---
title: "What are the main building material categories that can avoid tariff barriers through transit trade?"
description: "Building material enterprises facing EU anti-dumping duties and US high tariffs that have suffered customer cargo abandonment and plummeting orders can use transit trade to circumvent trade barriers. Suitable transit building materials include bulk categories such as ceramic tiles and aluminum profiles，high-value-added categories such as light steel keels and fire-resistant gypsum boards，as well as some restricted general building materials. It is necessary to pre-verify product compliance first..."
url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/main-building-materials-for-transit-trade-to-avoid-tariff-barriers.html"
language: "en"
type: "Q&A"
category: "Entrepôt Trade Q&A"
datePublished: "2026-10-26"
dateModified: "2026-10-26"
brand: "Zhongshen Trading China"
answerCount: 10
---

# What are the main building material categories that can avoid tariff barriers through transit trade?

## Question

 I am a business owner of a Shanghai-based building materials company specializing in exporting ceramic tiles and industrial aluminum profiles. Last month, two containers of aluminum profiles we shipped to the EU were abandoned by our customer due to the 42% anti-dumping duty imposed by the local government. I lost nearly 780,000 yuan and barely could pay employee salaries. Now I am so anxious that I cannot sleep every day. For our US customers, our marble slabs also face a 30% high tariff, and our order volume has dropped by 60%. I heard from peers that transit trade can avoid such tariff barriers, but I have no idea which building materials are suitable for transit trade. For example, can the light steel keels and fire-resistant gypsum boards we often handle be used for transit trade? Are there any high-value-added building material categories suitable for transit trade? I hope you can explain in detail, otherwise I really cannot keep this business going. 

## Answers
                            
### Answer 1 — Best Answer

Many building material companies have a common misconception: they assume all building materials can be used for transit trade. In fact，some categories are strictly prohibited from transit trade，such as export-controlled refractory materials and military-grade building materials. If you operate illegally，you will directly trigger anti-circumvention investigations by the importing country. Not only will the goods be detained at the transshipment port，resulting in detention fees and container demurrage fees several times the value of the cargo，but the company will also be added to the importing country's trade blacklist，making all subsequent goods unable to clear customs，and may even face fines of 2 to 5 times the tariff amount.

For transit-eligible building material categories，you must first **pre-verify product compliance through third-country authoritative institutions** to physically eliminate traces of the original exporting country. Currently，suitable transit building materials are mainly divided into three categories: first，bulk building materials affected by high tariff barriers，such as ceramic tiles，industrial aluminum profiles，and natural marble slabs，second，high-value-added building materials，such as light steel keels，fire-resistant gypsum boards，and intelligent door and window hardware accessories，third，some general building materials subject to trade restrictions，such as ordinary hot-rolled steel and float glass products.

Exclusive loss-mitigation tips: Sign a **pre-verification indemnity agreement** with the freight forwarding agency. If the cargo is detained due to errors in pre-verification，the agency shall bear 80% of the detention fees and fines. At the same time，reserve 2 to 3 alternative transshipment countries (such as Malaysia，Thailand，and Singapore) in advance to respond to policy changes in a single country and ensure the stability of the transit trade chain. In addition，when transshipping，choose a **neutral third-party warehouse** to complete container swapping to avoid triggering inspections due to being stored with sensitive cargo.

**status:** accepted
**Author:** Kevin Lin
**Date:** 2026-10-26

### Answer 2

When carrying out building materials transit trade, you need to focus on the logical consistency of customs declaration documents between the transshipment country and the importing country. When declaring customs in the transshipment country, classify the cargo name as general building materials allowed for local transit, and avoid using the detailed coding of the original exporting country. When declaring customs in the importing country, match the documents such as the certificate of origin, packing list, and commercial invoice issued by the transshipment country to ensure that the product name, quantity, and weight are completely consistent.

If the document codes do not match, the importing country's customs will initiate a price review dispute procedure, and the cargo detention time can reach 15-30 days. Prepare the third-party inspection report of the transshipment country in advance as evidence, and require the agency to provide "customs declaration pre-audit service" to ensure the logical closure of documents and avoid deleting and re-declaring the declaration.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Lucas Liu
**Date:** 2026-10-26

### Answer 3

The logistics route for building materials transit trade should prioritize transshipment countries with direct shipping routes, such as Port Klang in Malaysia and Laem Chabang Port in Thailand, to avoid cargo ownership risks caused by multiple transshipments. Bulk building materials such as ceramic tiles and marble slabs must be transshipped in full containers, and LCL shipping is prohibited to prevent triggering inspections due to mixed loading with other sensitive cargo.

High-value-added building materials such as intelligent door and window accessories should use "door-to-door" transit services, monitor the container seal status throughout the entire process, and take videos of the entire process of seal disassembly and new seal installation during container swapping to retain cargo ownership vouchers. If a container skip occurs, immediately activate the alternative transshipment port, and require the logistics provider to provide container demurrage reduction application services, which can usually reduce container demurrage fees for 3-7 days.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Victor Sun
**Date:** 2026-10-26

### Answer 4

Tax planning for building materials transit trade needs to focus on the VAT deferral policy of the transshipment country. For example, countries such as Malaysia and Thailand allow transit goods to apply for VAT deferral, without paying import VAT in the transshipment country, and only need to submit the departure certificate after the goods leave the country to complete VAT verification. At the same time, avoid abnormal pricing of cross-border related-party transactions.

If the profit of transit trade exceeds 20% of similar businesses, it will trigger BEPS investigations by the tax authorities of the transshipment country. Prepare the cost accounting report of the transit business in advance, including details such as transshipment warehouse rent, container swapping fees, and document fees, to ensure that the pricing conforms to the arm's length principle. In addition, you can set up an offshore account in the transshipment country to avoid exchange rate risk, lock the exchange rate between RMB and the transshipment country's currency, and reduce capital fluctuation losses.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Daniel Xu
**Date:** 2026-10-26

### Answer 5

For receipt and payment of foreign exchange in building materials transit trade, adopt the "transshipment country account transition" model to avoid directly transferring funds from the importing country's account to the original exporting country's account, which may trigger foreign exchange control warnings. Open a compliant offshore account in the transshipment country, let the importing country pay the货款 to the transshipment country's account, and then transfer the funds from the transshipment country's account to the original exporting country's account.

At the same time, retain the trade documents of the transshipment country as the basis for receipt and payment to ensure that the capital flow is consistent with the document flow. If using SWIFT messages, mark "transit trade payment" in the message to avoid being misjudged as a related-party transaction. If using CIPS RMB cross-border payment, submit the compliance certificate of the transit trade to the bank in advance, including the certificate of origin of the transshipment country, third-party inspection report, etc., to ensure the smooth completion of foreign exchange settlement and account reconciliation.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Evelyn Li
**Date:** 2026-10-26

### Answer 6

Building materials transit trade requires signing a tripartite agreement to clarify the rights and obligations of the original exporter, transshipment agent, and importer, focusing on agreeing on the cargo ownership transfer node, force majeure fallback clauses, and document authenticity responsibilities. If the transshipment agent cannot issue a genuine certificate of origin, agree that the transshipment agent shall bear all detention risks and losses. At the same time, add an "anti-circumvention investigation exemption clause" to the agreement.

If the cargo is detained due to anti-circumvention investigations by the importing country, the transshipment agent shall assist in providing trade documents of the transshipment country to prove that the cargo has undergone substantial processing in the transshipment country (such as container swapping and repackaging). In addition, record the intellectual property rights of high-value-added building materials for customs protection to avoid infringement during transshipment.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Michael Zhang
**Date:** 2026-10-26

### Answer 7

For transshipment port inspections in building materials transit trade, prepare the MSDS report and third-party inspection report in advance, especially for categories such as marble slabs and fire-resistant gypsum boards, provide radiation detection reports to avoid triggering inspections due to environmental protection issues. When swapping containers, ensure that the container is clean and free of odors, avoid leaving traces of other cargo, and mark the general cargo logo of the transshipment country on the outside of the container to avoid being listed as a key inspection target by customs.

If an abnormal machine inspection occurs, immediately ask the agency to arrange on-site container unpacking inspection, and provide the purchase contract and invoice of the goods as evidence, which can usually be inspected and released within 3-5 days. In addition, pay attention to the seal standards of the transshipment port, must use anti-counterfeit seals recognized by the customs of the transshipment country to avoid being detained due to the authenticity of the seal.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Grace Wang
**Date:** 2026-10-26

### Answer 8

The packaging of building materials transit trade needs to be designed according to the transshipment route and cargo characteristics. Bulk building materials such as ceramic tiles should use "wooden pallet + stretch film" moisture-proof and reinforced packaging, lay moisture-proof mats at the bottom of the wooden pallet to avoid cargo damage caused by humidity in the rainy season at the transshipment port.

Marble slabs should be packaged with foam buffer pads + wooden frames, mark "fragile" on the outside of the frame, and paste the general transportation label of the transshipment country on the packaging to avoid being misjudged as dangerous goods. High-value-added building materials such as intelligent door and window accessories should use anti-static packaging with built-in desiccant, and place anti-tamper seals in the packaging to ensure that the cargo is not opened during transshipment.

In addition, prepare the MSDS report of the goods in advance. If it involves fragile goods, mark "fragile" on the documents and require the logistics provider to use gentle handling methods.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Linda Gao
**Date:** 2026-10-26

### Answer 9

Export tax refund for building materials transit trade must strictly distinguish between "transit goods" and "direct export goods". Transit goods are not eligible for export tax refund and must be listed separately in the VAT return.

If the original exporter mistakenly reports transit goods as direct export goods, it will trigger tax investigation letters. Provide all documents of the transit trade, including the certificate of origin of the transshipment country, logistics bill of lading, receipt and payment vouchers, etc., to prove that the goods were not actually exported to the final importing country but were resold through the transshipment country.

At the same time, retain all documents of the transit trade for at least 5 years for tax authority verification; if the documents of the transshipment country are in a foreign language, provide a certified English translation from a formal translation agency to ensure that the document content is clear and verifiable. In addition, avoid capital reflux. The payment for transit trade must be transferred through the transshipment country's account, and funds shall not be directly transferred from the importing country's account to the original exporting country's account.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Andy Guo
**Date:** 2026-10-26

### Answer 10

The supply chain planning for building materials transit trade needs to adopt the "inventory linkage strategy", establish a small transshipment warehouse in the transshipment country, reserve commonly used bulk building materials such as ceramic tiles and aluminum profiles, shorten the transshipment cycle and reduce logistics costs. At the same time, dynamically adjust the transit trade categories according to the tariff policies of the importing country.

If the tariff on a certain type of building material is reduced by the importing country, switch to direct export mode to reduce transit trade costs. In addition, convert the CIF trade term to FOB transshipment term to transfer logistics risks to the transshipment agent, sign a long-term cooperation agreement with the transshipment agent to strive for 10%-15% discount on transshipment fees.

Regularly conduct accurate cost accounting for the transit trade chain, including transshipment fees, document fees, logistics fees, etc., to ensure that the profit of transit trade is higher than that of direct export. If the profit is lower than direct export, immediately adjust the transit trade strategy.

**status:** suggested
**Author:** Cindy Chen
**Date:** 2026-10-26

## 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/)
- [General Trade Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-general-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/)

## Structured Data

```json
[
    {
      "@context": "https://schema.org",
      "@type": "QAPage",
      "inLanguage":"en", 
      "isPartOf": { "@id":"https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/#website" }, 
      "publisher":{ "@id":"https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/#organization" },
      "mainEntity": {
        "@type": "Question",
        "name": "What are the main building material categories that can avoid tariff barriers through transit trade?",
        "text": "I am a business owner of a Shanghai-based building materials company specializing in exporting ceramic tiles and industrial aluminum profiles. Last month, two containers of aluminum profiles we shipped to the EU were abandoned by our customer due to the 42% anti-dumping duty imposed by the local government. I lost nearly 780,000 yuan and barely could pay employee salaries. Now I am so anxious that I cannot sleep every day. For our US customers, our marble slabs also face a 30% high tariff, and our order volume has dropped by 60%. I heard from peers that transit trade can avoid such tariff barriers, but I have no idea which building materials are suitable for transit trade. For example, can the light steel keels and fire-resistant gypsum boards we often handle be used for transit trade? Are there any high-value-added building material categories suitable for transit trade? I hope you can explain in detail, otherwise I really cannot keep this business going.",
        "answerCount": 10,
        "upvoteCount": 3,
        "datePublished": "2026-10-26T12:03:15Z",
        "dateModified": "2026-10-26T12:26:17Z",
        "author": {
          "@type": "Person",
          "name": "Zhongshen Trading China",
          "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/main-building-materials-for-transit-trade-to-avoid-tariff-barriers.html"
        }
                ,"acceptedAnswer": {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "Many building material companies have a common misconception: they assume all building materials can be used for transit trade. In fact，some categories are strictly prohibited from transit trade，such as export-controlled refractory materials and military-grade building materials. If you operate illegally，you will directly trigger anti-circumvention investigations by the importing country. Not only will the goods be detained at the transshipment port，resulting in detention fees and container demurrage fees several times the value of the cargo，but the company will also be added to the importing country's trade blacklist，making all subsequent goods unable to clear customs，and may even face fines of 2 to 5 times the tariff amount. For transit-eligible building material categories，you must first pre-verify product compliance through third-country authoritative institutions to physically eliminate traces of the original exporting country. Currently，suitable transit building materials are mainly divided into three categories: first，bulk building materials affected by high tariff barriers，such as ceramic tiles，industrial aluminum profiles，and natural marble slabs，second，high-value-added building materials，such as light steel keels，fire-resistant gypsum boards，and intelligent door and window hardware accessories，third，some general building materials subject to trade restrictions，such as ordinary hot-rolled steel and float glass products. Exclusive loss-mitigation tips: Sign a pre-verification indemnity agreement with the freight forwarding agency. If the cargo is detained due to errors in pre-verification，the agency shall bear 80% of the detention fees and fines. At the same time，reserve 2 to 3 alternative transshipment countries (such as Malaysia，Thailand，and Singapore) in advance to respond to policy changes in a single country and ensure the stability of the transit trade chain. In addition，when transshipping，choose a neutral third-party warehouse to complete container swapping to avoid triggering inspections due to being stored with sensitive cargo.",
            "upvoteCount": 3,
            "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/main-building-materials-for-transit-trade-to-avoid-tariff-barriers.html#acceptedAnswer",
            "datePublished": "2026-10-26T13:46:47Z",
            "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Kevin Lin","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/kevin-lin/"}        }
                ,"suggestedAnswer": [
                  {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "When carrying out building materials transit trade, you need to focus on the logical consistency of customs declaration documents between the transshipment country and the importing country. When declaring customs in the transshipment country, classify the cargo name as general building materials allowed for local transit, and avoid using the detailed coding of the original exporting country. When declaring customs in the importing country, match the documents such as the certificate of origin, packing list, and commercial invoice issued by the transshipment country to ensure that the product name, quantity, and weight are completely consistent. If the document codes do not match, the importing country's customs will initiate a price review dispute procedure, and the cargo detention time can reach 15-30 days. Prepare the third-party inspection report of the transshipment country in advance as evidence, and require the agency to provide "customs declaration pre-audit service" to ensure the logical closure of documents and avoid deleting and re-declaring the declaration.",
            "upvoteCount": 0,
            "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/main-building-materials-for-transit-trade-to-avoid-tariff-barriers.html#suggestedAnswer-2",
            "datePublished": "2026-10-26T13:45:15Z",
            "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Lucas Liu","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/lucas-liu/"}          }
          ,          {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "The logistics route for building materials transit trade should prioritize transshipment countries with direct shipping routes, such as Port Klang in Malaysia and Laem Chabang Port in Thailand, to avoid cargo ownership risks caused by multiple transshipments. Bulk building materials such as ceramic tiles and marble slabs must be transshipped in full containers, and LCL shipping is prohibited to prevent triggering inspections due to mixed loading with other sensitive cargo. High-value-added building materials such as intelligent door and window accessories should use "door-to-door" transit services, monitor the container seal status throughout the entire process, and take videos of the entire process of seal disassembly and new seal installation during container swapping to retain cargo ownership vouchers. If a container skip occurs, immediately activate the alternative transshipment port, and require the logistics provider to provide container demurrage reduction application services, which can usually reduce container demurrage fees for 3-7 days.",
            "upvoteCount": 0,
            "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/main-building-materials-for-transit-trade-to-avoid-tariff-barriers.html#suggestedAnswer-3",
            "datePublished": "2026-10-26T13:38:28Z",
            "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Victor Sun","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/victor-sun/"}          }
          ,          {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "Tax planning for building materials transit trade needs to focus on the VAT deferral policy of the transshipment country. For example, countries such as Malaysia and Thailand allow transit goods to apply for VAT deferral, without paying import VAT in the transshipment country, and only need to submit the departure certificate after the goods leave the country to complete VAT verification. At the same time, avoid abnormal pricing of cross-border related-party transactions. If the profit of transit trade exceeds 20% of similar businesses, it will trigger BEPS investigations by the tax authorities of the transshipment country. Prepare the cost accounting report of the transit business in advance, including details such as transshipment warehouse rent, container swapping fees, and document fees, to ensure that the pricing conforms to the arm's length principle. In addition, you can set up an offshore account in the transshipment country to avoid exchange rate risk, lock the exchange rate between RMB and the transshipment country's currency, and reduce capital fluctuation losses.",
            "upvoteCount": 0,
            "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/main-building-materials-for-transit-trade-to-avoid-tariff-barriers.html#suggestedAnswer-4",
            "datePublished": "2026-10-26T13:23:51Z",
            "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Daniel Xu","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/daniel-xu/"}          }
          ,          {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "For receipt and payment of foreign exchange in building materials transit trade, adopt the "transshipment country account transition" model to avoid directly transferring funds from the importing country's account to the original exporting country's account, which may trigger foreign exchange control warnings. Open a compliant offshore account in the transshipment country, let the importing country pay the货款 to the transshipment country's account, and then transfer the funds from the transshipment country's account to the original exporting country's account. At the same time, retain the trade documents of the transshipment country as the basis for receipt and payment to ensure that the capital flow is consistent with the document flow. If using SWIFT messages, mark "transit trade payment" in the message to avoid being misjudged as a related-party transaction. If using CIPS RMB cross-border payment, submit the compliance certificate of the transit trade to the bank in advance, including the certificate of origin of the transshipment country, third-party inspection report, etc., to ensure the smooth completion of foreign exchange settlement and account reconciliation.",
            "upvoteCount": 0,
            "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/main-building-materials-for-transit-trade-to-avoid-tariff-barriers.html#suggestedAnswer-5",
            "datePublished": "2026-10-26T13:11:15Z",
            "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Evelyn Li","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/evelyn-li/"}          }
          ,          {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "Building materials transit trade requires signing a tripartite agreement to clarify the rights and obligations of the original exporter, transshipment agent, and importer, focusing on agreeing on the cargo ownership transfer node, force majeure fallback clauses, and document authenticity responsibilities. If the transshipment agent cannot issue a genuine certificate of origin, agree that the transshipment agent shall bear all detention risks and losses. At the same time, add an "anti-circumvention investigation exemption clause" to the agreement. If the cargo is detained due to anti-circumvention investigations by the importing country, the transshipment agent shall assist in providing trade documents of the transshipment country to prove that the cargo has undergone substantial processing in the transshipment country (such as container swapping and repackaging). In addition, record the intellectual property rights of high-value-added building materials for customs protection to avoid infringement during transshipment.",
            "upvoteCount": 0,
            "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/main-building-materials-for-transit-trade-to-avoid-tariff-barriers.html#suggestedAnswer-6",
            "datePublished": "2026-10-26T13:08:27Z",
            "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Michael Zhang","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/michael-zhang/"}          }
          ,          {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "For transshipment port inspections in building materials transit trade, prepare the MSDS report and third-party inspection report in advance, especially for categories such as marble slabs and fire-resistant gypsum boards, provide radiation detection reports to avoid triggering inspections due to environmental protection issues. When swapping containers, ensure that the container is clean and free of odors, avoid leaving traces of other cargo, and mark the general cargo logo of the transshipment country on the outside of the container to avoid being listed as a key inspection target by customs. If an abnormal machine inspection occurs, immediately ask the agency to arrange on-site container unpacking inspection, and provide the purchase contract and invoice of the goods as evidence, which can usually be inspected and released within 3-5 days. In addition, pay attention to the seal standards of the transshipment port, must use anti-counterfeit seals recognized by the customs of the transshipment country to avoid being detained due to the authenticity of the seal.",
            "upvoteCount": 0,
            "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/main-building-materials-for-transit-trade-to-avoid-tariff-barriers.html#suggestedAnswer-7",
            "datePublished": "2026-10-26T12:46:33Z",
            "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Grace Wang","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/grace-wang/"}          }
          ,          {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "The packaging of building materials transit trade needs to be designed according to the transshipment route and cargo characteristics. Bulk building materials such as ceramic tiles should use "wooden pallet + stretch film" moisture-proof and reinforced packaging, lay moisture-proof mats at the bottom of the wooden pallet to avoid cargo damage caused by humidity in the rainy season at the transshipment port. Marble slabs should be packaged with foam buffer pads + wooden frames, mark "fragile" on the outside of the frame, and paste the general transportation label of the transshipment country on the packaging to avoid being misjudged as dangerous goods. High-value-added building materials such as intelligent door and window accessories should use anti-static packaging with built-in desiccant, and place anti-tamper seals in the packaging to ensure that the cargo is not opened during transshipment. In addition, prepare the MSDS report of the goods in advance. If it involves fragile goods, mark "fragile" on the documents and require the logistics provider to use gentle handling methods.",
            "upvoteCount": 0,
            "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/main-building-materials-for-transit-trade-to-avoid-tariff-barriers.html#suggestedAnswer-8",
            "datePublished": "2026-10-26T12:44:22Z",
            "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Linda Gao","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/linda-gao/"}          }
          ,          {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "Export tax refund for building materials transit trade must strictly distinguish between "transit goods" and "direct export goods". Transit goods are not eligible for export tax refund and must be listed separately in the VAT return. If the original exporter mistakenly reports transit goods as direct export goods, it will trigger tax investigation letters. Provide all documents of the transit trade, including the certificate of origin of the transshipment country, logistics bill of lading, receipt and payment vouchers, etc., to prove that the goods were not actually exported to the final importing country but were resold through the transshipment country. At the same time, retain all documents of the transit trade for at least 5 years for tax authority verification; if the documents of the transshipment country are in a foreign language, provide a certified English translation from a formal translation agency to ensure that the document content is clear and verifiable. In addition, avoid capital reflux. The payment for transit trade must be transferred through the transshipment country's account, and funds shall not be directly transferred from the importing country's account to the original exporting country's account.",
            "upvoteCount": 0,
            "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/main-building-materials-for-transit-trade-to-avoid-tariff-barriers.html#suggestedAnswer-9",
            "datePublished": "2026-10-26T12:29:01Z",
            "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Andy Guo","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/andy-guo/"}          }
          ,          {
            "@type": "Answer",
            "text": "The supply chain planning for building materials transit trade needs to adopt the "inventory linkage strategy", establish a small transshipment warehouse in the transshipment country, reserve commonly used bulk building materials such as ceramic tiles and aluminum profiles, shorten the transshipment cycle and reduce logistics costs. At the same time, dynamically adjust the transit trade categories according to the tariff policies of the importing country. If the tariff on a certain type of building material is reduced by the importing country, switch to direct export mode to reduce transit trade costs. In addition, convert the CIF trade term to FOB transshipment term to transfer logistics risks to the transshipment agent, sign a long-term cooperation agreement with the transshipment agent to strive for 10%-15% discount on transshipment fees. Regularly conduct accurate cost accounting for the transit trade chain, including transshipment fees, document fees, logistics fees, etc., to ensure that the profit of transit trade is higher than that of direct export. If the profit is lower than direct export, immediately adjust the transit trade strategy.",
            "upvoteCount": 0,
            "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/main-building-materials-for-transit-trade-to-avoid-tariff-barriers.html#suggestedAnswer-10",
            "datePublished": "2026-10-26T12:26:17Z",
            "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Cindy Chen","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/cindy-chen/"}          }
                  ]
              }
    },
    {
      "@context": "https://schema.org",
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
          {"@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/"},{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Q&A", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/"},{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Entrepôt Trade Q&A", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-entrepot-trade/"}          ,{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What are the main building material categories that can avoid tariff barriers through transit trade?"}
      ]
    }
]
```