The Import and Export Agency Sector is Experiencing a Wave of Failures! Is Your Payment Secure?

Mr. Zhang never expected that the agency company he had cooperated with for 5 years suddenly lost contact, and the documents for the 2 - million - yuan payment became worthless." This is a microcosm of the recent failures in the import and export agency industry. With the complexity of the international trade environment, chaotic situations in agency services occur frequently, and the foreign trade risks of small and medium - sized enterprises are shifting from the'market side' to the'service side'. Today, let's analyze the hidden corners of this industry.

According to the Zhongshitong Case Database, the current problems mainly focus on:

• Fund Pool Misappropriation: Ms. Li fell into the 'payment on behalf' trap, where the agent misappropriated funds for investment using the account period difference
• Document Forgery: A food export enterprise had its entire batch of goods destroyed in the destination country due to the agent forging a quarantine certificate
• Qualification (Using Others' Qualifications): Small agents without real customs clearance capabilities accept orders by borrowing others' qualifications

Why do low - level mistakes occur frequently in the field of professional services? The deep - seated reasons are:

• The entry threshold is too low, and the registered capital of some agency companies is only 100,000 yuan
• Cross - border service information is opaque, and it is difficult for enterprises to verify agency qualifications
• The industry lacks a unified service standard and accountability mechanism

It is recommended that foreign trade enterprises immediately conduct inspections:

• Require the agent to provide the AEO certification records of the customs in the past 3 years
• Verify the real customs clearance status of each batch of goods through the electronic port
• Establish a'shared blacklist' mechanism for agency services
• Purchase credit insurance for major orders

When 'absconding agents' exhaust the industry's credibility, perhaps it is an opportunity to promote the reform of digital supervision + blockchain documents. Have you recently encountered any agency disputes? Welcome to share your experiences in the comment section to help more peers avoid pitfalls.