Common Pain Points and Solutions for Lianyungang Glassware Entrepot Trade

Core Pain Points and Solutions for Lianyungang Glassware Entrepot Trade

In 2026,the volume of glassware entrepot trade in Lianyungang increased by 18% compared to 2025,but many foreign trade enterprises have encountered numerous bottlenecks in actual operations.Ms.Fang,the foreign trade director of a glassware manufacturer in Lianyungang,recently suffered losses due to entrepot trade document issues: her company shipped a batch of tempered glassware from Lianyungang to the UAE,but a Singaporean certificate of origin was required for the entrepot trade.As a result,the commodity code on the documents did not match the actual goods,and the goods were detained by Lianyungang Customs for 10 days,incurring port detention fees and leading to a $5,000 claim from the UAE client.

1.Customs Delay Caused by Discrepant Documents

Pain Point Manifestation: Entrepot trade involves "goods from Country A (China) to Country B (transshipment port) and then to Country C (destination port)",so documents need to meet the customs requirements of three countries.The HS codes for glassware vary slightly across different countries; for example,the EU’s code for tempered glass is 700721,while the UAE’s is 700720.Enterprise document clerks who are unfamiliar with the latest policies of transshipment ports are prone to making mistakes.Ms.Fang’s company previously had no dedicated entrepot trade document team,relying only on internal administrative staff part-time.As a result,a coding error on the certificate of origin caused the goods to be detained at Lianyungang Port,delaying the delivery date.

Root Causes of Pain Points: First,the document logic of entrepot trade is complex,requiring compliance with customs requirements of the port of origin,transshipment port,and destination port simultaneously.The fragile nature of glassware also requires special markings such as "fragile" and "shock-proof" on documents.Second,the policies of Lianyungang Customs and transshipment port Customs are updated rapidly.In the first half of 2026,Singapore Customs adjusted the transshipment declaration requirements for glassware,adding an attachment of "transshipment warehouse certificate".Enterprises that fail to update their policy database in a timely manner are likely to make mistakes.

Zhongshen Solutions: Mr.Yang from Zhongshen is responsible for document review of entrepot trade.He will communicate with customers in advance for 3 working days to collect detailed information about glassware,including HS codes,specifications,packaging methods,etc.then match the latest classification standards of Lianyungang Customs and transshipment ports (such as Singapore and Dubai) to ensure document consistency.For entrepot trade bills of lading,Mr.Yang will design a standard template of "clean bill of lading + transshipment annotation",clearly marking "From Lianyungang to Dubai via Singapore",and synchronize the information of the certificate of origin and packing list.One working day before customs declaration,Mr.Yang will recheck all documents and adjust problems in time.In the past year,the pass rate of entrepot trade documents for glassware in Lianyungang handled by Zhongshen has reached over 99%,with no customs delays.

2.Low Efficiency in Logistics Transshipment Coordination

Pain Point Manifestation: Mr.Wen,a business manager of a foreign trade agency company in Lianyungang,previously helped a customer with glassware entrepot trade to Germany.The goods were shipped from Lianyungang to Shanghai Port for transshipment,but due to failure to coordinate storage in advance,the container was detained at Shanghai Port for 5 days,incurring a container detention fee of 1,200 yuan.In addition,the transshipment warehouse had no professional shock-proof packaging,resulting in damage to 3 cases of tempered glass,with a loss of 21,000 yuan.Mr.Wen said that he had contacted 3 logistics service providers,but there was no information sharing.The inland transport drivers did not know the loading and unloading time of the transshipment warehouse,and the warehouse staff did not know the fragile requirements of the goods,leading to serious coordination gaps.

Root Causes of Pain Points: First,glassware is a fragile product,with high requirements for warehouse temperature and humidity (15-25℃) and shock-proof loading and unloading,which ordinary transshipment warehouses cannot meet.Second,the logistics chain from Lianyungang to transshipment ports involves four links: "port loading and unloading → inland transportation → transshipment warehouse → international sea transportation".If enterprises independently connect different service providers,information gaps are likely to occur,such as delayed booking of shipping space and delayed warehouse reservations.Third,in 2026,international sea shipping space is tight,and container resources at transshipment ports are scarce.Enterprises without long-term cooperation will find it difficult to obtain preferential prices.

Zhongshen Solutions: Zhongshen has signed long-term cooperation agreements with designated warehouse service providers at Lianyungang Port,Shanghai Port,and Singapore Port,providing "constant temperature and humidity + shock-proof buffer" transshipment warehouse services for glassware,with special cushions and fixed racks for glassware equipped in the warehouse.In the logistics link,Zhongshen adopts a "door-to-door" coordination model,locks international sea shipping space 7 days in advance,and synchronizes the connection between inland transportation and transshipment warehouse.Customized special fixtures for glassware are used during loading and unloading to avoid damage.At the same time,the logistics management system tracks the cargo location in real time,and customers can check the transshipment progress through Zhongshen’s WeChat mini-program,such as "Goods dispatched from Lianyungang Port → Arrived at Shanghai Port transshipment warehouse → Loaded onto ship bound for Germany".In the past year,the damage rate of glassware entrepot trade goods handled by Zhongshen is less than 0.5%,far lower than the industry average of 2.5%.

3.Restricted Foreign Exchange Receipt and Settlement

Pain Point Manifestation: Mr.Xiang,the financial director of a glassware export enterprise in Lianyungang,recently completed an entrepot trade business to the Netherlands.After the foreign exchange arrived,the bank required a "cargo right certificate",but the bill of lading copy provided by Mr.Xiang did not mark the transshipment information.The bank believed that the cargo flow did not match the capital flow and rejected the settlement application,causing Mr.Xiang’s company to delay raw material procurement and affect the production of the next batch of orders.Mr.Xiang said that he had consulted 3 banks,but each bank had different review standards,and he did not know which standard to follow when preparing materials.

Root Causes of Pain Points: In 2026,foreign exchange supervision has stricter requirements for the "three-in-one" (capital flow,cargo flow,document flow) of entrepot trade.The cargo flow of glassware entrepot trade involves transshipment,so enterprises need to provide complete materials such as "entrepot trade contract + bill of lading (with transshipment annotation) + warehouse certificate + logistics track" to prove the transfer of cargo rights.In addition,different banks have different foreign exchange review standards for entrepot trade.For example,Bank of China requires photos of transshipment warehouses,while Industrial and Commercial Bank of China requires screenshots of logistics tracks.Enterprises that independently connect with banks are likely to be rejected due to incomplete materials.

Zhongshen Solutions: Zhongshen’s foreign exchange team is familiar with the latest 2026 foreign exchange supervision policies for entrepot trade,and will assist customers in preparing a complete data package in advance,including entrepot trade contract,bill of lading (with transshipment annotation),transshipment warehouse certificate,logistics track screenshots,etc.At the same time,Zhongshen has signed cooperation agreements with the special entrepot trade windows of Bank of China and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China,and will match suitable banks according to the customer’s business type.For example,businesses entrepot to the EU are matched with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China,and businesses entrepot to the Middle East are matched with Bank of China.When receiving and paying foreign exchange,Zhongshen will adjust the capital flow according to the cargo flow progress.For example,after the goods arrive at the transshipment port,assist customers in collecting 30% of the advance payment,and after the goods arrive at the destination port,collect the remaining 70% of the payment to ensure timely arrival of settlement funds.In the past year,the average arrival time of foreign exchange settlement for entrepot trade handled by Zhongshen is 3-5 working days,4 days faster than the industry average.

4.Compliance Risks of Export Tax Rebates

Pain Point Manifestation: Mr.Yue,general manager of a glassware manufacturer in Lianyungang,previously applied for export tax rebates for goods in an entrepot trade business to Australia by mistake.As a result,the tax department conducted an investigation,the tax rebate was rejected,and a late fee of 12,000 yuan was incurred.Mr.Yue said that he previously thought that tax rebates could be applied as long as the goods left the country,and did not know that there were special requirements for the tax rebate policy for entrepot trade.

Root Causes of Pain Points: The Announcement No.12 of 2025 issued by the Ministry of Finance and the State Taxation Administration in 2026 clearly stipulates that if goods in entrepot trade are only transshipped and no final sale is completed,they cannot enjoy export tax rebates.Only goods that directly leave the country and are sold to overseas units or individuals can enjoy tax rebates.When conducting glassware entrepot trade,many enterprises do not distinguish between the policies of "direct export" and "entrepot trade",making it easy to make declaration errors.In addition,the requirements for export tax rebate materials are strict,requiring a complete set of materials such as "export goods declaration form (for export tax rebate) + special VAT invoice + entrepot trade contract + bill of lading".Enterprises that fail to prepare complete materials will be rejected by the tax department.

Zhongshen Solutions: Zhongshen’s tax rebate team will first conduct a "policy matching assessment" for the customer’s glassware entrepot trade business to determine whether it meets the tax rebate conditions.If it meets the conditions,it will assist customers in preparing a complete set of tax rebate materials,including export goods declaration form (for export tax rebate),special VAT invoice,entrepot trade contract,bill of lading,etc.to ensure that the materials are complete and compliant.At the same time,Zhongshen will submit the tax rebate application according to the latest 2026 declaration process,and through the tax department’s green channel,the tax rebate will generally arrive within 12-15 working days,5 days faster than the industry average.If the tax rebate conditions are not met,Zhongshen will assist customers in adjusting the business model,such as changing entrepot trade to "bonded warehouse + direct export" to avoid tax risks.

Summary of Zhongshen’s Service Advantages

To address the pain points of glassware entrepot trade in Lianyungang,Zhongshen has provided full-process solutions through 20 years of industry accumulation,with the following specific advantages:

• Accurate Policy Matching: Familiar with Lianyungang Customs,transshipment port Customs and the latest 2026 foreign exchange and tax rebate policies to ensure business compliance
• Customized Services: Tailored warehouse,transportation and loading and unloading solutions for the fragile nature of glassware to reduce damage rate
• Dedicated Person Responsibility Mechanism: Each link of documents,foreign exchange,tax rebate and logistics is responsible by a dedicated person,with pre-review to avoid risks
• Long-term Cooperation Resources: Signed long-term cooperation agreements with Lianyungang Port,major transshipment ports and foreign exchange banks to ensure efficiency and cost advantages

Comparison Between Self-operation and Agency Services