Is the import agency business too complicated? An experienced professional will guide you to avoid pitfalls

"Mr. Zhang recently represented a batch of European red wines, but due to incomplete customs clearance documents, the goods were detained for 3 weeks, resulting in a loss of over 100,000 yuan; Ms. Li's Japanese cosmetics were all returned due to non - compliant labels..." Such stories are happening every day. Import trade seems to be highly profitable, but in fact, there are hidden mysteries. This article will use 15 years of industry experience to break down the complete process chain of import agency for you and help you avoid those "pitfalls" worth millions.

80% of import failure cases are due to mistakes in the preparation stage:

• Qualification filing: For food, the importer of food needs to be filed, and for cosmetics, a cosmetics filing certificate is required
• Product pre - review: Medical devices require a registration certificate from the Food and Drug Administration, and 3C products need mandatory certification
• Cost calculation: In addition to the value of the goods, it is necessary to calculate tariffs, value - added tax, consumption tax (if applicable), logistics and agency fees

STEP1 Overseas procurement:

• Be sure to require the supplier to provide original documents such as the certificate of origin and sanitary certificate
• It is recommended to adopt the FOB term to control the dominance of international transportation

STEP2 International transportation:

• Frozen food must be kept in a full - chain cold storage at - 18℃, and the temperature control records should be kept for more than 2 years
• For the transportation of dangerous goods, a UN38.3 certification and an MSDS document are required

STEP3 Declaration for customs clearance:

• If the error in the HS code exceeds 3%, it may trigger an anti - smuggling investigation
• Wooden packaging requires a fumigation certificate, and if there is no IPPC mark, the entire container will be returned

STEP4 Domestic distribution:

• Special items require on - site inspection by the food and drug or agricultural department
• Transshipment in the bonded area can delay the payment of tariffs

1. Gray costs: A certain brand of children's strollers gave up import due to a detection fee as high as 80,000 yuan
2. Time - limit trap: The customs clearance of Brazilian beef takes an average of 5 more working days than that of Australian beef
3. Cultural differences: "Ship next week" from Middle - Eastern suppliers may mean next month

The newly launched AI pre - review system of Zhongshitong can automatically identify risk points of more than 200 categories:

• Complete intelligent matching of HS codes in 3 seconds
• Automatically warn of endangered species components (such as crocodile skin, mahogany products)
• Track the global port congestion index in real - time

Have you ever encountered:

• Goods being detained due to ignorance of new regulations?
• Being troubled by differences in law enforcement standards at different ports?