
Agency export serviceAre fees calculated by amount or quantity?
Agency service fees typically adopta tiered hybrid billing model:
- Basic service fee: 0.8%-3% of cargo value, with specific rates based on:
- ProductsExport tax refundRebate rate (lower rates for products with high rebate rates)
- Annual export volume (discounts available for over $1 million)
- Transaction complexity (special goods like hazardous chemicals incur 1.5% surcharge)
- Minimum fee mechanism: No less than 800 RMB per transaction
- Special servicesAdditional feese.g. Certificate of Origin processing (200-500 RMB per document)
Who actually handles VAT refunds? How are the fees calculated?
Professional agencies can handle the entire tax refund process, with fee structure including:
- Advance interest: Calculated as advance days × advance amount × 0.015%/day
- Tax refund service fee: 5%-8% of refund amount
- Special reminder: 2025 General Administration of Customs updatesCross-region tax refund filing systemAdditional 2000 RMB filing fee required for non-local customs declarations
What fees are easily overlooked by beginners?
These hidden costs may increase budget by 5%-12%:
- The exchange rateLock-in service fee (0.3% margin required for forward exchange settlement)
- Demurrage charge (USD80-150/day charged by shipping company)
- Document discrepancy penalty (USD200+ per discrepancy for LC presentation)
- Special supervision warehouse handling fee (e.g. cross-border e-commerce 9610 mode)
How to determine whether the agency’s offer is reasonable?
It is recommended to require suppliers to provideFee breakdown comparison table:
- Horizontal comparison of quotes from 3+ agents
- Key verification points:
- Whether port THC charges are included in the quote
- Insurance markup percentage (normally 110% of invoice value)
- Destination port clearance surcharge prepayment clause
What are the new changes in agency fees for 2025?
Note three major policy adjustments affecting costs:
- Electronic ledger system upgrade fee (additional 50 yuan per shipment)
- EU CBAMThe carbon tariffsDeclaration service (estimated additional 1.2% service fee)
- The RCEPCertificate of origin agency fee (newly added 300 yuan/copy)
Which is more cost-effective: monthly settlement or per-transaction settlement?
Select based on business scale:
- Annual export volume < USD500,000: More flexible per-shipment settlement
- USD500,000-2,000,000: Recommended to signQuarterly package(Saving 12%-15%)
- >USD2,000,000: Customized annual service agreement (including value-added services like free customs training)
How to handle temporary price increases?
Must specify in contract:
- Fee adjustment trigger conditions (e.g. ocean freight increase exceeding 15%)
- Force majeure surcharge cap (recommended not to exceed 3% of contract amount)
- Dispute resolution timeframe (recommended 72-hour response mechanism)
Which is more economical: self-operated exports or agency exports?
Break-even point calculation formula:
- Fixed costs for self-operated exports: ≥80,000 yuan/year (including electronic port, ERP system, etc.)
- Cost advantage range for agency exports: More cost-effective when annual export volume <3 million yuan
- Self-operation recommended in special cases: High-frequency small-batch exports (>30 shipments/month)
How to optimize agency fees through product classification?
Service fee differences by product category examples:
- General consumer goods: Base rate 1.5%
- Medical devices: Additional 0.8% (FDA filing required)
- Lithium battery products: Additional 1.2% charge (UN38.3 certification verification)
- Food products: Additional 0.5% charge (quarantine certificate agency service)
Do payment methods affect agency fees?
Cost differences between different settlement methods:
- L/C document submission: Additional 0.3% charge (document examination fee)
- DP payment: Additional 0.5% charge (collection handling fee)
- OA 90 days: Additional 1% charge (credit insurance agency service)
- T/T advance payment: Eligible for 0.2% rate discount