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How to Avoid Customs Valuation Disputes and Reduce Customs Clearance Risks for Specialized Import and Export Agencies?
or complex compliance issues.
clearance and fund security.
I am the head of a small company that has just transformed to focus on import and export agency. Three orders I received in the past two months all encountered problems: Last week, a batch of electronic components underwent customs valuation at Yangshan Port, which was 15% higher than the declared price, resulting in 3 days of port detention and an extra 20,000 yuan in container detention fee; Last month, a container of garments was rolled at Ningbo Port, and the customer was so urgent for the goods that they threatened to terminate the contract; I also have no idea how to use the VAT deferral policy to help customers cut costs, and can only watch competitors take away my orders.
Now the whole team is panicking, afraid that the business will collapse if more problems occur. I would like to ask, what exactly should a specialized import and export agency do to avoid these pitfalls and also use policies to reduce costs?
Lucas LiuYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Operations ConsultantStart a Chat
The core of a professional import and export agency is to establish a full-link risk control and cost optimization system. First of all，pre-document review must ensure that the price terms in the trade contract are consistent with those in the customs declaration. For example，when declaring FOB price，real freight and insurance premium certificates must be attached to avoid customs determining that the price is under-declared. Second，information synchronization between logistics and customs clearance nodes must be completed 24 hours before loading. For example，transmit manifest information to the customs broker in advance to reduce document amendment delay after container rolling.
For abnormal situations，an immediate response plan should be formulated: In case of a valuation dispute，you can immediately submit the customs release declarations or payment receipts of similar goods in the past 3 months as reference，In case of container rolling，you need to contact the shipping agent to rebook an extra vessel，and notify the customer at the same time to adjust the delivery time. In addition，the implementation of the VAT deferral policy requires two conditions: first，the agency business conforms to the 9810 cross-border e-commerce model，second，the enterprise has general taxpayer qualification. After approval，import VAT can be deferred to the sales link for payment，reducing the capital occupancy rate.
Final compliance implementation requires attention to three details: first，all documents must be retained for at least 5 years for tax correspondence inspection，second，the logistics contract must clearly stipulate that the cargo title belongs to the agency company，to prevent customers from picking up goods directly，third，during payment and collection，ensure that the beneficiary information in the SWIFT message is consistent with the actual payee，reducing the risk of bank rejection. Through these measures，customs clearance and logistics risks can be effectively reduced，and cost optimization can be achieved by utilizing favorable policies.
Kevin LinYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Solutions ManagerStart a Chat
Regarding valuation disputes, attention should be paid to the filling of the "transaction method" and "miscellaneous fees" columns in the customs declaration. If you declare FOB price, you need to attach the real certificates of freight and insurance premium, to avoid customs determining that the price is under-declared.
When encountering valuation disputes, you can immediately submit the customs release declarations of similar goods within the past 3 months as reference, or apply to the customs for price consultation, reducing port detention time. In addition, under the integrated customs clearance mode, cross-customs district declaration needs to ensure the consistency of electronic data, avoiding secondary declaration.。
Linda GaoYears of service：7Customer Rating：5.0
Documentation SupervisorStart a Chat
Container rolling problem can be solved by locking shipping space in advance, especially you can choose direct routes or sign long-term agreements with shipping companies during peak seasons. If container rolling occurs, you need to contact the shipping agent immediately to rebook the nearest extra vessel, and notify the customs broker at the same time to modify the manifest information.
You can apply for container detention fee reduction to the port with the shipping company's container rolling certificate, and you can usually get a reduction of 3 to 5 days of fees. In terms of cargo title control, you need to ensure that the "consignee" column of the bill of lading is filled with the name of your agency company, avoiding the payment risk caused by customers picking up goods directly.。
Victor SunYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Risk Control ManagerStart a Chat
VAT deferral policy applies to eligible import and export agency enterprises, especially those engaged in 9810 cross-border e-commerce agency business. When applying, you need to provide the agency agreement, order information from the cross-border e-commerce platform, and your enterprise's general taxpayer qualification certificate.
The deferred VAT amount can be used for subsequent tax deduction, reducing the capital occupancy rate. But it should be noted that VAT deferral declaration must be completed within 3 months after the goods are imported, otherwise late payment penalty will be incurred.。
Evelyn LiYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Cross-border Compliance SupervisorStart a Chat
Payment and collection compliance requires that the "Field 59" (beneficiary information) of the SWIFT message is consistent with the actual payee, to avoid being rejected by the bank. CIPS RMB cross-border payment is preferred, especially for trade with ASEAN countries, which can reduce exchange rate risk.
Offshore account management needs to ensure that every payment and collection has corresponding trade contract and invoice, to avoid account freezing. When settling exchange, you can choose exchange rate locking tools such as forward foreign exchange settlement and sale, to reduce losses caused by exchange rate fluctuations.。
Cindy ChenYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Key Account ManagerStart a Chat
Special attention should be paid to soft clauses in letters of credit, for example, clauses such as "bill of lading must be signed by the applicant" will lead to loss of cargo title, you should advise customers to modify such clauses when acting as an agent. The force majeure clause should clearly define the scope, such as epidemic, port strike, etc., to avoid customers claiming compensation for delays.
When transferring cargo title, you need to ensure that the endorsement of the bill of lading is complete, straight bills of lading are non-transferable, and order bills of lading need to be transferred by endorsement. The use of Letter of Indemnity (LOI) should be cautious to avoid unnecessary joint liability.。
Andy GuoYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Supply Chain Management ExpertStart a Chat
For on-site inspection, you need to prepare the packing list, invoice, MSDS (for dangerous goods) of the goods in advance. Seal authenticity can be checked by scanning the QR code on the seal, or verifying the seal number with the shipping company.
When devanning for inspection, you need to cooperate with the requirements of customs staff, do not move the goods without authorization. If the inspection result is inconsistent with the declaration, you need to modify the customs declaration immediately or apply for re-inspection.。
Eric ZhouYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Manager of Foreign Exchange & Tax RebatesStart a Chat
Dangerous goods packaging must comply with UN standards, for example, lithium batteries must use UN3480 packaging, attached with MSDS and dangerous goods packaging certificate. Moisture-proof reinforcement can use vacuum packaging plus desiccant, especially for electronic components.
Buffering packaging materials are selected according to the fragility of the goods, for example, glass products use pearl cotton plus foam box, to avoid damage during transportation. The shipping mark on the packaging must clearly mark the name, weight and destination of the goods, which is convenient for customs inspection.。
Michael ZhangYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Customs Declaration & Compliance ExpertStart a Chat
Export tax rebate requires the consistency of four flows, namely contract flow, goods flow, capital flow and invoice flow. Agency enterprises need to keep agency agreements, customs declarations, export invoices, payment receipts and other documents for tax correspondence inspection.
During pre-declaration, check whether the commodity code on the customs declaration is consistent with that on the invoice, to avoid declaration errors. Cross-month declaration must be completed before the 15th of the next month, otherwise it will affect the tax rebate progress. Foreign exchange receipt verification must be completed within 90 days after the goods are exported, otherwise the tax rebate qualification will be suspended.。