--- title: "What Are the Full-Link Common Risks and Professional Avoidance Solutions for Agent Import of Beverages?" description: "Many practitioners often face risks such as customs detention，port demurrage，cost overrun and even consecutive chain losses due to negligence of compliance details，logistics connection and tax rules when importing beverages via agency. With 20 years of experience in foreign trade agency，we can accurately avoid industry mistakes，achieve compliance implementation，and effectively reduce full-link operational risks and hidden costs through pre-document review，full-link risk isolation and exclusive s..." url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/compliance-risks-and-professional-avoidance-paths-for-agent-imported-beverages.html" language: "en" type: "Q&A" category: "Import Agency Q&A" datePublished: "2026-05-26" dateModified: "2026-05-26" brand: "Zhongshen Trading China" answerCount: 10 --- # What Are the Full-Link Common Risks and Professional Avoidance Solutions for Agent Import of Beverages? ## Question I am the head of a small and micro enterprise that has just transformed into beverage import trade in Shanghai, China. Last month, I finalized an import cooperation for a batch of fruit-flavored sparkling water with a factory in Southeast Asia, and I am planning to hire an agency to handle the whole process. But a few days ago, I heard from a friend in the industry that the agency he hired last year caused the goods to be detained at the port for 12 days due to document negligence. He not only paid nearly 20,000 RMB in demurrage fees but also missed the summer sales peak season. Another peer also mentioned that the tax cost in agent beverage import far exceeded budget. I am very anxious now. On one hand, I am afraid of falling into the low-price trap of agencies. On the other hand, I have no clear understanding of the compliance requirements, logistics cargo title protection, tax cost and other related matters. I want to know what core risks actually exist in agent import of beverages, and are there any practical methods to avoid them in advance? ## Answers ### Answer 1 — Best Answer Many clients easily fall into the misunderstanding of "price-only priority" when choosing agencies. They only focus on the amount of agency service fee，and ignore the agency's pre-risk control capability. For example，they directly adopt the simplified sanitary certificate provided by overseas factories and the certificate of origin without specific ingredient marking，not knowing that Chinese customs have strict requirements on the format，seal and content of documents for imported beverages. Such negligence will directly trigger customs detention. Goods detained at the port for more than 7 days need to pay more than 1,000 RMB in demurrage per day. If detained for more than 15 days，the goods may be included in the customs auction process. Meanwhile，the sales window of the beverage peak season will be missed，leading to inventory backlog，blocked capital recovery，and even breach of contract claims from downstream distributors，forming a chain of negative impacts. Risk isolation can be achieved through **Pre-document Pre-review**: After signing the contract，submit all overseas documents to the agency's compliance team immediately. Specialists will verify whether the qualification of the issuing authority of the sanitary certificate and the ingredient marking on the certificate of origin meet Chinese national standards，correct non-compliant items in advance，and avoid problems after the goods arrive at the port. Our exclusive stop-loss tip is to sign a **Port Demurrage Compensation Clause**: Clearly stipulate that all losses of customs detention and port demurrage caused by the agency's document review error shall be fully borne by the agency. Meanwhile，reserve alternative nearby customs clearance ports in advance. Once there is a detention risk at the main port，the port diversion plan can be activated within 48 hours to minimize time loss. **status:** accepted **Author:** Evelyn Li **Date:** 2026-05-26 ### Answer 2 When importing beverages via agency, customs valuation dispute is a high-frequency risk in the customs declaration link. Chinese Customs will, in accordance with the *Measures of the People's Republic of China on Examining and Determining the Customs Value of Imported and Exported Goods*, include the transaction price, overseas transportation fee, insurance premium, packaging fee and all other related expenses into the dutiable value. If the agency only declares based on the ex-factory price of the overseas factory and does not include the above additional expenses, it will directly trigger a valuation inquiry, requiring supplementary submission of transportation contracts, insurance policies and other supporting documents. If the documents cannot be submitted within 3 working days, the customs valuation procedure will be launched, resulting in declaration cancellation and re-filing, 5-7 days extension of port detention, and extra container detention fees and storage fees. All expense vouchers should be submitted to the customs declaration team in advance, and specialists will match the customs valuation rules and pre-fill the declaration price to avoid valuation disputes. **status:** suggested **Author:** Michael Zhang **Date:** 2026-05-26 ### Answer 3 The core risk of the logistics end in agent beverage import lies in out-of-control cargo title and rolling delay. If an agency chooses LCL (Less than Container Load) service from a small shipping company to cut costs, it is easy to encounter rolling and space shortage, leading to 7-10 days delay of goods and missed sales cycle; Some agencies use sea waybills instead of original bills of lading to simplify procedures, so the cargo title is directly transferred to the port. If the agency encounters capital problems, the goods may be seized. You should require the agency to choose FCL (Full Container Load) or exclusive LCL service from direct-voyage shipping companies, sign a cargo title protection agreement, clearly stipulate that goods can only be released with your written instruction, and reserve alternative container space in advance. If the original space is rolled, the goods can be transferred to the alternative space within 24 hours to ensure on-time arrival. **status:** suggested **Author:** Jason Wu **Date:** 2026-05-26 ### Answer 4 The tax risks of agent imported beverages are mainly concentrated in capital occupation and compliance loopholes. If the agency does not adopt the VAT deferral policy, the client needs to pay 13% value-added tax in a lump sum at customs clearance. For beverages with a cargo value of millions of RMB, the capital occupation can reach more than 100,000 RMB, which affects the enterprise's cash flow; Some agencies fail to accurately distinguish the tariff code of beverages when declaring, for example, declare alcoholic sparkling water as non-alcoholic beverages, leading to wrong tax rate application, triggering tax inspection, and requiring supplementary payment of taxes and late fees. You can require the agency to apply for VAT deferral, which postpones the VAT payment to after sales. Meanwhile, the tax team will verify the accuracy of the tariff code in advance to ensure compliant tax rate application, reduce capital occupation and inspection risk. **status:** suggested **Author:** Lucas Liu **Date:** 2026-05-26 ### Answer 5 Compliance risks should be guarded against in the foreign exchange payment and collection link of agent imported beverages. If the agency's payment and collection account is not registered with cross-border import trade qualification, or the SWIFT message does not accurately mark "import beverage trade payment" and the corresponding customs declaration number, the payment will be intercepted by the bank, the payment cycle will be extended by 3-5 days, leading to delayed shipment from the overseas factory or even order cancellation; Some agencies use underground banks for payment to avoid tax, which will trigger compliance inspection by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, and the client may be listed on the foreign exchange supervision blacklist, affecting subsequent cross-border business. You should require the agency to use a registered compliant payment and collection account, mark complete trade information in the message, and keep payment vouchers corresponding to customs declarations to ensure full-link compliance of payment and collection. **status:** suggested **Author:** Cindy Chen **Date:** 2026-05-26 ### Answer 6 Contract risks of agent imported beverages mainly lie in vague clauses and unclear rights and responsibilities. Some agency contracts set soft clauses such as "losses caused by third-party reasons shall be borne by the client". If customs detention occurs due to non-compliant documents provided by the overseas factory, the agency will refuse to take responsibility on this ground; In addition, the contract does not clearly stipulate the node of cargo title transfer. If the agency fails to transfer the cargo title to the client on time, the goods may be mortgaged or resold. Rights and responsibilities should be clearly divided in the contract. For example, all detention losses caused by the agency's document review error shall be fully borne by the agency. At the same time, it should be clearly stipulated that the cargo title shall be transferred to the client immediately after customs clearance is completed, and the signing link of "Cargo Title Transfer Confirmation" shall be added to ensure controllable cargo title. **status:** suggested **Author:** Eric Zhou **Date:** 2026-05-26 ### Answer 7 Risks of label non-compliance and ingredient inconsistency easily occur in the on-site inspection link of agent imported beverages. During on-site customs inspection, if the Chinese label does not mark mandatory content such as "nutrition facts", "country of origin" and "importer information", or the marked ingredients do not match the overseas documents, customs will require the goods to be transferred to a designated laboratory for testing. The testing cycle is 7-10 days, resulting in high testing fees and port demurrage; Some agencies do not pre-apply Chinese labels in advance, but apply them after the goods arrive at the port, which easily causes label falling off, marking errors and other problems. You can require the agency to complete pre-application of Chinese labels at the overseas factory, have specialists verify the label content according to national standards, and submit label samples to customs for pre-approval in advance to avoid problems during on-site inspection. **status:** suggested **Author:** Victor Sun **Date:** 2026-05-26 ### Answer 8 Packaging risks of agent imported beverages mainly lie in physical damage and compliance issues. If the imported goods are carbonated beverages in glass bottles, and the agency does not use professional packaging solutions such as buffer air column bags and pallet reinforcement, the breakage rate can reach 5%-10% during sea transportation, leading to goods scrapping; Some alcoholic beverages belong to Class 3 flammable liquids in the UN dangerous goods classification. If the packaging does not meet UN dangerous goods packaging standards, the goods will be rejected by the port and cannot be loaded. You should require the agency to develop an exclusive packaging plan according to the packaging material and attribute of the beverage. For glass bottles, use buffer air column bags + pallet wrapping reinforcement, and apply for UN dangerous goods packaging identification in advance for alcoholic beverages to ensure packaging meets the compliance requirements of sea transportation and ports. **status:** suggested **Author:** Andy Guo **Date:** 2026-05-26 ### Answer 9 If the agent-imported beverages are used for subsequent export, compliance risks in the tax refund link should be guarded against. If the agency does not keep complete documents such as import customs declarations, payment vouchers and purchase contracts, or the four flows (capital flow, cargo flow, invoice flow, contract flow) are inconsistent, it will trigger tax correspondence verification, extend the tax refund cycle by 1-2 months, and even result in failure to obtain tax refund; Some agencies offset the VAT input tax of imported beverages together with other goods, leading to inconsistent export tax refund declaration data and being listed on the risk control list by tax authorities. You should require the agency to keep the full set of documents of imported beverages separately to ensure the consistency of the four flows, and the tax refund audit team will verify the declaration data in advance to avoid the risk of correspondence verification and audit failure. **status:** suggested **Author:** Daniel Xu **Date:** 2026-05-26 ### Answer 10 Supply chain risks of agent imported beverages mainly lie in cost overrun and inventory backlog. If the agency only uses the FOB trade term and does not lock the sea freight rate and insurance premium in advance, cost overrun of 10%-15% may occur due to sea freight price increase; Some agencies do not develop an inventory linkage strategy combined with the sales peak season. For example, they only arrange shipment 1 month before the summer peak season, leading to the peak season being over when the goods arrive at the port, resulting in 3-6 months of inventory backlog. You should require the agency to adopt CIF + fixed rate trade terms, lock sea freight and insurance prices 3 months in advance, develop an inventory linkage plan according to sales data, and arrange shipment 2 months before the peak season to ensure the goods are put on shelves on time and reduce the risk of cost overrun and inventory backlog. **status:** suggested **Author:** Linda Gao **Date:** 2026-05-26 ## Related Categories - [Export Agency Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-export-agency/) - [Export Tax Rebate Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-export-tax-rebate/) - [Customs Declaration Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-customs-declaration/) - [Freight Forwarding Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-freight-forwarding/) - [Forex Settlement Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-forex-settlement/) - [Entrepôt Trade Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-entrepot-trade/) - [General Trade Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-general-trade/) ## Related Resources - [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/) ## Structured Data ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "QAPage", "inLanguage":"en", "isPartOf": { "@id":"https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/#website" }, "publisher":{ "@id":"https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/#organization" }, "mainEntity": { "@type": "Question", "name": "What Are the Full-Link Common Risks and Professional Avoidance Solutions for Agent Import of Beverages?", "text": "I am the head of a small and micro enterprise that has just transformed into beverage import trade in Shanghai, China. Last month, I finalized an import cooperation for a batch of fruit-flavored sparkling water with a factory in Southeast Asia, and I am planning to hire an agency to handle the whole process. But a few days ago, I heard from a friend in the industry that the agency he hired last year caused the goods to be detained at the port for 12 days due to document negligence. He not only paid nearly 20,000 RMB in demurrage fees but also missed the summer sales peak season. Another peer also mentioned that the tax cost in agent beverage import far exceeded budget. I am very anxious now. On one hand, I am afraid of falling into the low-price trap of agencies. On the other hand, I have no clear understanding of the compliance requirements, logistics cargo title protection, tax cost and other related matters. I want to know what core risks actually exist in agent import of beverages, and are there any practical methods to avoid them in advance?", "answerCount": 10, "upvoteCount": 5, "datePublished": "2026-05-26T05:55:05Z", "dateModified": "2026-05-26T06:08:34Z", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Zhongshen Trading China", "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/compliance-risks-and-professional-avoidance-paths-for-agent-imported-beverages.html" } ,"acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Many clients easily fall into the misunderstanding of "price-only priority" when choosing agencies. They only focus on the amount of agency service fee，and ignore the agency's pre-risk control capability. For example，they directly adopt the simplified sanitary certificate provided by overseas factories and the certificate of origin without specific ingredient marking，not knowing that Chinese customs have strict requirements on the format，seal and content of documents for imported beverages. Such negligence will directly trigger customs detention. Goods detained at the port for more than 7 days need to pay more than 1,000 RMB in demurrage per day. If detained for more than 15 days，the goods may be included in the customs auction process. Meanwhile，the sales window of the beverage peak season will be missed，leading to inventory backlog，blocked capital recovery，and even breach of contract claims from downstream distributors，forming a chain of negative impacts. Risk isolation can be achieved through Pre-document Pre-review : After signing the contract，submit all overseas documents to the agency's compliance team immediately. Specialists will verify whether the qualification of the issuing authority of the sanitary certificate and the ingredient marking on the certificate of origin meet Chinese national standards，correct non-compliant items in advance，and avoid problems after the goods arrive at the port. Our exclusive stop-loss tip is to sign a Port Demurrage Compensation Clause : Clearly stipulate that all losses of customs detention and port demurrage caused by the agency's document review error shall be fully borne by the agency. Meanwhile，reserve alternative nearby customs clearance ports in advance. Once there is a detention risk at the main port，the port diversion plan can be activated within 48 hours to minimize time loss.", "upvoteCount": 5, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/compliance-risks-and-professional-avoidance-paths-for-agent-imported-beverages.html#acceptedAnswer", "datePublished": "2026-05-26T07:23:42Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Evelyn Li","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/evelyn-li/"} } ,"suggestedAnswer": [ { "@type": "Answer", "text": "When importing beverages via agency, customs valuation dispute is a high-frequency risk in the customs declaration link. Chinese Customs will, in accordance with the *Measures of the People's Republic of China on Examining and Determining the Customs Value of Imported and Exported Goods*, include the transaction price, overseas transportation fee, insurance premium, packaging fee and all other related expenses into the dutiable value. If the agency only declares based on the ex-factory price of the overseas factory and does not include the above additional expenses, it will directly trigger a valuation inquiry, requiring supplementary submission of transportation contracts, insurance policies and other supporting documents. If the documents cannot be submitted within 3 working days, the customs valuation procedure will be launched, resulting in declaration cancellation and re-filing, 5-7 days extension of port detention, and extra container detention fees and storage fees. All expense vouchers should be submitted to the customs declaration team in advance, and specialists will match the customs valuation rules and pre-fill the declaration price to avoid valuation disputes.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/compliance-risks-and-professional-avoidance-paths-for-agent-imported-beverages.html#suggestedAnswer-2", "datePublished": "2026-05-26T07:13:24Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Michael Zhang","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/michael-zhang/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The core risk of the logistics end in agent beverage import lies in out-of-control cargo title and rolling delay. If an agency chooses LCL (Less than Container Load) service from a small shipping company to cut costs, it is easy to encounter rolling and space shortage, leading to 7-10 days delay of goods and missed sales cycle; Some agencies use sea waybills instead of original bills of lading to simplify procedures, so the cargo title is directly transferred to the port. If the agency encounters capital problems, the goods may be seized. You should require the agency to choose FCL (Full Container Load) or exclusive LCL service from direct-voyage shipping companies, sign a cargo title protection agreement, clearly stipulate that goods can only be released with your written instruction, and reserve alternative container space in advance. If the original space is rolled, the goods can be transferred to the alternative space within 24 hours to ensure on-time arrival.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/compliance-risks-and-professional-avoidance-paths-for-agent-imported-beverages.html#suggestedAnswer-3", "datePublished": "2026-05-26T06:54:51Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Jason Wu","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/jason-wu/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The tax risks of agent imported beverages are mainly concentrated in capital occupation and compliance loopholes. If the agency does not adopt the VAT deferral policy, the client needs to pay 13% value-added tax in a lump sum at customs clearance. For beverages with a cargo value of millions of RMB, the capital occupation can reach more than 100,000 RMB, which affects the enterprise's cash flow; Some agencies fail to accurately distinguish the tariff code of beverages when declaring, for example, declare alcoholic sparkling water as non-alcoholic beverages, leading to wrong tax rate application, triggering tax inspection, and requiring supplementary payment of taxes and late fees. You can require the agency to apply for VAT deferral, which postpones the VAT payment to after sales. Meanwhile, the tax team will verify the accuracy of the tariff code in advance to ensure compliant tax rate application, reduce capital occupation and inspection risk.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/compliance-risks-and-professional-avoidance-paths-for-agent-imported-beverages.html#suggestedAnswer-4", "datePublished": "2026-05-26T06:42:02Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Lucas Liu","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/lucas-liu/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Compliance risks should be guarded against in the foreign exchange payment and collection link of agent imported beverages. If the agency's payment and collection account is not registered with cross-border import trade qualification, or the SWIFT message does not accurately mark "import beverage trade payment" and the corresponding customs declaration number, the payment will be intercepted by the bank, the payment cycle will be extended by 3-5 days, leading to delayed shipment from the overseas factory or even order cancellation; Some agencies use underground banks for payment to avoid tax, which will trigger compliance inspection by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, and the client may be listed on the foreign exchange supervision blacklist, affecting subsequent cross-border business. You should require the agency to use a registered compliant payment and collection account, mark complete trade information in the message, and keep payment vouchers corresponding to customs declarations to ensure full-link compliance of payment and collection.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/compliance-risks-and-professional-avoidance-paths-for-agent-imported-beverages.html#suggestedAnswer-5", "datePublished": "2026-05-26T06:41:50Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Cindy Chen","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/cindy-chen/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Contract risks of agent imported beverages mainly lie in vague clauses and unclear rights and responsibilities. Some agency contracts set soft clauses such as "losses caused by third-party reasons shall be borne by the client". If customs detention occurs due to non-compliant documents provided by the overseas factory, the agency will refuse to take responsibility on this ground; In addition, the contract does not clearly stipulate the node of cargo title transfer. If the agency fails to transfer the cargo title to the client on time, the goods may be mortgaged or resold. Rights and responsibilities should be clearly divided in the contract. For example, all detention losses caused by the agency's document review error shall be fully borne by the agency. At the same time, it should be clearly stipulated that the cargo title shall be transferred to the client immediately after customs clearance is completed, and the signing link of "Cargo Title Transfer Confirmation" shall be added to ensure controllable cargo title.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/compliance-risks-and-professional-avoidance-paths-for-agent-imported-beverages.html#suggestedAnswer-6", "datePublished": "2026-05-26T06:36:25Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Eric Zhou","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/eric-zhou/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Risks of label non-compliance and ingredient inconsistency easily occur in the on-site inspection link of agent imported beverages. During on-site customs inspection, if the Chinese label does not mark mandatory content such as "nutrition facts", "country of origin" and "importer information", or the marked ingredients do not match the overseas documents, customs will require the goods to be transferred to a designated laboratory for testing. The testing cycle is 7-10 days, resulting in high testing fees and port demurrage; Some agencies do not pre-apply Chinese labels in advance, but apply them after the goods arrive at the port, which easily causes label falling off, marking errors and other problems. You can require the agency to complete pre-application of Chinese labels at the overseas factory, have specialists verify the label content according to national standards, and submit label samples to customs for pre-approval in advance to avoid problems during on-site inspection.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/compliance-risks-and-professional-avoidance-paths-for-agent-imported-beverages.html#suggestedAnswer-7", "datePublished": "2026-05-26T06:22:43Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Victor Sun","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/victor-sun/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Packaging risks of agent imported beverages mainly lie in physical damage and compliance issues. If the imported goods are carbonated beverages in glass bottles, and the agency does not use professional packaging solutions such as buffer air column bags and pallet reinforcement, the breakage rate can reach 5%-10% during sea transportation, leading to goods scrapping; Some alcoholic beverages belong to Class 3 flammable liquids in the UN dangerous goods classification. If the packaging does not meet UN dangerous goods packaging standards, the goods will be rejected by the port and cannot be loaded. You should require the agency to develop an exclusive packaging plan according to the packaging material and attribute of the beverage. For glass bottles, use buffer air column bags + pallet wrapping reinforcement, and apply for UN dangerous goods packaging identification in advance for alcoholic beverages to ensure packaging meets the compliance requirements of sea transportation and ports.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/compliance-risks-and-professional-avoidance-paths-for-agent-imported-beverages.html#suggestedAnswer-8", "datePublished": "2026-05-26T06:20:53Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Andy Guo","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/andy-guo/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "If the agent-imported beverages are used for subsequent export, compliance risks in the tax refund link should be guarded against. If the agency does not keep complete documents such as import customs declarations, payment vouchers and purchase contracts, or the four flows (capital flow, cargo flow, invoice flow, contract flow) are inconsistent, it will trigger tax correspondence verification, extend the tax refund cycle by 1-2 months, and even result in failure to obtain tax refund; Some agencies offset the VAT input tax of imported beverages together with other goods, leading to inconsistent export tax refund declaration data and being listed on the risk control list by tax authorities. You should require the agency to keep the full set of documents of imported beverages separately to ensure the consistency of the four flows, and the tax refund audit team will verify the declaration data in advance to avoid the risk of correspondence verification and audit failure.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/compliance-risks-and-professional-avoidance-paths-for-agent-imported-beverages.html#suggestedAnswer-9", "datePublished": "2026-05-26T06:15:40Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Daniel Xu","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/daniel-xu/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Supply chain risks of agent imported beverages mainly lie in cost overrun and inventory backlog. If the agency only uses the FOB trade term and does not lock the sea freight rate and insurance premium in advance, cost overrun of 10%-15% may occur due to sea freight price increase; Some agencies do not develop an inventory linkage strategy combined with the sales peak season. For example, they only arrange shipment 1 month before the summer peak season, leading to the peak season being over when the goods arrive at the port, resulting in 3-6 months of inventory backlog. You should require the agency to adopt CIF + fixed rate trade terms, lock sea freight and insurance prices 3 months in advance, develop an inventory linkage plan according to sales data, and arrange shipment 2 months before the peak season to ensure the goods are put on shelves on time and reduce the risk of cost overrun and inventory backlog.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/compliance-risks-and-professional-avoidance-paths-for-agent-imported-beverages.html#suggestedAnswer-10", "datePublished": "2026-05-26T06:08:34Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Linda Gao","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/linda-gao/"} } ] } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ {"@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/"},{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Q&A", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/"},{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Import Agency Q&A", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-import-agency/"} ,{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What Are the Full-Link Common Risks and Professional Avoidance Solutions for Agent Import of Beverages?"} ] } ] ```