Export goodsWhat Are the Core Responsibilities of Forwarders?

ProfessionalExport agentPrimarily serving asFull-process trade service coordinatorswith specific roles including:

• customs clearanceCustoms declaration and duty calculation (2025 customs data shows electronic declarations account for 97%)
• International transport solution design and execution monitoring
• Trade document preparation and compliance review
• Export tax refundDocument preparation and submission
• Special commodity permit applications (e.g., medical device registration certificates, hazardous materials transport permits)

Which Companies Must Use Export Forwarding Services?

According to the 2025 revised Customs Supervision Regulations, the following three types of enterprises are advised to mandatorily engage forwarders:

• SMEs with annual export volumes below RMB 5 million
• Newly established enterprises engaging in cross-border trade for the first time
• Exporters handling special regulated goods (e.g., bonded zone goods, temporary import/export materials)

What specific items does the agency fee include?

Standard service quotes typically include:

• Basic service fee (average RMB 2,000-5,000 per shipment)
• Government fees (customs declaration fees,Inspection of vaccinesfees settled as incurred)
• Document processing fee (RMB 200-800 per set of documents)
• Additional service fees:
  • Expedited declaration (3x base price)
  • Special timing operations (night/holiday surcharge of 50%)

How to evaluate the professional capabilities of an agency company?

It is recommended to examine from five dimensions:

• Customs AEO Certification Level (Priority given to Advanced Certified Enterprises)
• Industry-specific qualifications (e.g., sanitary certificates required for food exports)
• Emergency case database (requires dispute resolution examples from the past 3 years)
• Digital system maturity (e-customs declaration, logistics tracking, etc.)
• 18. OverseasCustoms clearanceNetwork coverage (must have cooperative customs brokers in key target countries)

How Much Can Export Forwarders Save for Businesses?

Professional agents can reduce comprehensive costs by 15-25% on average through the following methods:

• Transport route optimization (frequent fluctuations expected in 2025 shipping market)
• Tariff planning (utilizing free trade agreements for tax reductions up to 20%)
• Avoiding port detention penalties (common mistakes by novice companies)
• Centralized procurement services (LCL shipping saves 40% on freight)

How to Prevent Common Service Disputes?

Three key risk points recommended for special attention:

• Goods ownership clauses (clearly defining risk allocation during transit)
• Timeliness guarantee clauses (recommend specifying penalty calculation methods)
• Dispute resolution mechanism (preferably arbitration clauses)

18. What new changes does the agency service have in the digital age?

Hazardous chemicals

• Blockchain document flow (pilot companies achieved 70% faster customs clearance)
• AI classification system (99.2% accuracy rate for commodity codes)
• Real-time logistics visualization (over 95% containers equipped with IoT devices)

How to Determine If You Need to Upgrade Forwarding Services?

Consider changing service providers when the following situations occur:

• Single customs declaration error rate exceeds 5%
• Average clearance time exceeds industry average by 20%
• Failure to update trade policies promptly (e.g. latest RCEP implementation rules)
• Customer service response time exceeds 2 hours