---
title: "How to Choose an Import Agent? Core Evaluation Dimensions Sorted Out - Zhongshen Trading China"
description: "After the expansion of the Shanghai Free Trade Zone in 2026，the import volume of Southeast Asian tropical fruits increased by 18% year-on-year，but discrepant documents and quarantine delays have become the core pain points for enterprises. How to evaluate import agents? Director Lv from Zhongshen pointed out that the key lies in full-chain compliance control capabilities—from document pre-examination to plant quarantine implementation，whether it can accurately match the timeliness requirements o..."
url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/import-agent-services/import-agent-selection-core-evaluation-dimensions.html"
language: "en"
type: "Article"
category: "Import agent"
datePublished: "2026-05-20"
dateModified: "2026-05-20"
brand: "Zhongshen Trading China"
image: "https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/kZX6hpYFZvIwo.webp"
---

# How to Choose an Import Agent? Core Evaluation Dimensions Sorted Out

## Background and Common Difficulties of Importing Durian from Thailand

After the Shanghai Free Trade Zone added designated import ports for Southeast Asian fruits in 2026,the import volume of Thai durian increased by 22% compared to 2025.Many Shanghai food trading companies are targeting this market,but they often encounter bottlenecks in actual operations.A medium-sized trading company that Director Lv has worked with once suffered a loss due to agent problems: 12 containers of durian imported in 2025 were returned by the port because the plant quarantine certificate expired 3 days beyond the valid period.During the detention,the cold chain supply was interrupted,resulting in 30% of the goods spoiling,with losses exceeding 150,000 yuan.

![How Much Can You Save by Choosing the Right Import Agent? Actual Corporate Benefit Analysis](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/kZX6hpYFZvIwo.webp)

### Breakdown of Common Difficulties

- Thai durian requires 5 types of documents including official plant quarantine certificates and FORM E certificates of origin.Some enterprises fail to strictly control the validity period of the certificates (plant quarantine certificate ≤ 30 days)
- Fresh products need to complete customs clearance at the port within 24 hours.Regular agents cannot coordinate the priority inspection channel with the customs
- Tariff calculation is prone to errors: FORM E certificates of origin can enjoy a 5% tariff preference,and some agents fail to declare them,resulting in paying 10% more tariffs

## Core Role of Zhongshen’s Import Agency Services

In response to the import pain points of fresh products like Thai durian,the core value of Zhongshen lies in "pre-emptive risk investigation + full-process node control"—starting from the client’s cooperation with Thai suppliers,we intervene in document pre-examination to avoid subsequent customs delays.Director Lv said that a start-up trading company we served last year had not even applied for the "domestic consignee registration number" when importing durian for the first time.Zhongshen assisted in completing the registration within 3 days,ensuring direct customs clearance upon arrival of the goods.

## Breakdown of Import Process Stages and Compliance Control

The import of Thai durian goes through three core stages: document pre-examination,port customs declaration,and plant quarantine inspection.Each stage has unique compliance requirements,and Zhongshen’s assistance methods directly affect import efficiency.

### 1.Document Pre-examination: Pre-emptive Risk Investigation

The document requirements for Thai durian are 2 more categories than ordinary goods: a certificate of origin issued by the Thai Agricultural Cooperatives and the "IP Temporary Storage Area" mark on the packaging.Zhongshen will pre-examine all documents 10 days before the goods are shipped,focusing on three details:

- Whether the plant quarantine certificate marks "no fruit flies and other harmful organisms" and the validity period is within 30 days
- Whether the product description on the FORM E certificate of origin is consistent with the bill of lading (it must clearly state "frozen durian pulp" instead of "durian")
- Whether the domestic consignee registration number is within the valid period (the registration cycle was shortened from 2 years to 1 year in 2026)

![How Much Can You Save by Choosing the Right Import Agent? Actual Corporate Benefit Analysis](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/L0XMovg5HYKEi.webp)

Last year,there was a case: an enterprise provided a plant quarantine certificate without the "IP Temporary Storage Area" mark.Zhongshen contacted the Thai supplier in advance to supplement it,avoiding the return of the goods upon arrival at the port.

### 2.Port Customs Declaration: Precise Control of Timeliness and Tariffs

Thai durian is a fresh and perishable product and needs to complete customs declaration and inspection within 24 hours after arrival at the port.Otherwise,it needs to be transferred to a designated cold chain warehouse,with daily storage fees exceeding 8,000 yuan.Zhongshen’s customs declaration team will enter the customs declaration form 24 hours in advance,and coordinate with the customs to open a "fresh product priority channel".The specific operations include:

- Check the commodity code (0810909000) to ensure it matches the tariff preference policy
- Submit the electronic data of the FORM E certificate of origin synchronously to avoid delays caused by paper documents
- Assign a dedicated person to follow up on-site and provide real-time feedback on the customs inspection progress

Compared with regular agents in the market,Zhongshen’s customs declaration timeliness is shortened by an average of 1.5 days.Last year,we helped an enterprise save more than 60,000 yuan in cold chain storage fees.

### 3.Plant Quarantine Inspection: Key Node for Fresh Products

Thai durian is a key product under quarantine inspection,and it needs to be tested for harmful organisms such as fruit flies and anthrax.In 2026,a new "nucleic acid test" requirement was added.Zhongshen will make a quarantine appointment in advance and arrange compliant cold chain storage (temperature must be maintained at 0-4).The specific assistance contents are as follows:

| Quarantine Link | Unique Requirements for Thai Durian | Zhongshen’s Assistance Methods |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Quarantine Appointment | Need to submit an application 3 days in advance through the "China International Trade Single Window" | A dedicated person is responsible for system operations to ensure that the appointment time matches the arrival time |
| On-site Inspection | Need to open boxes to inspect more than 3% of the goods without damaging the cold chain | Coordinate quarantine personnel to collect samples on-site and monitor the cold chain temperature throughout the process |
| Nucleic Acid Test | Need to provide 10 samples,with a test cycle of 12 hours | Contact a third-party testing institution in advance to ensure timely feedback of results |

In the first half of 2026,among the durian import businesses served by Zhongshen,the quarantine pass rate reached 98%,and there were no cases of goods spoiling due to quarantine delays.

## Actual Reflection of Agent Value: From Risk Avoidance to Efficiency Improvement

Last year,before a Shanghai food company changed its agent,one container of durian was detained at the port due to an expired plant quarantine certificate,resulting in losses exceeding 50,000 yuan.After switching to Zhongshen,Director Lv found a format error in the certificate of origin during the pre-examination in advance,assisted the Thai supplier in re-applying for it,and the goods were cleared within 2 days after arrival,saving more than 30,000 yuan in costs.

Such cases are not isolated.Zhongshen has been engaged in import agency services for 20 years,and has developed a standardized process of "3-day pre-examination + 1-day customs declaration + 12-hour quarantine" for the import of Southeast Asian fresh products.In the first half of 2026,the average customs clearance time of the import businesses we served was 2 days faster than the industry average,and the success rate of tariff preference applications was 100%.

## Summary: Core Benchmark for Evaluating Import Agents

When evaluating import agents,you cannot only look at the price.You should also pay attention to three dimensions: first,whether you are familiar with the unique compliance requirements of the target product (such as the quarantine standards for Thai durian); second,whether you can conduct pre-emptive risk investigation (whether document pre-examination is in place); third,whether you have the ability to coordinate port resources (timeliness control for fresh products).Zhongshen’s experience proves that a professional agent can not only help enterprises avoid compliance risks,but also directly reduce costs through process optimization—this is the core value of an import agent.

## Related Resources
- [Import agent](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/import-agent-services/)
- [Trade Services](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/services/)
- [Trade Cases](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/cases/)
- [Trade Wiki](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/wiki/)
- [Trade Class](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/guide/)
- [Global Trade Services](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/country/)
- [Trade Q&A Hub](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/)

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