Is Export Agency Actually a Profit Black Hole?

When Mr. Zhang's hardware accessories factory received an overseas order for the first time, in addition to excitement, it fell into confusion - how to fill in the customs declaration documents? How to operate international settlement? Who will bear the transportation risks? This may be the true portrayal of many small and medium-sized enterprises when expanding into the international market. And the export agency service is precisely a professional solution to help these enterprises cross trade barriers.

Why Do You Need an Export Agency?

According to statistics, more than 60% of small and medium-sized enterprises will encounter the following problems when exporting for the first time:

• Failure to be familiar with the customs regulations of various countries, resulting in goods being detained
• Being refused payment by the bank due to inconsistent documents
• Improper selection of transportation schemes, increasing costs by more than 30%

Ms. Li's clothing factory once had a whole container of goods detained at the port of destination for two weeks due to issues with the origin certificate, resulting in a loss of nearly 200,000 yuan. Professional agency institutions can avoid such risks through the full-process risk control system.

Core Service Modules of Export Agency

Professional institutions represented by Zhongshitong usually provide three major pillar services:

• Customs Clearance Escort: Covers HS code classification, license application, AEO certification counseling
• Financial Support: Letter of credit document review, export credit insurance, foreign exchange risk management
• Logistics Optimization: Design of multimodal transport schemes, allocation of special containers, customs clearance at the destination port

A certain ceramic enterprise successfully reduced the import tax in the US market from 28% to 3% through the tariff planning scheme of the agency, saving more than one million yuan in costs annually.

Five Golden Criteria for Selecting an Agency

Facing hundreds of agency institutions in the market, it is recommended to focus on:

• Whether it has a first-level agency qualification approved by the Ministry of Commerce
• Whether it has its own customs clearance team in the target market
• Whether the ERP system can achieve full-process visual tracking
• The success rate of handling historical disputes and compensation standards
• Value-added services such as overseas warehouse layout, brand certification, etc.

It is worth noting that agencies with low-price competition often profit by hiding charges or lowering service standards, which may ultimately lead to greater losses for enterprises.

Service Upgrades in the Digital Age

With the application of blockchain technology, it is now possible to view in real-time through a mobile APP:

• Automatic push of customs declaration status
• Satellite positioning of transportation trajectories
• Intelligent reminders of foreign exchange arrivals

The latest intelligent risk control system launched by Zhongshitong can even predict the strike risk at the destination port 14 days in advance, precious time for customers to respond.

What Kind of Escort Do You Need on Your Journey to Go Global?

As global trade barriers become increasingly complex, the export agency has upgraded from a simple "certificate handling tool" to a strategic partner of enterprises. You might as well review your export process: Which links are consuming unnecessary costs? Which risks may break out at any moment? Welcome to share your international trade experience in the comment area, or send a private message to obtain the industry compliance white paper. Next time, we will reveal the pit-avoidance guide for import agencies to help you build a two-way unobstructed international trade channel.