How to determine whether a foreign trade agency company is professional and reliable?

When selecting an agency company, five core elements must be verified:Business qualifications(Customs AEO certification, import-export license filing),Industry Experience(Minimum 3 years of experience handling same product categories),Service networks(Coverage of major trading country ports),Communication mechanism(Dedicated account manager assigned),Wind control system(Including trade compliance review procedures). It is recommended to request the agency company to provide customs clearance statistical reports from the past 2 years, with special attention to their customs declaration error rate and tax refund efficiency indicators.

Agency export,What are the specific operational procedures?

The standard agency export process consists of seven key steps:

• Signing an Agency Agreement to clarify rights and responsibilities
• Pre-reviewing trade documents (proforma invoice, packing list)
• Arranging goods inspection/certification (according to destination country requirements)
• Preparing customs declaration documents (including HS code classification)
• HandledExport tax refundrecorded
• Handling foreign exchange receipt and settlement procedures
• CompleteExport tax refunddeclare

Special attention must be paid to new cross-border data declaration regulations in 2025, such as the EUs implemented Import Control System (ICS3.0) requiring electronic manifest submission 4 hours in advance.

What items are included in agency service fees?

41. The charging structure of a regular agency company should include:

• Basic service fee (0.8% - 1.5% of the cargo value)
• Customs declaration and inspection fees (200-800 RMB per shipment)
• Logistics surcharges (terminal handling charges, documentation fees)
• Tax refund service fees (3%-5% of refund amount)
• Special service fees (such as expedited certificate of origin fees)

Be cautious of quotes 50% below market price, which may indicate fake invoicing or compliance risks. It is recommended to request the agency company to provide a detailed fee breakdown with official company seal.

How to avoid legal risks in export agency?

A four-layer risk prevention mechanism should be established:

• Contract risks
  • Clear payment settlement cycles (recommended not exceeding 90 days)
  • Agreed document delivery timelines (original bills of lading must be released against payment)
• Risk of compliance
  • Require quarterly trade compliance training from the agency company
  • Establish export control commodity screening mechanisms

Special attention must be paid to updates of the U.S. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) list in 2025, with recommended supply chain traceability for Xinjiang-related products.

How does the agency company handle after-sales issues?

Professional agency companies should provide three post-sale guarantees:

• Document retention services (minimum 5-year customs declaration record keeping)
• Rapid response mechanism (handling customs inspections within 2 hours)
• Dispute resolution channel (joint law firm handling trade disputes)

It is recommended to stipulate in the contract the compensation standard for losses caused by the agents errors, such as a daily penalty of 0.05% for tax refund overdue payments.

How to evaluate the actual results of export agency?

A four-dimensional evaluation system should be established:

• Timeliness indicators (average customs clearance time, tax refund receipt cycle)
• Cost indicators (logistics cost per unit value, proportion of abnormal expenses)
• Risk indicators (customs inspection rate, document error frequency)
• Service indicators (problem response speed, solution rate)

It is recommended to hold monthly operational analysis meetings with the agency company and continuously improve according to the AEO certification standards in the Customs Enterprise Credit Management Measures.