Importing goods and then exporting them again without substantial transformation is called re-export.
A re-export can occur when merchandise enters a country for distribution, storage, processing that does not change its essential identity, or onward shipment to another market. Major logistics hubs often handle large re-export flows because they connect manufacturers, wholesalers and nearby consumer markets.
Re-exporting differs from ordinary domestic export production. In a domestic export, goods are made or substantially transformed in the exporting country. Rules of origin determine whether processing is sufficient to confer a new origin, and those rules can affect tariffs, quotas and trade preferences.
Re-export is also different from dumping. Dumping refers to exporting goods at an unfairly low price under trade-law concepts; it does not describe the physical movement of previously imported goods. Customs treatment varies by jurisdiction and by the goods’ processing and storage arrangements.