PureExport agentHow to establish an effective cooperation evaluation system?

The basic services of a professional agency typically include:

• Trade compliance management: Handling HS code classification, origin certification, and export license applications
• Document Preparation System: Automatically generate standard documents such as commercial invoices, packing lists, and bills of lading.
• Cross-border logistics integration: Provide optimized transportation solutions under different terms such as FOB/CIF/DDP.
• Foreign exchange settlement services: Handle multi-currency receipts and payments through offshore accounts to hedge against exchange rate risks.

Taking the cases published by the General Administration of Customs in 2023 as an example, a certain electromechanical equipment manufacturer, through the classification pre-ruling service provided by an agency, achieved a 40% improvement in customs clearance efficiency for a single batch of goods and a 72% reduction in port demurrage expenses.

Agency export,What are the advantages of this model compared to self-operated exports?

According to the 2025 foreign trade enterprise survey data, companies opting for export agency services primarily consider the following factors:

• Initial cost savings: No need to establish in-house import/export departments or EDI systems (average savings of 280,000/year)
• Policy response speed: Respond promptly to changes in trade barriers such as the new RCEP regulations and the EU carbon border tax.
• Optimization of capital turnover: Extend the payment period by utilizing the credit line of agents (commonly up to 90-120 days).
• Risk dispersion mechanism: Jointly bear trade risks such as discrepancies in letters of credit and cargo abandonment at the destination port.

What are the hidden costs in the pricing standards of agency services?

The fee structure of formal agency companies typically includes:

• Basic Service Costs: Charged at 0.8%-1.5% of the cargo value (including customs declaration and document preparation)
• Value Added Services:
  • Special document certification: 500-2000 yuan per order
  • Customs clearance assistance at destination port: 0.3%-0.5% of cargo value
• Funds for services：A surcharge of 50-80 RMB will be added for every 10,000 USD in forward exchange settlement.

Special attention is neededHidden price increases in logistics processes, some agents may profit from freight rate differentials by designating specific freight forwarders. It is recommended to request a breakdown of the quotation details and compare them with publicly available market freight rates.

This article details the core value of origin agency, the selection criteria for service providers, common operational misunderstandings, compares the cost-effectiveness of self-handling and entrusting an agency, and provides compliant and efficient solutions for enterprises.

It is recommended to adopt the "Four-Dimensional Evaluation Method":

• Qualification review: Verify Customs AEO certification and SAFE registration list.
• System Verification: Request a demonstration of the practical application of the trade big data early warning platform.
• Case tracing: Verify the export records of similar products in the past three years (desensitized customs declaration form samples can be applied for).
• Emergency testing: Simulate sudden trade disputes (such as U.S. Section 337 investigations) to observe the professionalism of response plans.

The newly implemented "Credit Rating Measures for Cross-Border Trade Service Providers" in 2025 can serve as an important reference, with priority given to selecting AAA-rated service providers.

Under what circumstances is it not recommended to use export agents?

When an enterprise meets the following conditions, it is recommended to establish a self-operated export system:

• Annual export volume consistently exceeds $5 million
• The products involve special regulatory areas such as military and dual-use items.
• There are strict original equipment manufacturer export requirements in the primary market (e.g., OE orders for automotive parts).
• An established and mature international supply chain management system has been developed.

It is worth noting that the fiscal policies introduced by the Ministry of Finance in 2024Special Subsidy Policy for Small and Micro Foreign Trade Enterprises, export agency enterprises are still allowed to declare.Export tax refundThis has lifted the previous restriction of having to handle export operations independently.