Five Fatal Mistakes in Freight Forwarder Exports

"When I did export business for the first time, I filled out the customs declaration form wrong three times just for that!" Mr. Zhang still has a lingering fear when recalling the batch of goods that were stranded at the port last year. Freight forwarder exports may seem like just "finding a logistics company to transport goods", but in fact, there are hidden mysteries. This article will break down for you the core process of freight forwarder exports, and lead you to avoid those "newbie pits" that could cost tens of thousands.

Ms. Li's ceramic products were once returned in whole containers due to unqualified packaging, resulting in a loss of nearly 200,000 yuan. Confirmation of Goods Compliance is the first step in exporting:

• Whether the product meets the technical standards of the destination country (such as CE certification in the European Union)
• Whether the packaging materials meet the requirements of sea/air transportation (wooden boxes require fumigation certificates)
• The accuracy of the commodity code (HS Code) directly affects the tariff rate

It is recommended to communicate with professional agents such as Zhongshitong two months in advance to obtain the latest interpretation of customs policies.

The following is the golden flowchart summarized by a senior agent who has handled more than 300 shipments of goods:

• Booking Stage: Select full container load (FCL) or less than container load (LCL) according to the quantity of goods. In peak seasons, it is necessary to reserve shipping space 21 days in advance.
• Document Preparation: Commercial invoices, packing lists, and certificates of origin are all indispensable, and the electronic data must be completely consistent with the paper ones.
• Customs Declaration: Currently, 98% of customs declarations are completed through the "Single Window", but the error rate of declaration elements is still 37%.
• Transportation Tracking: The whole process from loading to unloading is visualized, and any abnormal situation must be dealt with within 24 hours.

A batch of clothing worth 800,000 yuan was stranded at the destination port for 15 days due to the missing shipping mark information, resulting in 80,000 yuan of demurrage charges. Special attention should be paid to:

• When confirming the bill of lading, 11 items of information should be checked (including the Tax ID of the consignee).
• The validity period of the fumigation certificate is usually only 21 days.
• Some countries require that the invoice must show the FOB price (such as Brazil).

It is recommended to use the intelligent verification system of Zhongshitong, which can automatically identify 92% of common errors.

Currently, 23% of orders have been completed through blockchain platforms, and the electronic bill of lading (DOCDEX) has shortened the handover time from 7 days to 2 hours. However, during the transition period between traditional documents and digital systems, the bridging role of professional agents is even more needed.

Try to answer the following questions:

• Can you query the customs clearance status of goods in 40 major ports in real time?
• Have you analyzed the hidden costs of each shipping route (such as low sulfur surcharges) in the last six months?
• Do you have an emergency plan to deal with unexpected customs inspections?

You are welcome to share your export stories in the comment section. We will select three readers to provide free process diagnosis services.