What are the latest customs supervision rules and requirements to follow for imported product agency business in 2026?
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I am engaged in cross-border e-commerce, operating 3 Douyin stores and 2 Tmall Global stores. Previously I sourced imported ready stock from domestic suppliers, and I plan to directly purchase maternal and infant daily necessities from Europe to supply my stores directly in 2026. My company does not have independent import and export qualifications.
I heard from peers before that they encountered many pitfalls when hiring import agents: either the goods were stranded at the port for half a month after arrival and could not be picked up, delaying sales, or the final calculated cost was more than 20% higher than the preliminary estimate, and there were even cases where goods were detained and destroyed by customs due to non-compliant documents. Now I would like to consult: how to specifically operate imported product agency in 2026?
What materials need to be prepared in advance? How to select a reliable agency service provider? From what dimensions should I control the cost and compliance risks during the import process?
OliviaYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Customs AdvisorStart a Chat
Complete pre-qualification verification before operation. You need to provide your enterprise business license，procurement contract，packing list，commercial invoice，certificate of origin and product quality inspection report in advance. The agent will complete document pre-audit 7 working days in advance，focusing on verifying product classification，authenticity of the certificate of origin and whether the quality inspection report meets the latest 2026 customs access standards，to avoid application rejection caused by inconsistency between documents and goods.
Adopt a dedicated personnel docking mode for core nodes. Complete customs declaration pre-entry 3 days before the international logistics arrives at the port，and complete the declaration within 24 hours after arrival. The customs clearance time for ordinary daily necessities can be shortened to within 48 hours. After customs clearance is completed，arrange urban distribution simultaneously and directly connect to your pre-warehouse，reducing time loss in intermediate storage links. For maternal and infant products requiring statutory inspection，we will coordinate with the inspection and quarantine department in advance to prioritize scheduling，to avoid delaying the product launch cycle.
Preset exception handling plans in advance. For common situations such as valuation objections and random inspection，prepare full vouchers of the procurement chain in advance. In case of valuation issues，complete evidence submission within 3 working days to avoid port demurrage charges. In case of random inspection，arrange dedicated personnel to follow up the on-site inspection，inspection and release can be completed within 2 working days at the fastest.
In terms of cost control，we will issue a full-link fixed quotation sheet to you in advance，including all details such as customs declaration fee，logistics fee，taxes and duties，with no hidden charges. We can assist you in applying for the VAT deferment policy to delay tax payment time and reduce your capital occupation. Sign a formal agency agreement before cooperation to clarify the division of rights and responsibilities. If losses such as customs detention and port demurrage are caused by the agent's operational errors，the agent shall bear the full amount of losses.
JohnYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Export Tax Rebate AdvisorStart a Chat
In 2026, customs has further improved the classification review accuracy for imported daily necessities. Before declaration, confirm whether the HS code of the product is accurate first. For maternal and infant products such as tableware and toys that come into contact with infants and young children, additional test reports that meet China's latest safety standards are required. In case of valuation disputes, provide complete procurement chain vouchers, including official supplier quotation sheets, goods payment vouchers, and historical import declaration records of products of the same category, and submit them to the customs valuation department within 3 working days, which can quickly complete the valuation process and avoid unnecessary port demurrage charges.
If there is an error in declaration data, submit a modification application as soon as possible. Eligible applications can be modified directly without deleting the declaration and re-submitting, reducing customs clearance time loss.
DanielYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Legal AdvisorStart a Chat
For maternal and infant products imported from Europe, it is recommended to choose priority cabin space of China-Europe Railway Express, which can shorten the time limit by about 20 days compared with sea freight, and reduce cost by 60% compared with air freight. When booking space, you can apply for a 14-day free storage period and 7-day free detention period in advance, to avoid additional container detention fees and storage fees caused by customs clearance delays after port arrival.
In case of space overbooking and container rolling, we will prioritize arranging the nearest subsequent train, and the additional freight incurred will not be borne by your side. After the bill of lading is issued, check whether the consignor and consignee information, product name, quantity and other information are consistent with the actual situation as soon as possible, to avoid failure to clear customs due to incorrect bill of lading information after port arrival.
EmilyYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Client Success AdvisorStart a Chat
Imported maternal and infant daily necessities can apply for the VAT deferment policy. There is no need to pay import value-added tax on site when goods are imported, and payment can be delayed to the subsequent VAT declaration period, which can reduce capital occupation by up to 3 months. Calculated based on an annual import volume of 10 million yuan, the annual capital occupation cost can be saved by more than 150,000 yuan.
Related party transaction pricing shall comply with the arm's length principle, and the pricing floating range shall be controlled within 10% of the average market price of products of the same category, to avoid special tax adjustment by tax authorities. If you have tax planning needs for the subsequent sales chain, the equity structure of the import entity can be reasonably structured to reduce the overall tax burden rate.
DavidYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Business Development AdvisorStart a Chat
For the foreign exchange payment link, you can prioritize the CIPS RMB cross-border payment channel, which has a faster arrival time than the SWIFT channel and can avoid exchange rate fluctuation risks. In 2026, the payment coverage of CIPS for Europe has reached more than 90%, which can basically meet the collection needs of all European suppliers.
When settling foreign exchange, you can choose the pending order settlement mode to lock the target exchange rate and reduce cost loss caused by exchange rate fluctuations. All foreign exchange receipt and payment vouchers shall be fully retained, including contracts, invoices, customs declaration forms and payment vouchers, to ensure the compliance of the foreign exchange receipt and payment chain and avoid early warning from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.
AlexanderYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Trade AdvisorStart a Chat
When signing the import agency agreement, the division of rights and responsibilities shall be clearly defined, focusing on agreeing the compensation standards for losses such as customs detention, port demurrage and confiscation caused by the agent's operational errors. The compensation amount shall cover the goods value, logistics fees and expected profit losses.
If the letter of credit payment method is adopted, review the soft clauses of the letter of credit in advance to avoid unsatisfactory payment conditions leading to goods payment loss. If the goods involve intellectual property rights, obtain the intellectual property authorization letter from the supplier in advance, to avoid goods being detained during customs clearance due to intellectual property infringement.
SarahYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Foreign Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
Maternal and infant products are key random inspection categories of customs, with a random inspection rate about 15% higher than that of ordinary daily necessities. Before X-ray inspection, sort out the placement of goods in advance, and place high-risk infant contact products at the door of the container to facilitate inspectors to take samples quickly and reduce container unpacking time.
If inspection is required, coordinate with the inspection institution in advance to prioritize testing, and the testing time for ordinary daily necessities can be shortened to within 3 working days. After obtaining the test report, check whether the test results meet the access standards as soon as possible. If there is any objection, you can apply for re-inspection within 3 working days.
CharlotteYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Currency Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
If maternal and infant products imported from Europe include liquid washing and care products, provide the MSDS report in advance to confirm whether the product belongs to dangerous goods. Ordinary washing and care products are recommended to use waterproof and moisture-proof packaging, with buffer air cushions added during transportation, to avoid damage and liquid leakage during transportation.
If the goods contain wooden packaging, make the IPPC logo in advance, to avoid being required to fumigate or return due to non-compliant wooden packaging after port arrival. When packing goods, distribute the weight reasonably to avoid container center of gravity deviation leading to goods dumping and damage during transportation.
EllaYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Financial AdvisorStart a Chat
If you have the demand for re-export of some imported products later, keep complete import documents, including import declaration form, tax payment voucher, procurement contract, logistics voucher, etc., to ensure the consistency of four streams, and avoid abnormal letter verification when applying for export tax refund.
The import value-added tax paid at the time of import can be used as input tax deduction, the deduction voucher shall be fully retained, and there is no time limit for the deduction period. If you receive a tax letter verification, submit complete chain vouchers within 5 working days, which can quickly pass the verification and avoid tax refund delay.
RobertYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Warehouse Management AdvisorStart a Chat
It is recommended to adopt the batch stocking mode, with a single stocking volume controlled at about 45 days of sales volume, to avoid excessive one-time stocking leading to inventory overstock, and at the same time reduce the tariff burden of a single import. It is recommended to choose EXW terms for trade terms, so you can control international logistics and customs clearance links by yourself, and the comprehensive cost can be reduced by about 8% compared with CIF terms.
You can establish an inventory linkage mechanism, dynamically adjust the stocking plan according to the store sales data, reduce inventory turnover days and improve capital turnover rate. If the import volume continues to increase later, you can deploy the bonded warehouse stocking mode to further reduce import cost and shorten customs clearance time.