Is the process of import customs declaration too complicated? Three tips to help you avoid million-dollar pitfalls

Mr. Zhang stared at the documents of the third batch of goods returned by the customs, with fine beads of sweat oozing from his forehead. This batch of precision instruments worth 2 million yuan had been detained in the bonded area for two weeks, and the daily storage cost was equivalent to the salary of his team for three months. However, Ms. Li's company next door could complete the customs clearance within 48 hours for goods of the same scale - the only difference was that they chose a professional import goods customs declaration agent company.

Many importers often fall into three fatal misunderstandings when choosing a customs declaration agent:

• Misunderstanding One: Price is Paramount - An enterprise chose the agent with the lowest quotation, and finally the amount of tax supplement due to misclassification was 20 times the service fee
• Misunderstanding Two: Qualifications are Useless - Without verifying the customs AEO certification status of the agent, the customs clearance efficiency was 3 - 5 working days slower than that of the certificated institutions
• Misunderstanding Three: Experience is Outdated - Still relying on the traditional paper-based customs declaration mode and not connecting to the digital system of the customs "Single Window"

Based on 18 years of agency experience, Zhongshitong has summarized the identification system for top-notch customs declaration service providers:

• Dynamic Database System: A real-time updated HS code library with an accuracy rate of over 99.7%
• Risk Prediction Ability: Able to identify in advance the inspection probability of sensitive categories, such as medical devices, which is on average 23% higher than that of ordinary goods
• Emergency Channel: Establishing a priority communication mechanism with the customs to improve the emergency handling efficiency by 60%
• Tariff Planning: Familiar with the FTA rules of origin and having saved up to 37% of the tariff cost for clients
• Full Process Visualization: All 22 nodes from document exchange to release can be tracked online

When importing drugs or fresh products, the efficiency of customs declaration is directly related to the value of the goods. For each hour of delay of a certain batch of temperature-controlled vaccines, the activity decays by 0.3%. Professional agents will:

• Pre-record the template of cold chain transportation certificates in advance
• Assist in giving priority to using X-ray machines rather than opening the box for inspection during inspection
• Prepare standby refrigerated trucks to deal with unexpected inspections

According to statistics, enterprises using non-professional agents bear on average each year:

• The cost of capital occupation for 12 - 15 days
• 3 - 8% more in tariff payments
• The demurrage cost of 1.2% of the value of the goods

Have you ever encountered any business losses due to customs declaration problems? Welcome to share your experiences in the comment section. We will randomly select three readers to provide free customs affairs health diagnosis.