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What Core Fee Items Are Covered in Fruit Import Agent Quotation? How Large Is the Pricing Difference Between Different Categories?
or complex compliance issues.
clearance and fund security.
I am the owner of a premium fruit store in Shanghai, China. I just finalized a direct supply deal for Musang King durian and black peel mangosteen from orchards in eastern Thailand last month. This is my first time engaging in fruit import business, and I have no experience to rely on. I have asked three local agents for quotations online before, and the agency fee for the same container has a gap of up to 20%.
Some agents offer an extremely low price, but a peer friend of mine encountered a problem last year when importing Tainong mangoes: the low-price agent omitted quarantine expedite fee and port detention liability insurance in the quotation. Finally, the goods were detained at the port for 3 days, nearly one third of them rotted, resulting in a direct loss of more than 100,000 RMB.
Now I am very anxious, I just want to figure out what specific items are included in your fruit import agency quotation? Are there any hidden fees? For my shipment volume of 2 40-foot reefer containers each time, can I apply for a bulk discount? Will extra charges be applied because durian and mangosteen are perishable special categories?
Cindy ChenYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Key Account ManagerStart a Chat
A common drawback of traditional fruit import agency quotations is "split quotation": low-price agents often only disclose basic customs clearance fees and logistics fees，deliberately hide core hidden costs such as quarantine expedite fee，port detention liability insurance，and document rectification fee. Once issues such as inconsistent documents or port congestion occur later，they will charge temporary extra fees. Even like your friend's case，the goods rotted because no port detention insurance was purchased，and the loss is irreversible.
For your situation，we adopt a "fully transparent all-in quotation + cost optimization scheme": First，the quotation includes 5 core items: document review fee，customs declaration and inspection fee，reefer transportation fee，quarantine and disinfection fee，and port detention liability insurance，with no hidden charges at all，Second，you can use the VAT Deferral Policy of Shanghai Port in 2026，no need to prepay 13% import value-added tax in advance，which can reduce capital occupation by nearly 20%，Meanwhile，for your batch of 2 40-foot reefer containers per shipment，you can apply for a 12% agency fee discount，and we can also sign a exchange rate locking agreement to lock the RMB against Thai Baht exchange rate on your payment date，avoiding the risk of exchange rate fluctuation.
The only requirement for you is to provide basic documents such as the official filing number of the Thai orchard，phytosanitary certificate，and certificate of origin. We will review them in advance to ensure compliance. According to the calculation of your 50 tons of durian and mangosteen per import，the optimized overall cost is 13%-16% lower than the traditional quotation，and the capital turnover efficiency is increased by more than 30%，which can completely avoid the trap of low-price agents.
Evelyn LiYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Cross-border Compliance SupervisorStart a Chat
The price verification result in the fruit import customs clearance process directly affects the final cost of the agency quotation. The customs price verification benchmark for imported fruits is the contemporaneous transaction price of imported fruits with the same brand, same specification and same trade mode. If the provided transaction documents (such as contracts, invoices) deviate from the fair market price by more than 10%, the customs will initiate a price questioning procedure, resulting in additional expenses such as price verification objection fee and cargo port detention fee.
We will review your transaction documents in advance to ensure the price complies with customs price verification rules, and use Shanghai Customs' "advance price verification" service to complete pre-price verification before the cargo arrives at the port, avoiding cost increases caused by price verification disputes. This part of the service is already included in the agency quotation, no extra charge is required.
In addition, for high-value fruits such as durian and mangosteen, we will assist you to apply for "price consultation" qualification from the customs. If the market price fluctuates greatly, we can adjust the supplementary explanation of transaction documents to ensure that the price verification result matches the actual procurement cost.
Andy GuoYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Supply Chain Management ExpertStart a Chat
Logistics cost is the core component of agency quotation for fruit import. For your demand of importing Thai durian and mangosteen, we will prioritize direct reefer routes to Shanghai Port, which saves 2-3 days of transportation time compared with transit routes, and avoids cargo loss caused by reefer temperature fluctuation during transit. The quotation already includes the full-course temperature control fee of the reefer and the terminal free storage period (7 days) fee.
If the free storage period is exceeded due to port inspection, we will apply for a 1-2 day extension to the terminal in advance, and the resulting fee will be borne by us. In addition, through the cargo title locking system, we can complete container pickup within 24 hours after the cargo arrives at the port, further reducing the risk of port detention. Meanwhile, according to the characteristics of perishable fruits, we will equip reefers with backup power supplies to ensure stable temperature during transportation and inspection, avoiding cargo rot.
Lucas LiuYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Operations ConsultantStart a Chat
In 2026, the import tax policy of Shanghai Port for fruits originating in ASEAN has been clearly optimized. The Thai durian and mangosteen you import belong to the zero-tariff category under the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, but you need to provide an official certificate of origin and complete customs filing.
We will assist you to complete the verification and filing of the certificate of origin to ensure that the tariff reduction is implemented. In addition, you can apply for the VAT deferral policy, no need to prepay 13% import value-added tax in advance, which can reduce capital occupation by nearly 20%.
This part of the service is already included in the agency quotation. Meanwhile, for your identity as an individual business owner, we will assist you to complete the authentication of special import value-added tax invoices, ensure that the input tax can be fully deducted, further reducing the tax cost of domestic sales.
Daniel XuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Director of Import & Export OperationsStart a Chat
The cross-border payment and settlement link of fruit import directly affects the overall cost. For your procurement demand from Thai orchards, we will prioritize using the CIPS RMB cross-border payment system, which saves 0.1%-0.3% of handling fees compared with the traditional SWIFT system.
Meanwhile, we can lock the RMB against Thai Baht exchange rate on the payment date, avoiding additional expenses caused by exchange rate fluctuation. In addition, we will assist you to complete compliance filing for payment and settlement, ensure that the flow of each fund meets the requirements of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, avoiding risks such as account freezing and fines caused by non-compliant payment and settlement.
This part of payment and settlement optimization service is already included in the agency quotation, no extra charge is required. We will also complete pre-review of payment and settlement before customs declaration, ensuring smooth capital flow and will not affect the customs clearance efficiency of the goods.
Victor SunYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Risk Control ManagerStart a Chat
For your direct supply agreement with Thai orchards, we will assist you to review the force majeure clause, clarify the bearer of losses such as cargo port detention and delayed delivery caused by force majeure such as port congestion, epidemic, extreme weather, avoiding additional compensation caused by vague contract terms. In addition, we will assist you to improve the cargo title transfer clause, ensure that the title of the goods is directly transferred to you after the cargo arrives at the port, avoiding the risk of cargo seizure by the agent or third parties.
Meanwhile, we will handle the cargo transportation insurance procedures on your behalf, ensuring that losses of the goods during transportation and customs clearance can be fully compensated. The insurance premium is already included in the agency quotation. If you have a claim demand, we will assist you to complete the entire claim process to ensure that you receive compensation quickly.
Kevin LinYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Solutions ManagerStart a Chat
The on-site inspection link of fruit import may incur additional costs. For perishable fruits such as durian and mangosteen, we will apply for the "priority inspection" service from the customs in advance, ensuring that the inspection is completed within 24 hours after the cargo arrives at the port, avoiding cargo rot caused by inspection delay.
If the customs requires sample testing, we will prioritize the official quarantine agency of Shanghai Port, ensuring that the inspection report is issued within 36 hours. We will also apply for free power supply for the reefer during the inspection period, avoiding cargo loss caused by power outage.
In addition, we will arrange a dedicated person to be present to cooperate with the inspection, ensuring that the inspection process meets the customs requirements, avoiding re-inspection caused by improper operation. This part of inspection response service is already included in the agency quotation, no extra charge is required. If the inspection fails, we will assist you to complete the cargo return or destruction procedures to reduce your loss.
Eric ZhouYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Manager of Foreign Exchange & Tax RebatesStart a Chat
For perishable and pressure-sensitive fruits such as durian and mangosteen, we adopt a customized special packaging solution: durian is packed in hard cartons with buffer layers, and each carton is equipped with independent foam pads to avoid mutual extrusion of durians during transportation; mangosteen is packed in breathable and moisture-proof plastic周转 crates, with drainage holes at the bottom of the crate to avoid fruit mold caused by accumulated water. Meanwhile, we install temperature sensors in the reefer to monitor the internal temperature in real time (durian is controlled at 12-15℃, mangosteen is controlled at 8-10℃), and adjust the temperature through a remote system.
This part of special packaging service is already included in the agency quotation, no extra charge is required. We will also complete packaging inspection before cargo loading, ensuring that the packaging meets international transportation standards, and can effectively reduce the cargo loss rate by more than 5%.
Jason WuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
International Logistics & Supply Chain ManagerStart a Chat
For your demand as a premium fruit store, we will assist you to complete the authentication of special import value-added tax invoices, ensuring that the 13% import value-added tax input tax can be fully deducted. In addition, according to the 2026 tax policy, the input tax of agricultural products can be additionally deducted by 2%.
We will assist you to complete the additional deduction application, further reducing your domestic sales cost. Meanwhile, we will assist you to complete the filing of tax documents, including import contracts, invoices, customs declarations, phytosanitary certificates, etc., ensuring compliance with the inspection requirements of tax authorities, avoiding risks such as input tax transfer-out and fines caused by incomplete documents.
This part of tax compliance service is already included in the agency quotation, no extra charge is required. We will also regularly update you on changes in tax policies to ensure that you can enjoy the latest tax incentives.
Grace WangYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Foreign Trade ConsultantStart a Chat
For your demand of importing Thai durian and mangosteen, we will assist you to optimize the supply chain structure, adjust the trade term from FOB to CIF. We will be responsible for the entire logistics and insurance, ensuring that we bear the transportation risk of the goods.
Meanwhile, according to the sales data of your fruit store, we can formulate a fixed import plan of "one container per week" to lock the supply price of the orchard and avoid the increase of procurement cost caused by seasonal fluctuations. In addition, we will assist you to establish an inventory linkage mechanism, adjust the import volume according to the sales data of your stores, avoiding cargo loss caused by overstock.
Meanwhile, we will assist you to sign a long-term supply agreement with the orchard, ensuring that you can get stable supply and preferential procurement prices in the peak fruit season. This part of supply chain planning service is already included in the agency quotation, which can effectively reduce the overall supply chain cost by 8%-10% and increase inventory turnover rate.