Nanjing Import Freight Forwarding: Avoid Common Pitfalls in Customs Valuation, Commodity Inspection and Clearance in Advance

Last year,I handled an import of industrial hardware parts for Mr.Chen from Nanjing.The goods were shipped from Osaka,Japan under EXW terms,and transferred to a local warehouse in Nanjing after arriving at Shanghai Port.The small agent we worked with previously,in order to secure orders at low prices,arbitrarily classified the HS code and underreported the transaction price,which triggered customs’ investigation.The goods were detained for 7 days,and only demurrage fees and document modification fees cost an extra RMB 23,000.This is not an isolated case; many import enterprises in Nanjing have encountered similar pitfalls when choosing freight forwarding agents.

Core Risk Control Points for Customs Valuation

In 2026,the National Customs has uniformly upgraded the big data model for import valuation,which will compare global transaction data of similar goods with domestic sales and purchase data.For declarations under FOB/EXW terms where freight and insurance premiums are not included in the taxable value,the customs inspection rate has increased by 12% compared to last year.Many small and medium-sized agents,in order to help enterprises "save taxes",underreport transaction prices or omit additional fees,directly triggering valuation objections.This not only requires submitting a full set of transaction documents and payment vouchers,but may also be judged as a violation and subject to late payment interest.

Core Operational Points: Check all extra charges in the transaction contract in advance,such as packaging fees,commissions,and royalties,which must be included in the taxable value according to rules.Prepare the Certificate of Origin and payment vouchers in advance for inspection.

Commodity Inspection Pre-Examination and Access Verification

Goods imported into Nanjing are mainly industrial machinery and equipment,chemical raw materials,hardware instruments,and consumer daily chemicals,with completely different access requirements for different categories.I previously encountered a case where Mr.Lin from Nanjing imported a batch of cosmetics from South Korea.The agent did not conduct pre-examination of ingredients and access permit verification in advance.When the goods arrived at the port,it was found that the ingredients did not meet China’s Cosmetic Safety Technical Specifications,so they had to be returned,resulting in over RMB 100,000 in return freight and port miscellaneous charges.

For imported chemicals,MSDS report information must be verified in advance.For hazardous chemicals,hazard label pasting and Chinese public notice label pre-examination must be completed in advance,otherwise the goods will be detained at the port directly.For second-hand mechanical and electrical equipment,China Inspection Certificate must be obtained in advance.Goods without such certificate are not allowed to be imported and declared.

Special Requirements for Animal and Plant Quarantine

If imported goods have wooden packaging,or are agricultural products or food,animal and plant quarantine approval must be obtained in advance.In 2026,for wooden packaging imported from RCEP member states,China requires the IPPC mark.Goods without such mark must undergo pest control treatment,with costs borne by the consignor,and the customs clearance cycle will also be delayed.For imported frozen goods and fresh agricultural products,verify the access qualifications of the exporting country in advance; products from countries without such qualifications cannot be imported.

Common Hurdles in Import License Application

The application for many automatic import licenses requires extremely high consistency of declaration elements; brand,model,specification,and material must exactly match the actual goods.If any character is wrong,the application needs to be re-submitted,delaying 1-2 weeks.For products involving anti-dumping,such as some steel and chemicals from European and American countries,the Certificate of Origin must be prepared in advance to distinguish the anti-dumping duty rate and meet the correct declaration requirements,otherwise the highest anti-dumping duty rate will be applied,increasing import costs.

Risks Nanjing Import Freight Forwarding Agents Must Avoid

• Low-Price Trap: Many small agents offer initial quotes 30% lower than the market price,then charge additional fees under pretexts such as document modification,container stuffing,and inspection.The total cost is ultimately over 20% higher than that of regular agents.
• HS Code Misclassification Risk: Misclassifying HS code will either result in overpayment or underpayment of duties triggering violations,and may seriously affect the customs credit rating and interfere with subsequent import and export business.
• Exchange Rate Loss Risk: In 2026,global exchange rate fluctuations are relatively large.Many agents do not remind enterprises to conduct forward exchange operations in advance,leading to additional exchange rate losses when making payments,which can reach over 5% of the goods value.
• Cross-City Customs Clearance Pitfall: Many imports in Nanjing arrive at Shanghai or Ningbo Ports.Some local agents lack national port linkage capabilities and will subcontract to third parties,leading to information asymmetry and inability to find responsible persons when problems arise.

Zhongshitong is headquartered in the Shanghai International Trade Center,with cross-city declaration capabilities for ports across the country.It maintains a regular collaborative network with Nanjing local ports and Shanghai Port,covering agent resources from major trading countries worldwide.Whether importing from RCEP member states or European and American countries,Zhongshitong can conduct compliance pre-examination in advance to predict customs inspection risks,help enterprises control import costs,and avoid pitfalls.

Many import enterprises in Nanjing we have contacted have encountered additional costs caused by unprofessional agents.In fact,as long as document pre-examination,HS code classification verification,and valuation data preparation are completed in advance,most risks can be avoided in advance,and unnecessary expenses can be saved.