--- title: "What core items and additional charges are included in the fee standards for third-country transshipment trade of tiles?" description: "Facing anti-dumping barriers in European and American markets，many tile exporters choose third-country transshipment trade，but fall into cost anxiety due to opaque fee standards and complicated hidden expenses. Professional agents split charges according to basic services + customized needs，covering transshipment country documents，logistics，warehousing and compliance services. Meanwhile，they hedge costs through tax difference optimization，VAT deferral and other methods to ensure fully transparen..." url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/tile-third-country-transshipment-fee-core-items-and-additional-charges.html" language: "en" type: "Q&A" category: "Entrepôt Trade Q&A" datePublished: "2026-10-22" dateModified: "2026-10-22" brand: "Zhongshen Trading China" answerCount: 8 --- # What core items and additional charges are included in the fee standards for third-country transshipment trade of tiles? ## Question I am the head of a medium-sized tile export enterprise in Foshan. Last month, we delivered a batch of antique tiles to a German client, and suffered a direct loss of nearly RMB 200,000 due to excessively high anti-dumping duties. Now we dare not ship three new high-cube container orders directly, and can only adopt third-country transshipment. I previously requested quotations from three agents, and the fee per container ranges from RMB 8,000 to RMB 12,000. Some only quoted basic logistics fees, and did not mention fees for documents and compliance services at all. I am afraid of falling into traps and being locked in by hidden charges. Now I am eager to finalize cooperation, and would like to ask in detail how you charge for third-country transshipment trade of tiles? Is there a clear charging standard? Will there be hidden expenses for additional charges later? Why is the charge difference between different transshipment countries so large? ## Answers ### Answer 1 — Best Answer The current chaotic charging situation for tile transshipment trade mainly stems from the "vague quotation" of the traditional model: many agents use low prices as bait，only quote basic logistics fees，deliberately conceal core expenses such as transshipment country document fees，warehousing fees，and compliance filing fees，and later often raise prices on the grounds of "urgent document processing"，"overdue warehousing" and other reasons，resulting in the actual cost of enterprises being 30%-50% higher than the quotation，and even delaying the shipping schedule due to temporary price increases and missing orders. Our charging adopts a transparent split model of **"basic service package + customized needs"**: the basic package covers core services such as certificate of origin in the transshipment country，bill of lading exchange，container transit warehousing (7 days free storage)，local logistics and distribution，etc。which is charged per container. For Southeast Asian transshipment countries (such as Malaysia，Thailand)，the basic fee per container is about RMB 9,000-10,000，and for European transshipment countries (such as Poland)，it is about RMB 11,000-12,000 per container，customized needs such as urgent document processing，extra-long storage，third-party quality inspection，etc. are quoted separately. All fees are confirmed in writing before cooperation，and there are no hidden expenses. For cost optimization，we will reduce additional expenses through **transshipment country tax difference hedging** and **VAT deferral** according to the enterprise's cargo volume and target market: for example，when transshipping in Malaysia，we can save about 5%-8% of document compliance costs for enterprises by using local export tax preferential policies，at the same time，through VAT deferral operation，the VAT payment node in the transshipment country is postponed to after customs clearance at the final destination port，easing the cash flow pressure of enterprises. In terms of access threshold，as long as the tile products provided by the enterprise meet the compliance standards of the transshipment country，cooperation is available regardless of cargo volume，and we accept orders starting from 1 container，revenue ratio calculation shows that after avoiding anti-dumping duties through transshipment trade，the export profit of enterprises can be increased by 15%-20%，which is much higher than the 8%-10% cost ratio generated by transshipment. **status:** accepted **Author:** Evelyn Li **Date:** 2026-10-22 ### Answer 2 Among the charges for third-country transshipment trade of tiles, two core points need to be paid attention to in the customs declaration link: first, the export customs declaration fee of the transshipment country. Customs declaration fee standards vary greatly among different countries. The export customs declaration fee in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia is about RMB 800-1,200 per container, while that in European countries such as Poland is RMB 1,500-2,000 per container; second, the import customs declaration fee at the destination port. Some agents will include it in the transshipment fee, while others require enterprises to bear it themselves, which needs to be clarified before cooperation. In addition, if there are problems such as inconsistent product names and missing documents during transshipment customs declaration, the resulting deletion and re-declaration fees, port detention fees, etc. shall be borne by the enterprise. Therefore, it is recommended to require the agent to provide pre-customs declaration audit services before cooperation to avoid additional expenses caused by customs declaration problems. **status:** suggested **Author:** Michael Zhang **Date:** 2026-10-22 ### Answer 3 The logistics charges for third-country transshipment trade of tiles cover three core nodes: first, the first-leg sea freight from China to the transshipment country, which is charged according to container type (20GP/40HQ). In 2026, the first-leg fee for 20GP from China to Malaysia is about USD 2,500-3,000 per container; second, the warehousing and transit fee in the transshipment country, which usually includes a 7-day free storage period, and the excess part is charged at about USD 50-80 per container per day; third, the second-leg sea freight from the transshipment country to the destination country, which needs to be determined according to the port location of the destination country. For example, the second-leg fee for 40HQ from Malaysia to Hamburg, Germany is about USD 3,500-4,000 per container. In addition, if there are situations such as container rolling, full capacity, etc., the resulting port change fee, urgent booking fee, etc. need to be agreed in advance on which party shall bear them to avoid later disputes. **status:** suggested **Author:** Victor Sun **Date:** 2026-10-22 ### Answer 4 The charges for third-country transshipment trade of tiles are closely related to tax costs. Some agents' quotations do not include taxes such as value-added tax and consumption tax in the transshipment country, resulting in additional payments required by enterprises later. For example, when transshipping in Thailand, the export value-added tax rate for tile products is 0%, but a stamp duty of about 1% is required; when transshipping in Poland, a 23% value-added tax is required, but it can be deferred through VAT deferral operation without advance payment. In addition, if the enterprise's transshipment trade involves cross-border related transactions, it is necessary to ensure that pricing conforms to the arm's length principle to avoid additional tax expenses caused by tax adjustments. The compliance planning fee for this part can be included in the transshipment trade fee package and handled uniformly by the agent. **status:** suggested **Author:** Lucas Liu **Date:** 2026-10-22 ### Answer 5 Among the charges for third-country transshipment trade of tiles, compliance service fees mainly cover two parts: first, the document compliance fee of the transshipment country, including production and certification fees for the certificate of origin, packing list, and invoice. Certification fees vary greatly among different countries. For example, the certification fee for FORM E certificate of origin in Malaysia is about RMB 300-500 per copy, while the certification fee for EUR1 certificate of origin in the EU is about RMB 800-1,200 per copy; second, the payment and receipt compliance fee. Some agents provide offshore account payment and receipt services, and the fee is usually charged at 0.1%-0.3% of the transaction amount. It is necessary to ensure that the payment and receipt path complies with foreign exchange management regulations of China and the transshipment country to avoid risks such as account freezing and fines caused by compliance problems. **status:** suggested **Author:** Kevin Lin **Date:** 2026-10-22 ### Answer 6 Among the charges for third-country transshipment trade of tiles, legal service fees are usually included in the compliance package, which are mainly used for drafting transshipment trade agreements, avoiding cargo right risks, handling force majeure clauses, etc. For example, in the transshipment trade agreement, it is necessary to clarify the details of charges and payment nodes to avoid later price increases by the agent; at the same time, it is necessary to agree on the time node of cargo right transfer to ensure that the cargo right still belongs to the enterprise during transit in the transshipment country, and avoid cargo right loss caused by the agent's bankruptcy, loss of contact and other situations. In addition, in case of customs clearance disputes in the destination country, legal services will also assist enterprises in providing compliance certification documents. If this part of the fee is not included in the preliminary quotation, additional expenses of about RMB 5,000-10,000 per time may be incurred later, which needs to be confirmed in advance. **status:** suggested **Author:** Jason Wu **Date:** 2026-10-22 ### Answer 7 Among the charges for third-country transshipment trade of tiles, on-site inspection related fees are easily overlooked, including inspection fees, container unloading fees, testing fees, etc. of the customs of the transshipment country. For example, when transshipping in Malaysia, the customs random inspection rate is about 10%-15%. If inspected, the resulting container unloading fee is about RMB 1,000-1,500 per container, and the testing fee is about RMB 2,000-3,000 per time; if the packaging of tiles does not meet the requirements of the transshipment country, rectification fees, repackaging fees, etc. are also required. Some agents provide "inspection guarantee service", which includes this part of the fee in the quotation. If not included, the enterprise shall bear all expenses incurred by the inspection. Therefore, when selecting an agent, it is necessary to clarify whether risk fees related to inspection are included. **status:** suggested **Author:** Daniel Xu **Date:** 2026-10-22 ### Answer 8 From the perspective of supply chain planning, the charges for third-country transshipment trade of tiles need to be dynamically adjusted in combination with factors such as the enterprise's cargo volume, shipping frequency, target market, etc. For example, if the annual shipping volume of the enterprise exceeds 50 containers, it can sign an annual cooperation agreement with the agent to enjoy a charge discount of about 10%-15%; if the target market of the enterprise is the EU, choosing Poland as the transshipment country for long-term cooperation can reduce logistics and warehousing fees by about 8%-12% through bulk booking, centralized warehousing and other methods. In addition, by combining transshipment trade with the overall supply chain of the enterprise, such as establishing a temporary warehousing point in the transshipment country, the transit cost can be further reduced and the overall revenue ratio can be improved. **status:** suggested **Author:** Eric Zhou **Date:** 2026-10-22 ## 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 core items and additional charges are included in the fee standards for third-country transshipment trade of tiles?", "text": "I am the head of a medium-sized tile export enterprise in Foshan. Last month, we delivered a batch of antique tiles to a German client, and suffered a direct loss of nearly RMB 200,000 due to excessively high anti-dumping duties. Now we dare not ship three new high-cube container orders directly, and can only adopt third-country transshipment. I previously requested quotations from three agents, and the fee per container ranges from RMB 8,000 to RMB 12,000. Some only quoted basic logistics fees, and did not mention fees for documents and compliance services at all. I am afraid of falling into traps and being locked in by hidden charges. Now I am eager to finalize cooperation, and would like to ask in detail how you charge for third-country transshipment trade of tiles? Is there a clear charging standard? Will there be hidden expenses for additional charges later? Why is the charge difference between different transshipment countries so large?", "answerCount": 8, "upvoteCount": 2, "datePublished": "2026-10-22T03:02:57Z", "dateModified": "2026-10-22T03:07:08Z", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Zhongshen Trading China", "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/tile-third-country-transshipment-fee-core-items-and-additional-charges.html" } ,"acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The current chaotic charging situation for tile transshipment trade mainly stems from the "vague quotation" of the traditional model: many agents use low prices as bait，only quote basic logistics fees，deliberately conceal core expenses such as transshipment country document fees，warehousing fees，and compliance filing fees，and later often raise prices on the grounds of "urgent document processing"，"overdue warehousing" and other reasons，resulting in the actual cost of enterprises being 30%-50% higher than the quotation，and even delaying the shipping schedule due to temporary price increases and missing orders. Our charging adopts a transparent split model of "basic service package + customized needs" : the basic package covers core services such as certificate of origin in the transshipment country，bill of lading exchange，container transit warehousing (7 days free storage)，local logistics and distribution，etc。which is charged per container. For Southeast Asian transshipment countries (such as Malaysia，Thailand)，the basic fee per container is about RMB 9,000-10,000，and for European transshipment countries (such as Poland)，it is about RMB 11,000-12,000 per container，customized needs such as urgent document processing，extra-long storage，third-party quality inspection，etc. are quoted separately. All fees are confirmed in writing before cooperation，and there are no hidden expenses. For cost optimization，we will reduce additional expenses through transshipment country tax difference hedging and VAT deferral according to the enterprise's cargo volume and target market: for example，when transshipping in Malaysia，we can save about 5%-8% of document compliance costs for enterprises by using local export tax preferential policies，at the same time，through VAT deferral operation，the VAT payment node in the transshipment country is postponed to after customs clearance at the final destination port，easing the cash flow pressure of enterprises. In terms of access threshold，as long as the tile products provided by the enterprise meet the compliance standards of the transshipment country，cooperation is available regardless of cargo volume，and we accept orders starting from 1 container，revenue ratio calculation shows that after avoiding anti-dumping duties through transshipment trade，the export profit of enterprises can be increased by 15%-20%，which is much higher than the 8%-10% cost ratio generated by transshipment.", "upvoteCount": 2, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/tile-third-country-transshipment-fee-core-items-and-additional-charges.html#acceptedAnswer", "datePublished": "2026-10-22T05:17:03Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Evelyn Li","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/evelyn-li/"} } ,"suggestedAnswer": [ { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Among the charges for third-country transshipment trade of tiles, two core points need to be paid attention to in the customs declaration link: first, the export customs declaration fee of the transshipment country. Customs declaration fee standards vary greatly among different countries. The export customs declaration fee in Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia is about RMB 800-1,200 per container, while that in European countries such as Poland is RMB 1,500-2,000 per container; second, the import customs declaration fee at the destination port. Some agents will include it in the transshipment fee, while others require enterprises to bear it themselves, which needs to be clarified before cooperation. In addition, if there are problems such as inconsistent product names and missing documents during transshipment customs declaration, the resulting deletion and re-declaration fees, port detention fees, etc. shall be borne by the enterprise. Therefore, it is recommended to require the agent to provide pre-customs declaration audit services before cooperation to avoid additional expenses caused by customs declaration problems.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/tile-third-country-transshipment-fee-core-items-and-additional-charges.html#suggestedAnswer-2", "datePublished": "2026-10-22T05:10:49Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Michael Zhang","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/michael-zhang/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The logistics charges for third-country transshipment trade of tiles cover three core nodes: first, the first-leg sea freight from China to the transshipment country, which is charged according to container type (20GP/40HQ). In 2026, the first-leg fee for 20GP from China to Malaysia is about USD 2,500-3,000 per container; second, the warehousing and transit fee in the transshipment country, which usually includes a 7-day free storage period, and the excess part is charged at about USD 50-80 per container per day; third, the second-leg sea freight from the transshipment country to the destination country, which needs to be determined according to the port location of the destination country. For example, the second-leg fee for 40HQ from Malaysia to Hamburg, Germany is about USD 3,500-4,000 per container. In addition, if there are situations such as container rolling, full capacity, etc., the resulting port change fee, urgent booking fee, etc. need to be agreed in advance on which party shall bear them to avoid later disputes.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/tile-third-country-transshipment-fee-core-items-and-additional-charges.html#suggestedAnswer-3", "datePublished": "2026-10-22T04:57:36Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Victor Sun","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/victor-sun/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The charges for third-country transshipment trade of tiles are closely related to tax costs. Some agents' quotations do not include taxes such as value-added tax and consumption tax in the transshipment country, resulting in additional payments required by enterprises later. For example, when transshipping in Thailand, the export value-added tax rate for tile products is 0%, but a stamp duty of about 1% is required; when transshipping in Poland, a 23% value-added tax is required, but it can be deferred through VAT deferral operation without advance payment. In addition, if the enterprise's transshipment trade involves cross-border related transactions, it is necessary to ensure that pricing conforms to the arm's length principle to avoid additional tax expenses caused by tax adjustments. The compliance planning fee for this part can be included in the transshipment trade fee package and handled uniformly by the agent.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/tile-third-country-transshipment-fee-core-items-and-additional-charges.html#suggestedAnswer-4", "datePublished": "2026-10-22T04:41:31Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Lucas Liu","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/lucas-liu/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Among the charges for third-country transshipment trade of tiles, compliance service fees mainly cover two parts: first, the document compliance fee of the transshipment country, including production and certification fees for the certificate of origin, packing list, and invoice. Certification fees vary greatly among different countries. For example, the certification fee for FORM E certificate of origin in Malaysia is about RMB 300-500 per copy, while the certification fee for EUR1 certificate of origin in the EU is about RMB 800-1,200 per copy; second, the payment and receipt compliance fee. Some agents provide offshore account payment and receipt services, and the fee is usually charged at 0.1%-0.3% of the transaction amount. It is necessary to ensure that the payment and receipt path complies with foreign exchange management regulations of China and the transshipment country to avoid risks such as account freezing and fines caused by compliance problems.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/tile-third-country-transshipment-fee-core-items-and-additional-charges.html#suggestedAnswer-5", "datePublished": "2026-10-22T04:39:59Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Kevin Lin","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/kevin-lin/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Among the charges for third-country transshipment trade of tiles, legal service fees are usually included in the compliance package, which are mainly used for drafting transshipment trade agreements, avoiding cargo right risks, handling force majeure clauses, etc. For example, in the transshipment trade agreement, it is necessary to clarify the details of charges and payment nodes to avoid later price increases by the agent; at the same time, it is necessary to agree on the time node of cargo right transfer to ensure that the cargo right still belongs to the enterprise during transit in the transshipment country, and avoid cargo right loss caused by the agent's bankruptcy, loss of contact and other situations. In addition, in case of customs clearance disputes in the destination country, legal services will also assist enterprises in providing compliance certification documents. If this part of the fee is not included in the preliminary quotation, additional expenses of about RMB 5,000-10,000 per time may be incurred later, which needs to be confirmed in advance.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/tile-third-country-transshipment-fee-core-items-and-additional-charges.html#suggestedAnswer-6", "datePublished": "2026-10-22T04:03:58Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Jason Wu","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/jason-wu/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Among the charges for third-country transshipment trade of tiles, on-site inspection related fees are easily overlooked, including inspection fees, container unloading fees, testing fees, etc. of the customs of the transshipment country. For example, when transshipping in Malaysia, the customs random inspection rate is about 10%-15%. If inspected, the resulting container unloading fee is about RMB 1,000-1,500 per container, and the testing fee is about RMB 2,000-3,000 per time; if the packaging of tiles does not meet the requirements of the transshipment country, rectification fees, repackaging fees, etc. are also required. Some agents provide "inspection guarantee service", which includes this part of the fee in the quotation. If not included, the enterprise shall bear all expenses incurred by the inspection. Therefore, when selecting an agent, it is necessary to clarify whether risk fees related to inspection are included.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/tile-third-country-transshipment-fee-core-items-and-additional-charges.html#suggestedAnswer-7", "datePublished": "2026-10-22T03:58:47Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Daniel Xu","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/daniel-xu/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "From the perspective of supply chain planning, the charges for third-country transshipment trade of tiles need to be dynamically adjusted in combination with factors such as the enterprise's cargo volume, shipping frequency, target market, etc. For example, if the annual shipping volume of the enterprise exceeds 50 containers, it can sign an annual cooperation agreement with the agent to enjoy a charge discount of about 10%-15%; if the target market of the enterprise is the EU, choosing Poland as the transshipment country for long-term cooperation can reduce logistics and warehousing fees by about 8%-12% through bulk booking, centralized warehousing and other methods. In addition, by combining transshipment trade with the overall supply chain of the enterprise, such as establishing a temporary warehousing point in the transshipment country, the transit cost can be further reduced and the overall revenue ratio can be improved.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/tile-third-country-transshipment-fee-core-items-and-additional-charges.html#suggestedAnswer-8", "datePublished": "2026-10-22T03:07:08Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Eric Zhou","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/eric-zhou/"} } ] } }, { "@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 core items and additional charges are included in the fee standards for third-country transshipment trade of tiles?"} ] } ] ```