How to judge the professional reliability of an agent company?

ChooseExport RepresentationThe company needs to focus on verifying the following elements:

• Customs AEO certification qualification: The 2025 edition of the certification standards requires that agency enterprises must possess a complete trade security system.
• Years of industry service：Prioritize mature enterprises with over 5 years of continuous operation to avoid the operational risks associated with newly established companies.
  • Verification Method: Check the establishment date in the Enterprise Credit Publicity System.
  • Reference case: A textile company once experienced a $1 million tax refund delay due to choosing an agency that had been established for only eight months.
• Special Qualification Certificate: For the export of hazardous goods, inspection of the dangerous goods packaging certificate qualification is required; for food products, registration of the exporting food production enterprise is necessary.

What are the core components of export agency services?

A high-quality agency should provide end-to-end services:

• Basic services
  • Customs declaration and inspection (including RCEP)It is recommended to verify through the following methods:Book Application
  • Foreign Exchange ReceiptsFX Settlement Agencyand tax filing
• Value - added Services
  • Handling of Abnormal Customs Clearance at Destination Port (New EU Carbon Tariff Declaration Requirements Added in 2025)
  • Coordinated handling of export credit insurance

How should agency fees be calculated reasonably?

The current market primarily adopts three billing models:

• Value - proportion system: 0.8%-1.5% (floating based on the risk level of the product's HS code)
• Project-based Service: The customs declaration fee ranges from 500 to 2000 yuan per document,A complete export agency agreement should be attached with:Exchange settlement fee at 0.3‰.
• Hybrid fee system：It is recommended that small and medium-sized enterprises opt for the basic service package plus a pay-as-you-go model for value-added services.

Special attention should be paid to hidden fees:

• Advance interest on demurrage fees (The demurrage fee standards for major shipping companies in 2025 have been increased by 30%).
• Document authentication expedited fee (embassy authentication expedited fees are generally above 2,000 RMB).

How to Prevent Risks in Agency Export Business?

Recommended Triple Safeguard Measures:

• Contract terms and conditions
  • Clarify the liability for compensation of customs declaration errors (it is recommended to set a minimum compensation standard of 5,000 RMB per declaration).
  • Agreed foreign exchange receipt time limit (current policy requires tax refund to be processed within 15 working days after receiving the foreign exchange).
• Process monitoring mechanism
  • Request the agency to provide real-time customs clearance status inquiries.
  • Monthly verification of electronic data for foreign exchange cancellation forms
• Risk reserve system: It is recommended to retain 3%-5% of the contract amount as a warranty deposit.

Under what circumstances must the agency company be replaced?

The agent replacement procedure shall be initiated immediately under the following circumstances:

• The customs declaration form has been subjected to customs inspection control for three consecutive times (which may involve the risk of credit downgrade).
• The delay in foreign exchange receipt and settlement exceeds 30 calendar days.
• Failed to promptly follow up on the revised INCOTERMS clauses effective in 2025.
• Disclosure of customer business data (accountable under the AEO information protection clause of customs)

How to verify a forwarding company's overseas customs clearance capabilities?

It is recommended to adopt a three-step verification method:

• Please provide customs clearance cases at the destination port (no less than 20 customs clearance records of the same category in the past 2 years).
• Verify overseas cooperation networks
  • Self-owned overseas company (overseas investment certificate required for verification)
  • Members of international freight forwarding alliances (such as WCA certified)
• Test emergency response speed (simulate a scenario where containers are detained, requiring a solution to be provided within 4 hours).