The price difference of imported sea cucumbers is 3 times! Who is reaping the "IQ tax"?

Mr. Zhang recently received a gift box from a friend. When he opened it, he saw exquisitely packaged imported sea cucumbers. But when he checked online, he found that the prices of products with the same specifications differed by nearly 3 times. "How deep is the water in the imported sea cucumber market?" This became his biggest question. Today, we will uncover the layers of fog in the agency import of sea cucumbers.

The so-called "imported sea cucumbers" on the market can be roughly divided into three categories: wild, bottom-seeded farming, and factory farming. Wild sea cucumbers are naturally expensive due to their scarce resources; bottom-seeded farming simulates the wild environment, and the quality is close to that of wild ones; while factory farming has a short cycle and high output, and the price is the most affordable.

• Wild sea cucumbers: The growth cycle is 5 - 8 years, the meat is thick, and the price is over 5,000 yuan per catty
• Bottom-seeded sea cucumbers: The growth cycle is 3 - 5 years, and the price is 2,000 - 4,000 yuan per catty
• Factory farming: The growth cycle is 1 - 2 years, and the price is 800 - 1,500 yuan per catty

Ms. Li once bought "inferior goods passed off as superior ones" imported sea cucumbers on an e-commerce platform. Later, with the guidance of professionals from Zhongshitong, she learned several key identification techniques:

• Look at the shape: High-quality sea cucumbers have straight and plump spines, arranged neatly
• Smell the odor: There should be a faint sea smell, not a pungent chemical smell
• Test the elasticity: After soaking and expanding, the meat is firm and tough, not easy to tear
• Check the certificates: Regular imports require a certificate of origin, a health certificate, etc.

Many consumers don't know that there are these common problems in the process of agent imports:

1. Confusion of origin: Passing off Southeast Asian farmed sea cucumbers as Russian wild sea cucumbers

2. Weight gain treatment: Increasing the weight through salting, sugaring, etc.

3. False declaration: Underreporting the grade to evade tariffs, resulting in inconsistent quality

Choosing a regular agency can help you avoid these risks:

• Direct sourcing from the source, eliminating the middleman's price difference
• Professional quality inspection team to control each batch of goods
• Whole-process cold-chain transportation to ensure freshness
• One-stop service for customs declaration and clearance
• After-sales quality guarantee system

Rather than blindly pursuing the "imported" label, it is better to establish scientific selection standards. Next time you buy, you might as well ask yourself first: What grade of sea cucumber do I need? What core values am I willing to pay for? Remember, true quality does not lie in the origin, but in whether every link from fishing to the dining table is professional and transparent.

Have you ever bought imported sea cucumbers? Welcome to share your selection experience or questions in the comment section. We will invite sea cucumber experts from Zhongshitong to answer them for you.