Is importing agency just about middlemen making price differences? You might be thinking too simply.

Mr. Zhang recently encountered a vexing thing: He took a fancy to a small European kitchenware, but the brand clearly stated "does not open direct sales in China". Just as he was about to give up, a word from his friend woke him up: "Try to find an import pure agency." Three days later, the goods were smoothly cleared through customs and delivered to his home, and the price was 15% cheaper than that of overseas shopping. How does this little-mentioned industry in the consumer circle actually bridge the "last mile" of cross-border trade?

Unlike brand general agents and cross-border platforms, the core value of an import pure agency lies in the word "pure": It does not buy goods in advance, does not participate in production, does not establish inventory, and only provides a full-chain service solution. When Ms. Li's mother and baby store wanted to introduce New Zealand milk powder, the pure agent would complete:

• Qualification filing and application for customs codes
• Origin inspection and logistics tracking
• Tariff calculation and compliant customs clearance
• Domestic last-mile delivery

According to the data of Zhongshitong Research Institute in 2023, the profit margins of leading pure agents generally remain between 8-12%, and their competitiveness comes from:

• Monetization of information gap: Familiar with the HS code rules of various countries and can accurately match the optimal tariff plan
• Capturing long-tail demands: Can undertake 200-box minimum order of Italian red wine and 50-set minimum shipment of German industrial parts
• Risk fire wall: Predict policy changes, such as preparing the ASEAN origin certificate template before the entry into force of RCEP

When you are faced with the prompt "This brand has not yet entered the Chinese market", you can try:

• Search for "product name + import agency" on 1688 to find the service provider
• Ask for samples of past customs clearance documents
• Compare the differences between CIF quotation and DDP quotation

With the sinking of cross-border e-commerce platforms, the "customs declaration advantage" of pure agents is weakening. However, insiders point out that three types of demands are still irreplaceable:

• Special qualification goods (medical devices, food additives)
• Non-standard customized procurement (corporate gifts, exhibition samples)
• Imports from less popular countries (eastern European agricultural products, Middle Eastern handicrafts)