Full Analysis of 2026 International Transit Trade Practical Cases

International Transit Trade Practical Case: Carbon Steel Fasteners Avoid U.S.Anti-Dumping Duties

In May 2026,a 12-container order of carbon steel fasteners from a hardware manufacturing enterprise in Ningbo,Zhejiang faced the risk of customer order abandonment and capital chain breakage,as U.S.Customs imposed an additional 275% anti-dumping duty on fasteners made in China.Its products under HS code 73181500 had been directly exported to the U.S.before.After the anti-dumping duty took effect,the tariff cost per container soared from 800 USD to 3200 USD,and the customer directly canceled the order.

Core Action Steps of the Case

• Third-country transit route selection: Compare the cost,timeliness and compliance of three transit countries: Malaysia,Thailand and Singapore
• Document compliance adjustment: Apply for Malaysian Certificate of Origin FORM E,and adjust the consignor information on the commercial invoice to the cooperative factory in Malaysia
• Off-site declaration at Shanghai Port: Complete export customs declaration at Shanghai Port through Zhongshitong’s national port linkage capability,and connect with the document exchange and warehousing at the transit port in Malaysia
• Settlement and property right risk control: Complete payment collection through compliant third-party settlement accounts,and lock the title documents to avoid loss of cargo ownership

In the transit plan customized for this enterprise,the core is to choose Malaysia as the transit country.There are stable cooperative hardware processing factories locally,which can provide real warehousing and packaging records to avoid false transit inspection by U.S.Customs.

Case Results and Benefits

After the order was transited through Malaysia,U.S.Customs only imposed a 3.2% MFN tariff on fasteners made in Malaysia,reducing the tariff cost per container by 90%.The goods departed from Shanghai Port and arrived at the Port of Long Beach,USA in 28 days in total,only 5 days more than direct export.The enterprise successfully recovered all payment for goods and avoided a tariff loss of about 280,000 USD.

Core Risks and Risk Control Points of Transit Trade

• Risk of false certificate of origin: False certificates of origin issued by some third-party institutions will be monitored by U.S.Customs,directly leading to cargo detention.In 2026,U.S.Customs added a supply chain traceability system for transit goods,which can directly query the production records and warehousing data of factories in transit countries
• Traps of document exchange fee and demurrage: Some freight forwarders falsely report document exchange fees,and the demurrage at the transit port is not clearly marked.A customer was once charged an additional 1800 USD of hidden fees.It is necessary to confirm all fee details with the agent in advance and sign an all-inclusive price agreement
• Risk of customs control and inspection: In 2026,customs of the EU and the U.S.have strengthened the inspection of transit trade.It is necessary to complete HS code classification and declaration element matching in advance to ensure that the actual goods are consistent with the declaration information
• Settlement compliance risk: Unregulated transit routes may lead to foreign exchange losses.It is necessary to complete settlement through compliant third-party settlement accounts to avoid fund freezing

Policy Adaptation Points of Transit Trade in 2026

Under the current global trade rules,the core of the compliance of transit trade lies in two points: first,the certificate of origin of the transit country is real and valid,and second,the supply chain is traceable.For different destination countries,it is necessary to adjust and adapt the policies:

• For the U.S.market: It is necessary to select transit countries that have free trade agreements with the U.S.such as Malaysia and Thailand,to ensure that the certificate of origin meets the traceability requirements of U.S.Customs
• For the EU market: It is necessary to comply with the EU’s rules of origin,and the processing proportion in the transit country must reach more than 55%,otherwise preferential tariffs cannot be obtained
• For RCEP member states: The origin accumulation rule of RCEP can be used to reduce transit costs and shorten customs clearance time

As the world’s largest container port,Shanghai has the capability of off-site declaration for national ports,which can help enterprises complete customs declaration at Shanghai Port and connect with the logistics of transit ports around the world.Our team can predict the risk of customs control in advance,adjust the declaration elements according to the HS codes of different products,and reduce the inspection probability.

Common Misconceptions and Pitfall Avoidance of Transit Trade

Once a customer tried to use a shell transit company,did not carry out actual processing and warehousing,only purchased a certificate of origin,and as a result,the goods were detained by U.S.Customs and auctioned,with a loss of more than 100,000 USD.The core of transit trade is not "exchanging documents",but building a real supply chain link to ensure that the processing,warehousing and logistics records in the transit country are complete and traceable.

In addition,some enterprises choose small freight forwarders as transit agents to save costs,which often leads to problems such as document errors and logistics delays.Although the global port congestion rate has decreased in 2026,the document review at transit ports still requires professional team operation,otherwise additional demurrage and document modification fees will be incurred.