What are the formal operating procedures that must be followed when handling agency export business for products?
Importing from China?
Need help with sourcing, customs or shipping?
Your China Import Partner
Reliable sourcing and import agency services.
I am engaged in the production of small and medium-sized household daily products. I used to focus on domestic sales only, and just received orders from two small and medium-sized overseas buyers this year. Our company does not have independent import and export operation rights, and has no previous experience in export operation.
I consulted several friends, some said it would take several months to apply for the qualification on my own, some said it is easy to encounter pitfalls when cooperating with agents. I heard not long ago that a neighboring factory had their goods detained and suffered losses after working with a small-scale agent.
Now there are only a little more than two months left before the order delivery deadline, and I am very anxious. I have no idea how to handle agency export for my products, what steps are involved in the whole process, what materials need to be prepared in advance, and what pitfalls should be avoided. Could you explain the specific operation methods clearly so that I can arrange shipment as soon as possible?
EllaYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Financial AdvisorStart a Chat
Pre-document review is the first step of agency export. First，verify the subject qualification of the entrusting party，cargo attributes and information of overseas procurement contracts，confirm whether the products are export commodities under national control，sort out the full set of materials including customs declaration power of attorney，purchase and sale contract，commercial invoice，packing list and draft customs declaration form in advance，and check the matching degree between product declaration information and HS code in advance to avoid abnormal valuation or customs detention caused by incorrect code classification.
The connection of core nodes is divided into four clear links: First，sign the entrustment agency agreement，clarify the rights and responsibilities of both parties，fee standards and ownership of tax refunds to avoid interest disputes in the later stage，Second，booking and customs declaration，connect with shipping companies，manifest and customs systems，and complete information verification in advance，The cargo value must be fully consistent with the declaration information，which is the core requirement for customs clearance compliance，Third，international logistics follow-up and document submission，track the cargo transportation status throughout the process，and deliver the pickup documents to the overseas purchaser in time，Fourth，foreign exchange collection and final settlement.
Prepare response plans for common abnormalities in advance: If customs inspection is required，prepare the full set of documents in advance to cooperate with on-site inspection，and respond to the problems within 1 working day，If shipping rollover occurs，the pre-cooperated shipping enterprises have reserved space as alternatives，so the delivery date will not be delayed，If there are errors or omissions in declaration information，reserve the document modification channel in advance，and complete the correction within 24 hours.
The final compliance implementation requires consistency of four streams throughout the process，and all documents shall be archived and retained for more than 3 years，complying with the latest customs and tax supervision requirements of 2026. Completing pre-declaration verification in advance can avoid more than 90% of declaration abnormalities and ensure smooth export of goods.
OliviaYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Customs AdvisorStart a Chat
In the customs declaration link of agency product export, first confirm the accuracy of commodity classification. In 2026, the customs has intensified the inspection of declaration code compliance, and the system will automatically compare the classification data of similar products. If there is a classification deviation, it will directly trigger manual valuation, and even transfer the goods to the difficult case handling post, delaying the customs clearance time.
In case of valuation disputes, prepare purchase cost vouchers of the goods, domestic logistics documents and transaction price data of similar products in the same industry in advance, submit supporting materials in accordance with the requirements of integrated customs clearance, complete the logical closed loop of secondary declaration, assist the customs in completing valuation inspection, and get the goods released as soon as possible. In case of account hanging or order postponement, check the consistency of declaration data and manifest data immediately, and use the fast channel of document deletion and re-declaration after finding the deviation, which will not incur additional costs.
SarahYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Foreign Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
In the logistics link of agency product export, choose direct shipping or transit scheme according to the volume, weight and delivery time requirements of the goods. For near-ocean routes, direct shipping is preferred to avoid the risk of overbooking and container rollover at transit ports.
For ocean routes, if you are highly sensitive to freight costs, you can choose the transit scheme, confirm the free storage period and demurrage standard with the shipping company in advance, and write relevant clauses into the booking agreement to avoid additional excessive fees after arrival at the port. In case of container rollover, contact the shipping company immediately to arrange priority allocation for the next voyage.
If the delivery time is tight, you can arrange port change and transit to a neighboring port before re-delivery, and control the additional cost of port change throughout the process. For goods that require bill of lading endorsement and transfer, confirm the endorsement format requirements in advance, check the cargo ownership information, and avoid bill of lading errors affecting the delivery of cargo rights.
DavidYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Business Development AdvisorStart a Chat
For agency product export, the VAT deferral policy can be reasonably used to optimize tax costs, especially for goods exported to the EU, the UK and other regions. Applying for VAT deferral can delay the payment time of import VAT, reduce capital occupation and optimize cash flow. Entrusting parties with long-term export business can sort out cross-border transaction pricing logic, do a good job in tax risk isolation, and avoid tax authority inspection caused by tax base erosion.
For goods purchased by non-resident enterprises, it is necessary to withhold relevant taxes for non-resident enterprises in advance and complete compliance declaration to avoid tax problems affecting cargo customs clearance. It is necessary to make adjustments in advance according to the tax requirements of the export destination country, match the corresponding preferential policies, and reduce the overall tax cost.
JohnYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Export Tax Rebate AdvisorStart a Chat
In the foreign exchange receipt and payment link of agency product export, the coverage of the RMB cross-border payment CIPS system has been further improved in 2026. RMB settlement can be chosen to avoid exchange difference losses caused by exchange rate fluctuations and reduce the cost of foreign exchange purchase and settlement.
Foreign exchange receipt and payment must meet the compliance requirements of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. All received foreign exchange funds must correspond to the export cargo value, to ensure the matching of capital flow and cargo flow.
When using SWIFT for foreign exchange receipt and payment, check the message information in advance to ensure that the beneficiary information is consistent with the exporter information, so as to avoid fund hanging caused by message errors. Offshore account funds shall be settled and balanced in accordance with compliance requirements, and relevant information shall be retained for future reference to avoid compliance problems affecting subsequent foreign exchange receipt and payment.
DanielYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Legal AdvisorStart a Chat
The entrustment agreement for agency export shall clarify the division of rights and responsibilities, especially for L/C clauses. It is necessary to check in advance whether there are soft clauses, such as requiring the exporter to provide an inspection certificate that can only be issued by the buyer.
Such clauses will directly make the exporter unable to negotiate payment, so it needs to be modified in advance. In case of force majeure factors such as port strikes and logistics delays, it is necessary to include fallback clauses in the agreement to clarify the division of responsibilities between both parties and avoid breach of contract disputes.
For cargo right transfer, clarify the transfer time node and conditions, issue a letter of guarantee that meets the requirements to ensure compliant transfer of cargo rights. For products involving intellectual property rights, complete customs protection filing in advance.
RobertYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Warehouse Management AdvisorStart a Chat
If on-site customs inspection is encountered during agency product export, first verify the authenticity of the seal, check whether the seal number is consistent with the information on the customs declaration form. If the seal is damaged or the number does not match, report to the customs immediately and re-seal.
If container unpacking inspection is required, arrange unpacking personnel and site in advance, sort out the goods as required, and print the packing list and place it at the door of the container in advance to facilitate the customs to check the cargo information. If sampling and appraisal are required, take samples as required, retain a copy of the sample, follow up the progress of the test report, and submit supporting materials to apply for recheck immediately if the result is abnormal, so as to avoid direct return of the goods.
CharlotteYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Currency Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
In the tax refund link of agency product export, consistency of four streams is required, that is, the cargo flow, capital flow, invoice flow and contract flow are completely matched, which is the core requirement for tax authority inspection. Sort out the full set of documents in advance, complete document filing to respond to tax correspondence verification, ensure all capital paths are clear, and avoid capital return problems that lead to failure of tax refund verification.
For cross-month declaration, complete pre-declaration verification in advance, check the consistency of declaration information and document information, adjust incorrect information in time, and ensure that the formal declaration is passed at one time. Complete information declaration for foreign exchange verification and write-off according to the latest requirements, and enter all foreign exchange receipt information into the system in time to avoid the lack of foreign exchange receipt information affecting the arrival of tax refund.
SophiaYears of service：7Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Customs AdvisorStart a Chat
For agency product export, select packaging that meets the requirements according to the cargo attributes. Ordinary goods shall be treated with moisture-proof and reinforcement measures to avoid damage caused by moisture during ocean transportation. Products with electronic accessories shall be packaged with cushioning materials to avoid damage caused by bumps during transportation.
If it is dangerous goods, the dangerous goods packaging shall be made according to UN standards, complete dangerous goods classification appraisal in advance, and prepare compliant MSDS. The MSDS information must be fully consistent with the actual attributes of the goods, meeting the compliance requirements of both the importing and exporting countries, so as to avoid inspection and cargo detention caused by unqualified packaging. Sampling inspection shall be carried out on the packaging before export to confirm that its strength and protection effect meet the requirements.