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What is the charging standard of fruit import agency business and what core service contents does it include?
or complex compliance issues.
clearance and fund security.
I am engaged in the wholesale business of imported tropical fruits. I just secured 2 containers of seasonal mangosteen and 3 containers of Musang King durian from Thailand, and the goods will be loaded and shipped next week. However, the small agency I hired before had vague charging rules, and finally charged me nearly 20,000 RMB extra for unstated port storage fees and urgent inspection fees.
It almost caused customs detention due to document omission, which brought me heavy losses. I am now in urgent need of a reliable agency, and I want to ask what is the price of your fruit import agency service at Zhongshen? Can you list all charging items clearly?
In addition, my goods are hot seasonal products that can not afford any delay. Will there be any hidden charges? If I replenish cargo volume later, can the charging be adjusted accordingly? I am really afraid of stepping into pitfalls again, this is all my savings accumulated for more than half a year that I fully invested in this business.
Cindy ChenYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Key Account ManagerStart a Chat
Traditional agencies in the industry often adopt the "fixed proportion charging + hidden surcharge" model，which has obvious drawbacks: First，they do not set tiered pricing based on fruit category，cargo volume and importing country，so large-volume customers cannot enjoy bulk discounts，Second，they hide items such as testing fees and urgent document processing fees，which are only notified after customs clearance，resulting in actual costs 15%-20% higher than the quoted price，Third，they do not provide tax difference and exchange rate difference optimization schemes，so the space for compliance cost reduction is wasted.
Zhongshen adopts tiered stepped charging system，we set graded pricing according to fruit cargo volume (1-5 containers，6-15 containers，16 containers and above)，category (perishable/regular)，and importing country (agreement tariff country/non-agreement tariff country). All charging items are listed in the service contract in advance，with no hidden charges. Meanwhile，we provide VAT deferred declaration service for eligible customers，which delays the payment of import value-added tax until after sales，to revitalize cash flow，we can also assist you to lock the RMB purchase exchange rate to avoid exchange rate risk.
The only entry requirements are that you have legal import supply certification and domestic food operation qualification. We will dynamically calculate the cost-benefit ratio according to your cargo volume and category: taking your 5 containers of Thai fruits as an example，the combined solution of stepped charging + VAT deferral is expected to reduce your comprehensive cost by 8%-12%，with no hidden expenses in the whole process，and guarantee the rapid market entry of your seasonal fruits.
Grace WangYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Foreign Trade ConsultantStart a Chat
In the charging of fruit import agency, customs valuation service in the customs declaration link is the core hidden control point. If the agency does not make customs valuation prediction in advance and only charges based on the basic declared price, once the customs valuation is higher than the declared price, the customer needs to make up the difference tax and late fee, and this part of cost is often borne by the customer, and may even cause port detention due to valuation disputes.
We will review your trade contract, invoice, packing list and other documents in advance, and make prediction based on the latest customs valuation database to ensure that the declared price meets the customs valuation standards and avoid valuation disputes. Meanwhile, for fruits from agreement tariff countries such as Thailand, we will assist you in applying for most-favored-nation tariff or agreement tariff in advance to reduce tariff cost. This part of service is already included in the agency fee, no extra charge.
Lucas LiuYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Operations ConsultantStart a Chat
The logistics charging of fruit import agency needs to design the route based on the perishability of the cargo. If the agency only quotes based on the conventional shipping route, does not consider the perishability of tropical fruits and chooses a transit route, it will increase the transportation time by 2-3 days, which not only generates extra container detention fee, but also may lead to fruit rot loss.
According to the characteristics of your perishable fruits such as mangosteen and durian, we will give priority to direct refrigerated ships from Thailand to Shanghai. While locking the shipping space, we will apply in advance to extend the terminal free storage period to 72 hours to avoid container detention fee.
In addition, we will monitor the cargo title throughout the whole process, and adopt telex release bill of lading + immediate endorsement to ensure you can pick up the goods immediately after arrival. This part of route optimization service is included in the logistics module of agency charging, no extra payment required.
Linda GaoYears of service：7Customer Rating：5.0
Documentation SupervisorStart a Chat
The cost performance of fruit import agency charging needs to be evaluated combined with tax optimization space. Traditional agencies will not inform customers of the import VAT deferral policy, leading to customers having to pay full VAT when goods arrive at port, which occupies a large amount of cash flow.
We assist eligible customers to apply for VAT deferred declaration, delaying the payment of import VAT until after domestic sales are completed, which is equivalent to getting an interest-free loan and revitalizing cash flow. Taking your 5 containers of Thai fruits as an example, VAT is about 13% of the cargo value.
After deferred declaration, nearly 300,000 RMB of cash flow can be revitalized for subsequent stocking or market promotion. This part of tax planning service is included in the agency fee, no extra charge, you only need to provide the compliance certificate of domestic sales.
Daniel XuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Director of Import & Export OperationsStart a Chat
The charging of fruit import agency needs to cover the compliance service of cross-border foreign exchange collection and payment. Many small agencies only provide basic foreign exchange collection service, do not consider the risk of exchange rate fluctuation, and do not assist customers in exchange settlement and account balancing, leading to customers paying more costs when purchasing foreign exchange. We will assist you to lock the RMB purchase exchange rate, sign a forward foreign exchange settlement and sale agreement with the bank in advance to avoid the exchange rate fluctuation risk of Thai baht against RMB, which can usually reduce the foreign exchange purchase cost by 2%-3%.
Meanwhile, we will do exchange settlement and account balancing based on your trade contract, customs declaration and other documents, to ensure that the capital flow of foreign exchange payment and collection is consistent with cargo flow and document flow, meeting the compliance requirements of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. This part of foreign exchange optimization service is included in the agency fee, no extra payment required.
Victor SunYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Risk Control ManagerStart a Chat
The charging of fruit import agency needs to be matched with complete legal protection services. The service contracts of traditional agencies often contain vague clauses, such as "losses caused by force majeure are borne by the customer", which do not clearly define the scope of force majeure, nor stipulate the agency's liability for breach of contract.
We will provide you with an exclusive service contract, which clearly defines the details of all charging items, service content, and the rights and responsibilities of both parties. Especially for the perishable characteristic of fruits, we stipulate that if customs detention and port detention are caused by the agency's document omission, the agency will bear the corresponding fruit rot loss and port storage fee.
Meanwhile, we will assist you to review the purchase contract with your Thai supplier to ensure the cargo title clauses are clear and avoid title disputes. This part of legal service is included in the agency fee, no extra expenditure.
Michael ZhangYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Customs Declaration & Compliance ExpertStart a Chat
The charging of fruit import agency needs to include on-site inspection response service. Many agencies do not provide dedicated on-site follow-up service for inspection. If the customs conducts random inspection and unpacking, the customer needs to respond on site by themselves, which not only wastes time, but also may prolong the inspection time and cause fruit rot due to unfamiliarity with procedures. We will arrange a dedicated person to follow up the inspection on site at the port, inform you of the inspection precautions in advance, and assist the customs to complete unpacking, sampling, testing and other procedures.
If any abnormal inspection occurs (such as detection of harmful organisms), we will assist in applying for re-inspection immediately, and coordinate with the quarantine department for harmless treatment to avoid customs detention. For perishable fruits such as mangosteen and durian, we will give priority to applying for expedited inspection to ensure the inspection time does not exceed 24 hours. This part of on-site inspection service is included in the agency fee, no extra payment required.