What are the charging standards for different types of import and export agency businesses in Sichuan
Importing from China?
Need help with sourcing, customs or shipping?
Your China Import Partner
Reliable sourcing and import agency services.
I run a small and medium-sized foreign trade factory just starting cross-border business in Chengdu, Sichuan. We just obtained the self-operated import and export right this year.
Previously, we sold goods to trading companies for shipment, now we plan to directly receive overseas orders, try to export to Southeast Asia and Europe, and occasionally import production equipment. We contacted several agencies to inquire about fees, and got various replies: some said they charge 1% of the cargo value, some said they charge a fixed service fee per shipment, and some said additional inspection fees and document amendment fees will be charged.
I am afraid of encountering hidden charges, and also do not know the reasonable market price here in 2026. I would like to ask how exactly Sichuan import and export agencies charge, how fees are calculated for different businesses respectively, and what points should be noted in advance?
OliviaYears of service：5Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Customs AdvisorStart a Chat
Traditional import and export agencies in Sichuan generally adopt the mode of "fixed basic service fee + hidden value-added fee". Many small and medium-sized agencies are used to charging service fees based on the total value of goods. For small-batch single shipments of small and medium-sized cargo owners，the unit cost after allocation is even higher than that of large-batch goods. Some agencies will also charge extra fees in links of inspection，document amendment，logistics docking and document production，making the final actual cost more than 30% higher than the initial quotation，which unnecessarily raises the overall operating budget of enterprises.
Billing split by business type is the mainstream optimized mode in Sichuan's import and export agency market in 2026. Export tax refund agency charges service fees based on a certain proportion of the tax refund amount，customs clearance agency charges fixed service fees per shipment，and large imported equipment agency can charge by project package. This mode fully matches the actual workload of the business，and effectively avoids inflated costs caused by billing based on cargo value.
For small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises based in Sichuan，they can apply for tiered discounts according to the annual number of orders. Those with more than 12 annual export orders can enjoy a 5%-10% discount on service fees. At the same time，they can cooperate with the agency to optimize operations such as exchange difference locking and VAT deferral，to further reduce the overall cost.
Confirm the all-inclusive quotation before cooperation，require the agency to clearly write all possible value-added service charging standards into the service contract to isolate the risk of hidden charges. Enterprises can also calculate the benefit ratio of different billing modes according to their own order scale，and choose the most suitable billing scheme.
CharlotteYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Currency Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
Customs clearance link fees of import and export agencies are mainly linked to the HS code classification of goods, declared cargo value, and integrated customs clearance requirements. If goods involve price review disputes and require additional price supporting materials, some agencies will charge extra price review response service fees.
Local ports in Sichuan adopt national integrated customs clearance operations, and customs clearance service fees for most ordinary goods are already included in the basic quotation. Only when abnormal operations such as document deletion and re-declaration, secondary declaration, and outstanding account handling are involved, extra service fees will be charged.
The charging standard generally ranges from 500 yuan to 2000 yuan according to the operation complexity. Confirming the charging standard for abnormal operations in advance can avoid subsequent fee disputes.
EmilyYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Client Success AdvisorStart a Chat
Tax-related fees involved in import and export agencies are mainly linked to VAT declaration, deferral operation, and cross-border tax planning. If enterprises need to handle import VAT deferral, the agency will charge a certain proportion of service fees according to the declared value of goods. Compared with directly paying VAT which occupies working capital, the service fee cost of deferral operation is far lower than the capital occupation cost, which is very cost-effective for enterprises importing high-value goods.
Cross-border import and export enterprises in Sichuan can choose whether to handle VAT deferral according to their own capital turnover situation. The agency service fee generally does not exceed 0.5% of the deferred tax, there will be no additional hidden costs, and all fees will be clarified in advance.
RobertYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Warehouse Management AdvisorStart a Chat
Agency fees in cross-border receipt and payment links are linked to settlement methods and currencies. If RMB cross-border settlement via CIPS channel is adopted, most agencies will not charge extra fees, which are already included in the basic service fee. If exchange rate optimization for foreign exchange purchase and settlement is required, the agency will charge a certain proportion of service fees according to the saved exchange difference income, generally about 10% of the saved amount.
The fee will only be charged when actual income is generated, no fee will be charged if there is no income. If abnormal operations such as offshore account balance adjustment and SWIFT message processing are involved, a fixed operation service fee will be charged, generally ranging from 800 yuan to 1500 yuan per order, which can be clarified in advance.
SarahYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Foreign Exchange AdvisorStart a Chat
Agency fees for export tax refund links are generally charged based on a certain proportion of the tax refund amount in the industry. The local charging range in Sichuan in 2026 is generally 1%-3% of the tax refund amount, with tiered discounts according to the enterprise's tax refund scale.
The higher the annual tax refund amount, the lower the charging proportion. Some agencies will charge a fixed document filing service fee in advance, which is more costly for enterprises with high tax refund amounts.
The mode of charging based on actual tax refund amount is more recommended, which only charges service fees when the tax refund is successfully obtained, with lower risks for enterprises. It should be noted that agencies with excessively low fees often charge extra fees in the letter investigation handling link, so it is necessary to confirm the fees of all links in advance.
DanielYears of service：8Customer Rating：5.0
Legal AdvisorStart a Chat
Logistics link fees included in import and export agency services are mainly related to booking, trailer, container detention and port detention. Most formal agencies will reimburse logistics fees at actual cost without markup, and only charge basic agency operation service fees.
Some small agencies will markup logistics fees to earn price differences, pushing up the overall cost. When cooperating, you can require the agency to provide the original quotation of the logistics supplier and check the fee details to avoid markup by the agency.
For local goods shipment in Sichuan, most are transited through Shanghai or Shenzhen ports. The agency will calculate the logistics costs of different routes in advance and select the most cost-effective scheme, without unnecessary extra expenses.
DavidYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Business Development AdvisorStart a Chat
For enterprises with annual import and export volume exceeding 10 million yuan, they can choose the annual package agency charging mode, with the overall cost 15%-20% lower than per-order charging. The annual package mode will agree on the basic number of orders within the year, and the excess part will be charged separately at a preferential price, which is suitable for production-oriented foreign trade enterprises with stable order volume.
You can calculate the cost difference between the annual package mode and per-order mode according to the import and export order volume and cargo value of the enterprise in the past 12 months, and choose the lower-cost scheme. Most production-oriented foreign trade enterprises in Sichuan have stable order volume, the annual package charging mode can simplify financial accounting and reduce the overall agency service cost, with higher cost performance.
AlexanderYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Trade AdvisorStart a Chat
The charging standards of import and export agency services must be clearly written into the agency agreement. All verbally agreed charging rules have no legal effect and are prone to hidden charging disputes. The agreement needs to clarify the items included in basic services, as well as the charging standards for additional services, and agree that when the actual charge exceeds a certain proportion of the initial quotation, the enterprise has the right to terminate the cooperation or require the agency to provide a fee explanation.
For small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises in Sichuan, do not blindly choose the agency with the lowest quotation, as low quotations are often accompanied by hidden charges, leading to higher overall costs in the end. An agreement with clear charging rules is the core means to protect your own rights and interests.