Chengdu FMCG import agency customs clearance: 4 core compliance risks that must be avoided in advance

Core Customs Clearance Node Breakdown for Chengdu FMCG Imports

Customs Price Verification

In 2026,the General Administration of Customs of China updated its FMCG price verification control model.For pre-packaged food and daily chemical FMCG products originating from RCEP member states and the European Union,the proportion of controlled spot checks has increased by 12 percentage points compared to last year.Many small local agencies in Chengdu lack clear understanding of price verification rules under different trade terms,and often face situations where the declared value does not match the base recognized by the customs,directly leading to detained goods and delayed timeliness.

Last month,we took an order from Mr.Yu in Chengdu,who imported Thai snack foods with EXW terms from the original manufacturer.The agency he previously hired declared directly at the EXW value,without including overseas freight and insurance premiums into the price verification base.This was questioned by the customs as under-declaration,and the goods were detained for 3 days,generating nearly RMB 8,000 in port demurrage.After we intervened,we reorganized the full transaction chain documents,supplemented the expense payment details under EXW terms,and conducted price negotiation with the verifying customs officer.The goods were released within 3 days.Later,we applied for a 50% reduction of demurrage for Mr.Yu,recovering half of the loss.

Compliance Risk Alert: The price verification base for different trade terms including FOB,EXW and CIF has clear differences.Omitting overseas logistics and insurance expenses will be determined as inaccurate declaration,which will not only result in fines,but also affect the enterprise’s import and export credit rating,and increase the probability of subsequent customs control.

Commodity Inspection Pre-review and Animal & Plant Quarantine

Most FMCG products are pre-packaged food,and some daily chemical products containing animal and plant-derived ingredients must complete commodity inspection pre-review before entry.Non-compliance of import labels with domestic requirements is the most common cause of goods detention.Many agencies do not conduct pre-arrival pre-review,and only find out after goods arrival that the label ingredient marking does not comply with the 2026 latest General Rules for the Labeling of Pre-packaged Food,which requires the goods to be transported to the supervised warehouse for label modification.The label modification fee plus demurrage often costs tens of thousands of RMB,eating up most of the profit.

FMCG products containing animal and plant ingredients also need to complete animal and plant quarantine approval,and verify the validity of the official quarantine certificate issued by the exporting country in advance.Missing any of the above documents will lead to goods return.

Import License Application

Import of special cosmetics,health food and special function FMCG products must apply for corresponding import licenses in advance.After the 2026 regulatory requirement update,the audit on qualification and documents has become stricter.Many merchants fail to obtain the license due to incorrect classification,thus missing the peak sales season.

• Complete accurate HS code classification in advance.Special function FMCG products cannot be classified as ordinary general cargo.Incorrect classification will directly lead to license application rejection,delaying the process for at least 1 month.
• All declared elements must be 100% consistent with the physical goods.Even one wrong parameter of brand,specification or ingredient will lead to direct rejection of the declaration for resubmission.
• For FMCG products originating from RCEP member states,verify the consistency of the electronic signature on the certificate of origin in advance.China Customs has fully launched online verification of certificates of origin in 2026,counterfeit or incorrect certificates will directly lead to goods detention with no room for appeal.

Sorting of Common Risks for Chengdu FMCG Imports

Hidden cost trap: Many local Chengdu agencies attract clients with low quotations,then charge extra fees for document exchange,document modification and cabin demurrage after goods arrival.The final total settlement cost is more than 30% higher than the initial quotation,and small and medium merchants hardly have channels to safeguard their rights.For all orders we handle,all fees are clearly listed in the contract in advance,with zero hidden charges.

Exchange loss risk: In 2026,the global exchange rate fluctuation range further expands.Many small and medium merchants handle foreign exchange payment on their own without locking the exchange rate in advance.The exchange loss of a single order can account for 3%-5% of the goods value,directly eroding profits.We provide professional exchange rate hedging service,helping merchants lock the settlement exchange rate in advance,and control the exchange loss within 0.3%.

Zhongshitong is headquartered in Shanghai,an international trade center,with a mature price verification and customs clearance operation system,supporting off-site customs declaration across all national ports,and a global agency network linkage.No matter Chengdu merchants choose to clear customs at Shanghai port then transfer for domestic logistics,or directly clear customs at the local Chengdu port,we can plan the full logistics chain in advance and control the timeliness of every node.In the FMCG industry,timeliness equals profit.A one-week delayed customs clearance may cause missing the sales window,and near-expiry products have to be sold at a discount,resulting in losses of hundreds of thousands of RMB.The core criteria for selecting a customs clearance agency is its risk control capability and practical experience,rather than only comparing local quotations.

Last year,Mr.Liao in Chengdu imported special Korean skincare cosmetics.The local agency he hired previously classified special cosmetics as ordinary cosmetics by mistake,leading to application rejection and missing the 618 sales window.After we took over the case,we re-conducted HS code classification,supplemented application documents that meet the 2026 requirements,obtained the import license within 10 days,and coordinated with the shipping company to apply for cabin extension,reducing half of the demurrage and minimizing his loss.