
(a)

Since January 1, 2014, in connection with a sale or offer to sell carton-closing staples to
your firm, did U.S. producers reduce their prices of domestically produced cartonclosing staples in order to compete with lower-priced imports of carton-closing staples
from the subject countries?

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

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)

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PART IV.—PRODUCT COMPARISONS
IV-1.

Interchangeability.--Are carton-closing staples produced in the United States and in other
countries interchangeable (i.e., can they physically be used in the same applications)?
Please indicate A, F, S, N, or 0 in the table below:
A = the products from a specified country-pair are always interchangeable
F = the products are frequently interchangeable
S = the products are sometimes interchangeable
N = the products are never interchangeable
0 = no familiarity with products from a specified country-pair
Country-pair

China

Sweden

Other countries

United States
China
Sweden
For any country-pair producing carton-closing staples which is sometimes or never
interchangeable, please identify the country-pair and explain the factors that limit or preclude
interchangeable use:

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)
IV-2.

Page 19

Factors other than price.--Are differences other than price (e.g., quality, availability,
transportation network, product range, technical support, etc.) between carton-closing staples
produced in the United States and in other countries a significant factor in your firm’s purchases
of the products?
Please indicate A, F, S, N, or 0 in the table below:
A = such differences are always significant
F = such differences are frequently significant
S = such differences are sometimes significant
N = such differences are never significant
0 = no familiarity with products from a specified country-pair
Country-pair

China

Sweden

Other countries

United States
China
Sweden
For any country-pair for which factors other than price always or frequently are a significant
factor in your firm’s purchases of carton-closing staples, identify the country-pair and report
the advantages or disadvantages imparted by such factors:

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)
IV-3.

Page 20

Factor country comparisons.--For the factors listed below, please rate how carton-closing
staples produced in each country you identified in your response to the first question in Part IV
compare with carton-closing staples produced in each of the other countries you identified.

If you are unfamiliar with the product from a particular country, please leave the boxes for those
country comparisons blank.

Availability
Brand recognition
Delivery terms
Delivery time
Discounts offered
Extension of credit
Minimum quantity requirements
Packaging
Price1
Product bundling
Product consistency
Product range
Quality meets industry standards
Quality exceeds industry standards
Reliability of supply
Technical support/service
U.S. transportation costs1
1

A rating of superior on price and U.S. transportation costs indicates that the first country generally has lower
prices/U.S. transportation costs than the second country.

Inferior

Comparable

Superior

Inferior

Comparable

Product from
United States
compared to
product from
Sweden

Superior

Superior

Superior

Factor

Superior

Product from
United States
compared to
product from
China

Product from
United States
compared to
product from
other
nonsubject
countries

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)
IV-3.

Page 21

Factor country comparisons.--continued

If you are unfamiliar with the product from a particular country, please leave the boxes for those
country comparisons blank.

Availability
Brand recognition
Delivery terms
Delivery time
Discounts offered
Extension of credit
Minimum quantity requirements
Packaging
Price1
Product bundling
Product consistency
Product range
Quality meets industry standards
Quality exceeds industry standards
Reliability of supply
Technical support/service
U.S. transportation costs1
1

A rating of superior on price and U.S. transportation costs indicates that the first country generally has lower
prices/U.S. transportation costs than the second country.

Inferior

Comparable

Product from
Sweden
compared to
product from
other
nonsubject
countries

Superior

Inferior

Comparable

Superior

Superior

Superior

Factor

Superior

Product from
China
compared to
product from
Sweden

Product from
China
compared to
product from
other
nonsubject
countries

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)

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PART V.—ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
V-1.

Other explanations.--If your firm would like to further explain a response to any question that
did not provide a narrative response box, please note the question number and the explanation
in the space provided below.

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U.S. Purchasers’ Questionnaire - Carton-closing Staples from China (Final)

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HOW TO FILE YOUR QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSE
This questionnaire is available as a “fillable” form in MS Word format on the
Commission’s website at:
https://www.usitc.gov/investigations/title_7/2017/carton_closing_staples_china/final.h
tm
Please do not attempt to modify the format or permissions of the questionnaire
document. Please submit the completed questionnaire using one of the methods noted
below. If your firm is unable to complete the MS Word questionnaire 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 questionnaire along with a scanned copy of the
signed certification page (page 1) through the Commission’s secure upload facility:
Web address: https://dropbox.usitc.gov/oinv/

Pin: CART

• E-mail.—E-mail the MS Word questionnaire to yasnanhia.cabral@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 does not purchase this product, please fill out page 1, print, sign, and submit a scanned
copy to the Commission.
Parties to this proceeding.—If your firm is a party to this proceeding, it is required to serve a copy of the
completed questionnaire on parties to the proceeding that are subject to administrative protective
order (see 19 CFR § 207.7). A list of such parties may be obtained from the Commission’s Secretary (202205-1803). A certificate of service must accompany the completed questionnaire your firm submits (see
19 CFR § 207.7). Service of the questionnaire must be made in paper form.