How Do Xiamen Furniture Import Agents Handle Customs Valuation?

I.Xiamen Furniture Import Agency: Practical Tips for Customs Valuation

As a major furniture import port on the southeast coast,Xiamen Port will implement new customs valuation policies starting from 2026.Due to process differences,declared price disputes often arise for wooden furniture.I once encountered a furniture merchant importing Italian solid wood kitchen cabinets,whose declared price deviated by 30% from the customs reference price,leading to suspicion of under-declaration.The goods were detained for over 5 days waiting for the valuation result,resulting in terminal detention fees of RMB 28,000.

Three essential elements for customs valuation must be prepared in advance:

• Transaction background: Provide complete purchase contracts and packing lists (including specifications,models,and material proportions).For example,solid wood furniture must be marked with "solid wood content ≥ 90%";
• Transaction price: Compare import records of the same batch of goods in the past three months,and avoid fluctuations exceeding 15% between the reference price and declared price (the current anti-dumping duty rate for EU furniture imports is 7.8%,which needs to be calculated separately);
• Transportation costs: For less than container load (LCL) sea freight,split the transport documents.For example,a company split 10 sets of sofas into 3 declaration tickets,successfully reducing the total declared price by 12%.

II.Commodity Inspection Pre-Inspection: IPPC Fumigation for Wooden Furniture

The 2026 revised clearly stipulates that all wooden furniture (including accessories) must provide an IPPC fumigation certificate,which must include the "IPPC mark + unique serial number".An enterprise imported carved wooden beds from Malaysia,and was judged to have provided an "invalid certificate" by Xiamen Commodity Inspection Bureau because only a fumigation certificate without the IPPC serial number was provided,resulting in the goods being detained at the inspection site for 48 hours.

Correct operation process:

• Pretreatment at the port of departure: In major furniture exporting countries such as Southeast Asia and Europe,fumigation must be completed 3-5 working days in advance (e.g.fumigation at Bangkok Port,Thailand requires advance reservation to avoid delays);
• Certificate verification: Focus on verifying the "treatment method" column (must be "methyl bromide" or "heat treatment"),and vague expressions such as "disinfection" or "fumigation" are prohibited;
• Packaging marking: IPPC marks (international standard is "IPPC + year + quarantine number") must be clearly printed on four sides of wooden boxes.For example,in 2026,it should be marked as "IPPC 26 1234567".

III.Animal and Plant Quarantine: Endangered Species Control for Rosewood Furniture

Import of precious wood such as rosewood and teak requires a separate .An enterprise smuggled rosewood furniture from Myanmar,and Xiamen Customs found that no endangered species permit was provided during inspection,resulting in direct return of the goods.Note the following:

• Material identification: Attach a "wood identification report" when declaring customs,clearly marking the scientific name of the tree species (e.g."Dalbergia odorifera" corresponds to CITES Appendix II);
• Processing certificate: Finished furniture must provide a "non-endangered wood certificate".For example,a company imported Thai oak furniture and was required to pay an additional tax of RMB 52,000 because it attached an "export permit" instead of a "non-endangered certificate";
• Port inspection: The inspection rate for rosewood at Xiamen Gaoqi Airport Port reaches 35%,so documents proving the origin of the wood must be submitted 24 hours in advance.

IV.Import License Application: Full Process from Application to Release

Furniture import licenses are divided into two categories: ordinary furniture (such as panel furniture) only requires filling out the ,while furniture involving leather and metal coating requires 3C certification.An enterprise failed to apply in advance,delaying the Christmas sales peak season and resulting in storage losses of RMB 80,000.

V.Risk Warning: Four Pitfall Avoidance Guides for Furniture Import

1.Exchange Rate Risk: When the exchange rate of the euro or US dollar fluctuates by more than 3%,it is recommended to use "forward foreign exchange settlement and sale" to lock the exchange rate (the current exchange rate locking handling fee of Bank of China Xiamen Branch is 0.15%);

2.Detention Fee Trap: LCL goods must be picked up within 48 hours after arrival at the port,otherwise a detention fee of RMB 0.5 per cubic meter will be charged per day (an enterprise incurred a detention fee of over RMB 4,000 for a single shipment due to delay);

3.Foreign Exchange Loss Calculation: Under FOB terms,freight and insurance premiums must be separately included in the total declared price (e.g.for a US$1 million order,freight accounts for 12%,so the total declared price must be increased by US$120,000);

4.Misjudgment of Dangerous Goods: Furniture with paint or glue must confirm the "dangerous goods classification" in advance.A company was fined RMB 20,000 during inspection at Xiamen Port for misdeclaring "non-dangerous goods".

Xiamen furniture import agency must rely on the global agency network of Zhongshitong Shanghai Headquarters,and help enterprises avoid the above risks through the "port linkage + document pre-review + risk pre-control" model.During the 2026 furniture import peak seasons (March-May,September-November),it is recommended to complete all procedures 45 days in advance to ensure the goods arrive at the port on time.