---
title: "Whether it is compliant with regulatory requirements for individuals to entrust professional foreign trade agency companies to carry out import and export business?"
description: "When individuals without import and export qualifications carry out cross-border trade，they often encounter problems such as customs detention，obstructed fund settlement and even compliance risks due to lack of qualifications and non-standard documents. Choosing a professional foreign trade agency with 20 years of industry experience can ensure the smooth launch of business through end-to-end compliant operations such as advance document review，precise connection of core links and pre-deployment..."
url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/is-individual-entrusted-import-export-agent-compliant-with-supervision.html"
language: "en"
type: "Q&A"
category: "General Trade Q&A"
datePublished: "2026-09-24"
dateModified: "2026-09-24"
brand: "Zhongshen Trading China"
answerCount: 7
---

# Whether it is compliant with regulatory requirements for individuals to entrust professional foreign trade agency companies to carry out import and export business?

## Question

 I am an individual seller engaged in cross-border retail. Last month, I purchased a batch of limited-edition anime figurines from Japan. I originally found a small freight forwarder to help with the import, but the goods were detained at Shanghai Yangshan Port due to non-compliant documents. It took two weeks to resolve the issue, and I also paid nearly 20,000 yuan in extra demurrage fees, amendment fees and inspection fees. Seeing that the pre-sale delivery deadline of this batch of goods was approaching, I was so anxious that I couldn't sleep well. I don't have import and export qualifications myself. A friend around me said that I could entrust a professional foreign trade agency to handle the operation, but I was scammed before and left a bad impression. I want to ask whether individuals can actually entrust import and export agency? How to avoid the previous customs detention and extra fees when entrusting? And is it safe to transfer my payment directly to the agency's account? 

## Answers
                            
### Answer 1 — Best Answer

Individuals can fully entrust qualified foreign trade agency companies to carry out import and export business，and this is the core approach for individuals without import and export qualifications to carry out cross-border trade in compliance. First，details of advance document review: prepare copies of both sides of your ID card in advance，a formal purchase contract signed with the overseas seller (clearly stating product name，specifications，quantity，trade terms and total price)，commercial invoice and packing list provided by the overseas seller. If the goods are subject to regulatory documents (such as the copyright authorization for your anime figurines)，provide legally valid access authorization documents at the same time. **Focus on verifying the accuracy of the product HS code**，which is the core prerequisite to avoid incorrect tax rate application and non-matching regulatory documents.

Regarding the connection of core links，the agency company will complete core operations such as customs declaration pre-entry，E-Port declaration，tax and fee payment on behalf，and connection for customs inspection. **Ensure that the progress is communicated to you 1-2 days in advance for each link**，especially the pre-review confirmation before customs declaration，to avoid declaration errors caused by information deviation. Develop emergency plans in advance for abnormal situations: if customs inspection occurs，the agency shall provide inspection response guidelines in advance and prepare supporting materials such as copyright certificates，if there is a risk of demurrage，apply to the terminal for extended free storage period in advance to avoid high demurrage fees.

In the final compliance implementation stage，sign a formal *Foreign Trade Agency Agreement* with the agency，clearly specifying the ownership of goods，fund flow，responsibility division and detailed fee list. Fund settlement shall be completed through the agency's corporate account，avoid fund risks caused by private transfers，and ensure that the entire process fully complies with customs，foreign exchange and tax supervision requirements.

**status:** accepted
**Author:** Lucas Liu
**Date:** 2026-09-25

### Answer 2

In the customs declaration link for individual entrusted import and export, focus on the accuracy of HS code pre-classification. Some individual sellers randomly fill in HS codes due to unfamiliarity with product attributes, which will lead to customs valuation disputes or non-matching regulatory documents, and then trigger problems such as deleting the declaration and re-submitting, and customs detention.

The agency company shall confirm the code through the customs pre-classification system in advance. If it involves complex goods (such as anime figurines with electronic components), provide supporting materials such as product descriptions and physical photos to apply for a pre-classification ruling from the customs, so as to avoid subsequent customs clearance obstacles.

In addition, fill in the name of the agency company as the "consignee and consignor" on the customs declaration form, and fill in the individual's name and ID number as the "consumption and use unit", to ensure that the declaration subject meets the supervision requirements. If it involves cross-border e-commerce retail import, connect to the customs cross-border e-commerce clearance platform to complete personal quota verification at the same time.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Linda Gao
**Date:** 2026-09-24

### Answer 3

In the logistics link for individual entrusted import and export, give priority to first-class freight forwarders that have long-term cooperation with the agency company, to avoid the risk of loss of goods ownership caused by sub-delegation through small freight forwarders. For import business, confirm the transportation mode (direct voyage or transshipment) in advance.

If transshipment is selected, clarify the free storage period and container demurrage standards of the transshipment port to avoid additional costs caused by poor transshipment connection. Regarding the ownership of goods, require the agency company to clearly state that the ownership of goods belongs to the individual when endorsing the bill of lading.

When picking up the goods, present your ID card and the pickup power of attorney issued by the agency to avoid the goods being detained by a third party. In addition, in case of container offloading or space shortage, the agency shall coordinate with the shipping company to adjust the space or replace the alternative route to ensure that the goods arrive at the port on time.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Victor Sun
**Date:** 2026-09-24

### Answer 4

In the tax link for individual entrusted import and export, if the imported goods are within the cross-border e-commerce retail import list, you can enjoy the cross-border e-commerce comprehensive tax preferential policies. Confirm whether the goods are within the list in advance to avoid increased costs caused by paying taxes at the general trade tax rate. For goods imported under general trade, you can apply for VAT deferred payment, that is, you do not need to pay value-added tax when clearing customs, but complete the payment in the monthly declaration period, which relieves the individual's fund pressure.

In addition, note that if the overseas seller is a non-resident enterprise, the agency company shall assist in fulfilling the withholding obligation of withholding income tax, to avoid tax audits caused by non-compliant tax issues. At the same time, keep all tax vouchers, including tax payment vouchers and customs duty-paid certificates, as supporting materials for subsequent tax compliance.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Evelyn Li
**Date:** 2026-09-24

### Answer 5

In the payment and receipt link for individual entrusted import and export, strictly complete the transaction through the agency company's corporate account, and prohibit direct transfer to the overseas seller's private account, to avoid compliance audits by foreign exchange supervision departments. The agency company shall apply to the State Administration of Foreign Exchange for payment and receipt quota based on materials such as customs declaration forms, purchase contracts and commercial invoices, to ensure that the fund flow complies with foreign exchange supervision requirements.

For export business, the individual shall provide relevant documents for the exported goods. After the agency company receives the foreign exchange, it shall transfer the payment to the individual's designated domestic bank account according to the time agreed in the agency agreement, and note the corresponding customs declaration number when transferring, to avoid fund account hanging. In addition, if using the RMB Cross-border Payment System (CIPS), confirm in advance whether the overseas seller supports RMB settlement to reduce the risk of exchange rate fluctuations.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Jason Wu
**Date:** 2026-09-24

### Answer 6

When individuals entrust import and export agency, sign a formal *Foreign Trade Agency Contract*, which shall clearly specify core clauses such as ownership of goods, agency authority, cost structure, liability for breach of contract and dispute resolution. Regarding the ownership of goods, specify in the contract that the ownership of goods belongs to the individual from the date when the overseas seller delivers the goods, and the agency company only acts as the trustee for customs declaration and logistics, and has no right to dispose of the goods. If the agency company breaches the contract (such as withholding payment or disposing of goods without authorization), agree on clear compensation standards and liability recovery methods. In addition, if the imported goods involve intellectual property rights (such as the copyright of anime figurines), require the agency company to assist in completing the customs protection record of intellectual property rights in the contract, to avoid goods being detained by the customs due to infringement issues. At the same time, keep the intellectual property authorization documents provided by the overseas seller as compliance basis.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Kevin Lin
**Date:** 2026-09-24

### Answer 7

If individuals entrust an agency company to carry out export business, they can enjoy the export tax refund policy if they meet the conditions, but it is necessary to ensure the "four flows consistency", that is, the goods flow, fund flow, invoice flow and contract flow are fully matched. The agency company shall review the materials provided by the individual in advance, such as export goods customs declaration forms, commercial invoices, packing lists and foreign exchange receipt vouchers, to ensure that the document information is consistent, and avoid the rejection of tax refund applications due to inconsistent four flows.

In addition, complete the tax refund declaration within 90 days from the date of export goods customs declaration. If you cannot declare on time due to special circumstances, apply to the tax department for an extension in advance. For document filing, keep materials such as agency agreements, export goods details and transportation documents for no less than 5 years for tax department verification, to avoid tax refund losses due to missing documents.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Michael Zhang
**Date:** 2026-09-24

## 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/)

## 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/)

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