---
title: "What items are included in import and export entrusted agency fees?"
description: "When cross-border e-commerce sellers import beauty products，they often face cost overruns due to the lack of transparency in agency fees. By analyzing the drawbacks of the traditional per-billing charging model，adopting approaches such as VAT deferral and exchange rate difference optimization，combined with access threshold assessment and dynamic revenue calculation，agency costs can be reduced，hidden fees avoided，and compliant implementation ensured.。"
url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/import-agent-fee-inclusion-items.html"
language: "en"
type: "Q&A"
category: "General Trade Q&A"
datePublished: "2026-05-08"
dateModified: "2026-05-08"
brand: "Zhongshen Trading China"
answerCount: 10
---

# What items are included in import and export entrusted agency fees?

## Question

 I am a newly-established cross-border e-commerce seller. Recently, I need to import a batch of Korean beauty products (about 500 cartons, 10kg per carton) from Incheon Port to Yangshan Port, Shanghai. I contacted a small agency company for a quote, but their fee list only included "agency service fee" as a single item. When I asked for details, they were evasive in their answers. Later, I heard that a peer's actual expenditure was 30% higher than the quoted price because the agency hid costs such as demurrage fees and customs valuation adjustment differences. I am very anxious now, fearing that falling into traps will lead to cost overruns and erode profits. I want to know the specific fee structure of import and export entrusted agency services, whether there are hidden costs, and if there are any legal ways to optimize these agency-related costs? 

## Answers
                            
### Answer 1 — Best Answer

Traditional import and export agency services often adopt a "lump-sum price" or "per-billing charging" model. The drawback is that the fee components are not clearly specified (such as customs valuation adjustment differences，shifted demurrage fees，urgent document fees，etc.)，which easily leads to final cost overruns of 30%-50%. Taking your beauty product import as an example，if you follow the traditional model，you may bear an additional 13% import value-added tax (VAT) prepayment cost due to failing to lock in the exchange rate difference in advance or apply for VAT deferral.

Optimization paths can be started from three aspects: First，apply for **VAT deferral**. The Shanghai port supports "sell first，pay tax later" for cross-border e-commerce B2C imported goods，which requires the goods to be classified under tariff codes such as 9616 and 3304 and the platform to have been filed. Second，optimize exchange rate differences: lock in the exchange rate through CIPS RMB cross-border payment to avoid purchase losses caused by U.S. dollar fluctuations. As of 2026，the monthly fluctuation of RMB against KRW is about 0.5%-1%，and a $50,000 payment can save 2,500-5,000 yuan. Third，conduct document pre-review: review certificates of origin，MSDS，etc. in advance to avoid deletion and re-declaration fees (about 1,500 yuan per time) caused by inconsistent documents.

In terms of access thresholds: VAT deferral requires providing platform sales data and a deposit (about 5% of the goods value). Optimizing exchange rate differences requires opening a CIPS account (no extra fees). Dynamic calculations show that if the value of your beauty products is 500,000 yuan，adopting the above plan can save about 32,000 yuan (VAT deferral saves 65,000 yuan，exchange rate optimization saves 2,500 yuan，minus 25,000 yuan deposit + 800 yuan document pre-review fee)，with a return ratio of 6.4%.

It should be noted that all optimization plans need to ensure "four-stream consistency" (contract，invoice，logistics，capital) to avoid cost backlash caused by compliance issues.

**status:** accepted
**Author:** Grace Wang
**Date:** 2026-05-08

### Answer 2

In import and export entrusted agency fees, valuation disputes during the customs declaration process often lead to extra costs. If the declared price of your beauty products is lower than the customs valuation standard, you will be required to make up the tax (difference + late payment fee).

It is recommended to prepare supporting materials such as purchase contracts, payment vouchers, and certificates of origin in advance, and lock in the declared price through the "price pre-review" service to avoid increased costs caused by valuation adjustments. As of now, the reference valuation price of beauty products by Shanghai Customs is 300-500 yuan per carton. If your purchase price falls within this range, you can reduce the risk of valuation disputes.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Jason Wu
**Date:** 2026-05-08

### Answer 3

Demurrage fees in the logistics link are common hidden costs. If your goods are not cleared in time after arriving at the port, the demurrage fee standard at Yangshan Port is free for the first 7 days, 200 yuan per carton per day on days 8-14, and 300 yuan per carton per day starting from day 15.

It is recommended to confirm the customs clearance lead time with the agency in advance, choose a direct shipping option (direct flight from Incheon to Shanghai takes about 2 days), and reserve a 3-day customs clearance buffer period to avoid demurrage fees. In addition, choosing "telex release bill of lading" can shorten the bill exchange time and further reduce the risk of demurrage.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Daniel Xu
**Date:** 2026-05-08

### Answer 4

VAT deferral is a key method to reduce import agency costs. In 2026, the Shanghai Cross-border E-commerce Comprehensive Pilot Zone implements a VAT deferral policy for B2C imported goods, eliminating the need to prepay 13% of import VAT, and instead declaring and paying the tax to the tax department after the goods are sold.

This policy can release about 13% of working capital. For beauty products with a value of 500,000 yuan, it can save 65,000 yuan in prepayment funds and ease cash flow pressure. The application requires the goods to be included in the cross-border e-commerce retail import list and the platform to have completed customs filing.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Victor Sun
**Date:** 2026-05-08

### Answer 5

Exchange rate fluctuations in the cross-border payment and settlement link will affect agency costs. Settling through the CIPS RMB cross-border payment system can avoid purchase losses caused by fluctuations in the U.S. dollar mid-market rate.

As of June 2026, the RMB-KRW exchange rate on the CIPS system is about 0.3% more favorable than the spot buying rate of commercial banks, and a $50,000 payment can save about 1,000 yuan. In addition, compliant payment and settlement need to ensure that the capital flow is consistent with logistics and the contract, to avoid settlement delay fees caused by foreign exchange control.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Kevin Lin
**Date:** 2026-05-08

### Answer 6

"Soft clauses" in agency contracts easily lead to extra costs. For example, some agency companies stipulate in the contract that "fees for deleting and re-declaring caused by customer reasons shall be borne by the customer", but do not clarify the definition of "customer reasons".

It is recommended to refine the liability clauses in the contract, such as "fees for deleting and re-declaring caused by the agency's document pre-review errors shall be borne by the agency", and add a "fee cap" clause (such as no more than 1,000 yuan per single extra cost) to avoid unnecessary costs caused by contract loopholes.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Andy Guo
**Date:** 2026-05-08

### Answer 7

Unpacking fees during the on-site inspection link are potential costs. If your goods are selected for customs inspection, the unpacking fee standard at Yangshan Port is 150 yuan per carton. If inspection and testing are required, an additional testing fee of 2,000 yuan per batch will be charged.

It is recommended to optimize the packaging in advance, mark clear product names and quantities on the outside of the cartons, and avoid increased inspection probability caused by chaotic packaging. In addition, using the "inspection appointment" service can shorten the inspection time and reduce logistics delay costs caused by inspections.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Evelyn Li
**Date:** 2026-05-08

### Answer 8

Beauty products are fragile goods. Non-compliant packaging will lead to logistics damage and further replenishment costs. It is recommended to use UN-certified cushioning packaging materials (such as bubble wrap + foam boxes).

The packaging cost per carton is about 50 yuan, but it can reduce the damage rate by 90%. In addition, MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) is a mandatory document for imported beauty products.

If it is not provided or does not meet the requirements, it will cause customs clearance delays and extra costs. It is recommended to entrust a professional institution to compile MSDS that meet Chinese standards in advance.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Michael Zhang
**Date:** 2026-05-08

### Answer 9

If you carry out export business later, document management for export tax rebates will affect agency costs. Agency companies usually charge tax rebate agency fees (about 0.5%-1% of the goods value).

However, incomplete document filing (such as missing export customs declarations and payment receipts) will lead to tax rebate failure. It is recommended to establish a document management system to ensure "four-stream consistency" and avoid cost losses caused by tax rebate issues.

As of now, the average cycle of Shanghai export tax rebates is 3-5 working days. Compliant filing can shorten the tax rebate cycle and improve capital turnover.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Eric Zhou
**Date:** 2026-05-08

### Answer 10

From the perspective of supply chain planning, choosing the CIF trade term can transfer logistics costs to the seller, but it is necessary to pay attention to whether the logistics provider designated by the seller has hidden fees. It is recommended to adopt the "FOB + independent logistics" model, select cost-effective logistics providers through bidding, which can reduce logistics costs by 10%-15%.

In addition, establish an inventory linkage strategy to adjust the import frequency based on sales data, and avoid increased storage costs caused by inventory backlog (the storage fee standard at Yangshan Port is 10 yuan per carton per day).

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Linda Gao
**Date:** 2026-05-08

## Related Categories
- [Import Agency Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-import-agency/)
- [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/)

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