The short answer
Comstock & Holt is one of the oldest full-service duty drawback specialists in the US, running its own software and carrying deep credibility with CBP and drawback rulings. Stable is a modern, flat-license drawback platform for the broker channel, with a global-optimization matching engine you run under your own POA. Choose Comstock for a white-glove legacy specialist to run drawback for you; choose Stable to own the capability in-house on modern tooling and keep the margin.
Key takeaways
- Comstock & Holt is a legacy full-service specialist with proprietary software and deep CBP credibility; Stable is software your brokerage runs.
- A full-service specialist runs recovery for you, importer-direct, and holds the relationship.
- Stable centers a modern global-optimization matching engine and MPF capture, on a flat license under your own POA.
- Full-service drawback is commonly priced as a share of recovery; a flat license keeps that margin in-house.
Stable vs Comstock & Holt at a glance
| Feature | Stable | Comstock & Holt |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Flat-license software you run | Full-service, done for you |
| Who files | Your brokerage, under your POA | Comstock & Holt, importer-direct |
| Tooling | Modern platform, own ABI filing | Proprietary in-house software |
| Pricing | Flat license | Service fee (commonly a share of recovery) |
| Matching | Global optimization | Specialist process |
| Relationship owner | Your brokerage | Comstock & Holt |
| Best-fit customer | Brokers and importers running drawback in-house | Importers wanting a legacy specialist |
Choose Stable if
You want drawback owned inside your brokerage on modern, flat-license software, with your team and your POA running the work and keeping the margin.
Choose Comstock & Holt if
You want a long-established, white-glove specialist with deep CBP relationships to run drawback for you as a service.
What is Comstock & Holt best known for?
Longevity and credibility. Comstock & Holt is among the oldest drawback specialists in the country, runs its own software, and is deeply versed in drawback rulings and CBP practice. If you want an experienced firm to run the program for you, that track record is real. The trade-off is the outsourced model: the work and the relationship sit with the specialist.
How Stable is different
Stable is software, not a service. Your brokerage runs it under its own POA, with a modern matching engine, optimized MPF capture, and its own ABI filing. The expertise is built into the platform rather than delivered as a done-for-you service, so the client and the margin stay with you.
Legacy software versus a modern engine
Both Comstock and Stable use their own software, so the question is the engine and the workflow. Stable is built around global optimization across the claim window rather than older first-fit approaches, with a modern review queue and audit trail. On large datasets, optimized matching can recover on the order of 15% more duty and fees than a first-in-first-out default (an illustrative figure pending your own benchmark).
How pricing affects economics
Full-service drawback is generally priced on success, commonly a percentage of recovery, often 15% to 30% (a general industry range, not a claim about any one firm). A flat license caps the cost, so at volume the in-house model keeps materially more of the recovered duty.
Which should you choose?
Choose Comstock & Holt if you want a long-established specialist to run drawback for you. Choose Stable if you want to own drawback in-house on modern, flat-license software and keep the relationship and margin. See the DutyCalc alternatives guide for the full field.
Related
Frequently asked questions
Comstock & Holt is a full-service drawback specialist that runs its own software to file recovery for importers. Stable is flat-license software your own brokerage runs under its POA.