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Trade Q&A
Why do small and medium-sized enterprises need professional agency support when engaging in import and export for the first time?
or complex compliance issues.
clearance and fund security.
I am the owner of a start-up garment processing factory. Last week, the sample container shipped to Germany was detained at Hamburg Port due to incorrect formats of the commercial invoice and certificate of origin. The daily port detention fee is 500 euros, and the problem has not been solved for three days.
No one in the factory knows about customs declaration and tax refund processes. I thought hiring a freight forwarder would be enough before, but the freight forwarder said they are not responsible for documents and tax refunds. Now I not only have to pay liquidated damages to the client, but also worry that I cannot get the tax refund.
Looking at the next batch of goods piled up in the warehouse, I am too anxious to sleep. I want to know why I must find an import and export agency? Can't I handle these things on my own?
Andy GuoYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Supply Chain Management ExpertStart a Chat
For enterprises involved in cross-border trade for the first time，breakpoints in the full-link process are often the biggest source of risks. Taking the document problem you encountered as an example，in 2026，the customs' verification requirements for electronic data of certificates of origin have been upgraded to real-time comparison. Format errors in manual filling will directly trigger a red warning of the intelligent document review system，leading to cargo detention.
The core value of professional agencies lies in pre-control and node connection: First，they will review the compliance of all documents at the order confirmation stage，including details such as the consistency between the HS code on the commercial invoice and the goods description，and the authorization scope of the issuing authority of the certificate of origin. Second，they have established direct connection channels with customs，logistics，taxation and other links. Once an abnormality occurs (such as your port detention situation)，they can launch an emergency plan within 24 hours，such as coordinating with the customs to re-verify documents or apply for temporary release.
For the tax refund link，the "four streams integration" verification of export tax refund in 2026 has covered cross-verification of logistics trajectories and capital flows. The agency will help enterprises establish a digital document filing system to ensure the logical closed loop of customs declaration forms，bills of lading，invoices and capital flows，avoiding tax refund delays or rejection caused by untimely filing.
Key Operation Suggestions: When selecting an agency，you need to confirm whether it has the customs AEO advanced certification qualification，which is the core credential for fast customs clearance and priority review in 2026. At the same time，you should require the agency to provide access to the real-time logistics trajectory tracking system，so that you can keep track of cargo dynamics at any time.
Victor SunYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Risk Control ManagerStart a Chat
In 2026, AI algorithm has been introduced into the customs valuation system, which will conduct multi-dimensional comparison on the rationality of declared prices (such as the average declared price of similar goods in the past 3 months, international market conditions, etc.). If the price declared by the enterprise itself deviates from the reasonable range by more than 15%, it will trigger a valuation dispute, leading to the cargo being held for 7 to 15 days.
The agency will conduct pre-audit of the price in advance, match the reasonable declaration range through the historical data model, and prepare supporting documents required for price consultation (such as procurement contracts, payment vouchers, cost accounting sheets) to avoid valuation delays. In addition, for cases of document deletion and re-declaration, the agency can use the green channel of the integrated customs clearance system to shorten the processing time from the regular 3 days to less than 24 hours.
Kevin LinYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Solutions ManagerStart a Chat
In 2026, the shortage of international shipping space has not been alleviated, and the overbooking rate remains at around 12%. Enterprises that book space on their own are prone to container rolling, leading to delivery delays. The agency has long-term cooperative resources with shipping companies, which can prioritize space locking and provide optimized transit schemes: For example, the direct voyage from Shanghai to Hamburg takes 30 days, while transit via Singapore can shorten the duration to 25 days and reduce costs by 8%.
For the problem of container detention fees, the agency will arrange the container pick-up plan in advance according to the free storage period policy of the destination port (such as 7 days of free storage at Hamburg Port), and negotiate with the shipping company to extend the free storage period, which can secure up to 3 extra days to reduce container detention costs.
Jason WuYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
International Logistics & Supply Chain ManagerStart a Chat
In 2026, the EU VAT deferral policy has been extended to more categories. If enterprises operate on their own, they are prone to overpay taxes due to incorrect deferral applications. The agency can help enterprises apply for VAT deferral, postpone the payment time of import VAT to the sales link, and ease cash flow pressure.
In addition, for cross-border related transaction pricing, the agency will design a reasonable transfer pricing scheme based on the latest BEPS rules to avoid anti-tax avoidance investigations by tax authorities. For withholding tax of non-resident enterprises, the agency can assist in applying for preferential tax treaties, reducing the withholding tax rate from 10% to 5%.
Evelyn LiYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Cross-border Compliance SupervisorStart a Chat
In 2026, the utilization rate of CIPS RMB cross-border payment has reached 60%. Enterprises operating on their own may encounter payment delays due to incorrect SWIFT message formats. The agency is familiar with the message specifications of the CIPS system, which can ensure that payment instructions are received within 24 hours.
For foreign exchange settlement and account reconciliation, the agency will use exchange rate fluctuation windows to optimize the timing of foreign exchange purchase, which can reduce exchange rate costs by 0.3% on average. In addition, in terms of offshore account management, the agency will assist enterprises in completing the annual compliance review to avoid account freezing.
Grace WangYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Foreign Trade ConsultantStart a Chat
In 2026, the soft clauses of letters of credit are more concealed, for example, it is required that "the bill of lading submitted by the beneficiary shall show the specific authorized signature of the shipping company", while the signature format is not disclosed. The agency will review L/C clauses in advance, identify soft clauses and require amendments to avoid payment refusal due to discrepancies.
For force majeure clauses, the agency will add clear catch-all clauses in the contract, such as the division of liabilities for delays caused by port strikes. In addition, in terms of customs protection recordation of intellectual property rights, the agency can assist enterprises in completing the recordation to prevent goods from being seized due to infringement.
Lucas LiuYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Operations ConsultantStart a Chat
In 2026, the "four streams consistency" verification of export tax refund has been upgraded to real-time data connection. If the enterprise's document filing is incomplete (such as missing logistics trajectory screenshots), the tax refund will be rejected. The agency will establish a digital filing system to automatically collect documents such as customs declaration forms, bills of lading, invoices and capital flows, and generate filing reports that meet tax requirements.
For tax correspondence verification, the agency will assist enterprises in preparing response materials for the correspondence, ensure that the response content is logically consistent, and shorten the correspondence processing time to less than 7 days. In addition, in the pre-declaration verification link, the agency will use the pre-declaration function of the tax system to find errors in advance, so as to avoid the return of formal declarations.