How to legally and compliantly expand domestic sales channels for imported agency products after completing customs clearance
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I obtained the national exclusive agency right for a 100% Europe-origin imported infant complementary food product last year. I completed all customs clearance and warehousing procedures in March this year, and more than 1,200 units of goods are now stored in a public bonded warehouse in Shanghai, not yet officially launched for sale.
I only engaged in the wholesale of local domestic food products before, with no prior experience in domestic sales of imported agency products, and I do not know what additional compliance requirements shall be met for selling imported products. I originally planned to cooperate with leading online maternal and child livestream rooms and offline chain maternal and child stores, but all of them required me to submit corresponding compliance documents.
I cannot figure out which documents are mandatory and fear of making mistakes that lead to regulatory penalties. I have limited startup capital, most of which is tied up in this batch of goods. I want to sell the goods compliantly as soon as possible to recover the funds, and I am asking about specific operation procedures and approaches to quickly expand reliable sales channels.
JohnYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Export Tax Rebate AdvisorStart a Chat
In 2026，the General Administration of Customs of China rolled out a new policy to simplify domestic sales filing for general trade imported commodities，canceled the secondary operation filing requirement for multiple categories of imported goods，shortened the 15-working-day-long qualification verification process to 3 working days，and opened a direct system connection channel between importer qualifications and online platforms. Most new entrants in the import agency industry have not accessed and utilized this policy dividend in time.
The implementation operation is divided into three steps. The first step is to sort out core compliance documents，prioritize confirming the Entry Inspection and Quarantine Certificate and Chinese Label Filing Number. These two types of documents are mandatory access requirements for all offline and online channels. Sorting them into electronic versions in advance can be directly submitted for channel investment attraction audits，which shortens the docking cycle. The second step is to arrange channels in a layered mode. If cash flow is relatively tight，prioritize cooperating with regional food distributors，adopt the cash-on-delivery distribution model to recover most of the capital quickly. The remaining small batch of goods can be used to cooperate with vertical maternal and child livestream influencers online and settle in import e-commerce zones. In 2026，major platforms provide 10%-15% traffic subsidies for compliant general trade imported goods，so the customer acquisition cost is nearly 20% lower than that in 2025. The third step is to implement dynamic inventory control，prioritize promoting core SKUs，and increase stocking volume after testing market response.
The key compliance red line to note is that no unauthorized alteration or extra printing of Chinese labels is allowed，and repackaging large packages into small ones without re-submitting for inspection is strictly prohibited. Violation of the red line will directly trigger product shelf removal，and serious cases will result in being listed in the abnormal importer directory，which will affect all subsequent business operations.
CharlotteYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Currency Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
Capital settlement for domestic sales of imported agency products shall comply with the current account receipt and payment rules updated by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange at the end of 2025. RMB proceeds from domestic sales do not need foreign-related declaration. If the agency agreement stipulates that profits shall be remitted to the overseas brand owner, prepare the corresponding agency agreement and tax payment certificate in advance, and remit the funds through the CIPS RMB cross-border payment channel to avoid being intercepted by banks during foreign exchange settlement.
For general trade import where the import foreign exchange payment process has been completed, domestic sales proceeds can be directly kept and used in domestic accounts without special declaration. You only need to keep corresponding sales contracts and delivery notes for future reference, and cooperate with banks to update stock information at the beginning of each year to ensure normal capital turnover and usage.
SophiaYears of service：7Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Customs AdvisorStart a Chat
You can design different inventory distribution strategies according to the shelf life and packaging specifications of imported products. For products with a shelf life longer than 18 months, 30% of the inventory can be reserved for direct online sales, and 70% of the inventory can be allocated to regional secondary distributors to quickly expand market coverage and seize market share.
For products with a shelf life shorter than 12 months, prioritize the short-link sales model of community group buying and high-volume livestream sales to avoid inventory expiration losses. Trade terms can be adjusted according to different channels: adopt standard domestic distribution clauses for goods delivered to distributors, clarify the ownership transfer node, and reduce your own inventory risk. Meanwhile, sign a dynamic inventory agreement with the port warehouse operator, and settle warehouse fees based on actual outbound volume to cut down fixed cost expenditure.
DavidYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Business Development AdvisorStart a Chat
Domestic sales of imported agency products are subject to value-added tax and corporate income tax. General taxpayers can deduct the value-added tax already paid at the import link, so no duplicate tax payment is required. Small-scale taxpayers can enjoy the latest 2026 value-added tax exemption policy for small-scale taxpayers, that sales with monthly revenue no more than RMB 150,000 are fully exempted.
If you are the authorized agent of an overseas brand owner, you need to withhold and pay the non-resident enterprise pre-tax income tax when paying the brand agency fee. Specify the tax burden bearer in the contract in advance to avoid extra subsequent costs. Some imported livelihood-related categories can also enjoy domestic circulation link tax reduction policies, you can file an application with the local tax authority in advance to get corresponding tax incentives.
EmilyYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Client Success AdvisorStart a Chat
The agency agreement signed with the overseas brand owner shall clarify the authorization scope of domestic sales, especially the intellectual property authorization clause, which shall clearly stipulate the authorization for you to use trademarks and product images in China, to avoid subsequent intellectual property infringement complaints. When cooperating with offline channels and online platforms, clarify the return and exchange rules as well as quality responsibility division.
If product quality problems are caused by the brand owner, the recovery path shall be clearly specified in the contract, and the quality security deposit shall be reserved in advance to reduce your own risks. For exclusive agency agreements, clearly stipulate that the brand owner shall not authorize any third party to sell products in your designated region, and add the breach of contract compensation clause to protect your legitimate rights and interests.
AlexanderYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Trade AdvisorStart a Chat
Before imported products are launched for sale, confirm that the information of the business entity and consignee on the customs declaration form is consistent with your agency qualification. If the business entity on the customs declaration form is a third-party customs declaration agency, complete the business entity change or agency filing in advance, to avoid information inconsistency problems during subsequent channel qualification verification.
If the product requires an Automatic Import License, confirm that the importer and user information marked on the license includes your enterprise. The license can be used for domestic sales and circulation without re-application. If customs declaration information is modified due to price review disputes, update corresponding information of compliance documents in time to avoid inconsistency between documents and customs declaration information that blocks sales access.
EllaYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Financial AdvisorStart a Chat
If you need to deliver goods to domestic channels in batches, you can choose different distribution solutions based on order volume. For large bulk orders sent to distributors, use domestic dedicated highway lines, which costs about 30% lower than express delivery.
For small online retail orders, you can directly cooperate with bonded warehouses for order fulfillment, no need to rent warehouses or handle packaging by yourself, which reduces warehousing and labor costs. Clarify the distribution cycle to channels in advance.
If the product requires cold chain transportation, confirm the temperature control qualification of the domestic distribution link in advance to avoid product deterioration and unnecessary loss during transportation. Meanwhile, purchase domestic logistics freight insurance to cover cargo damage risks in transit, and reduce accidental losses.