1. Is agency service really necessary for self-operated export?

According to the 2024 Statistical Annual Report of the General Administration of Customs, 78% of small and medium-sized enterprises choose professional agencies when exporting independently for the first time. The core value of agency services is reflected in three aspects:Breaking qualification barriers(such as hazardous chemicals/food export licenses),hidden cost control(Average 37% savings on port detention fees caused by document errors)、Timeliness Guarantee(Professional customs clearance is 2-3 working days faster than enterprise self-operation).

Second, will agency fees erode corporate profits?

We found through a comparison of survey data on foreign trade enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta in 2025 that:

• Enterprises with $5 million annual export volume
  • Self-operated team cost: 120,000-150,000 USD/year (including social security, training, and systems)
  • Agent Service Cost: $70,000 - $90,000/year (1.5% agency rate)
• Key Differences: The agency reduces the per-ticket operation cost through economies of scale, with significant advantages especially in the following scenarios:
  • Multi-port Concurrent Transportation
  • Entry and Exit of Special Supervision Areas
  • Application for RCEP Certificate of Origin

III. Which export procedures must rely on an agent?

According to the WTO "2025 Trade Facilitation Assessment Report", the following three types of businesses are strongly recommended to use agents:

• Technical trade measures: EU CE certification update, US FDA pre-notification
• Special Logistics Control:Lithium batteryUN38.3 Test Report, MSDS Compliance for Hazardous Chemicals
• Foreign exchange exports: Offshore RMB settlement, cross-border tax planning

IV. How can agents prevent trade risks?

The risk control system of a professional agency includes three levels of protection:

• Prevented Prevention: HS Code Pre-classification (99.2% accuracy), Counterparty Credit Investigation
• Monitoring of the matter.: Inspection at the port of shipment, identification of soft clauses in letters of credit
• Post-event relief: Maritime Lawyer Team, Insurance Claim Assistance

V. How to choose between building an in-house team and using agency services?

Recommended reference decision matrix:

• Choose Self-operatedCircumstances:
  • Annual export volume exceeds 20 million US dollars
  • The product line is single and stable
  • Having a professional team of more than 5 people
• Select AgentCircumstances:
  • Annual export value below $5 million.
  • Involving more than 3 trading countries
  • There are seasonal order fluctuations

6. How to evaluate the professionalism of an agency?

14. Focus on three dimensions:

• System connectivity capacity: Can it achieve direct connection with enterprise ERP data
• Case database: There should be no less than 20 service cases in the same industry
• Emergency response speed: Customs inspection arrival time (excellent agent ≤ 2 hours)

VII. What are the potential risks of proxy services?

Please pay special attention to the following risk points:

• Risk of information leakage (confidentiality agreement required)
• Vague division of responsibilities (clear compensation clauses)
• Over-commitment (verify the original copies of qualifications such as AEO certification)

VIII. Is there still a need for physical agents in the digital age?

2025 Customs總署 "Smart Port" construction shows that the value of agency services is shifting:

• Cross-border Data Compliance (GDPR/CCPA)
• AI Customs Declaration System Customization
• Blockchain document storage

IX. What are the key points in negotiating agency fees?

It is recommended to focus on three bargaining dimensions:

• Basic rate (usually 0.8%-1.8%)
• Excess Profit Sharing (for high value-added products)
• Tiered Discount (Rebate after reaching the agreed order quantity)

10. How to achieve a smooth transition of proxy services?

It is recommended to take three steps:

• Parallel Testing Period(3 months): The agent operates in synchronization with the original team
• Data Handover Period: Historical customs declaration data migration encryption
• Audit and acceptance period：Third-party institution evaluation service compliance rate