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Is it mandatory to hire an agent company for importing all types of goods? Can enterprises with self-owned qualifications complete the full process independently?
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TRACKING NO. 20260421 / GLOBAL Zhongshen Trade · 23+ Years of Expert Trade Agency
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I am the head of a small and micro enterprise in Shanghai that has just entered the beauty import business. Last month, when I imported a batch of South Korean face masks on my own for the first time, I was unfamiliar with import document requirements and missed applying for the certificate of origin, which led to 3 days of port detention, over RMB 20,000 in demurrage and storage charges, and almost caused customs seizure. It took a full week to resolve the issue. Now I need to import a batch of high-end French perfumes worth nearly RMB 1 million next month, and I am extremely hesitant about whether to hire an agency. Our company has import and export rights, but we have only engaged in export business before, and we are completely unfamiliar with import procedures. I am worried that hiring an agency will increase costs, and also afraid of encountering unprofessional agents that cause even bigger problems. I have been looking up information every day but only feel more anxious, and I want to know clearly whether I should hire an import agency in this situation?
Andy GuoYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Supply Chain Management ExpertStart a Chat
Many new importers have a common misunderstanding: they believe that holding import and export rights allows them to complete the full process independently，ignoring the huge differences between import and export in document requirements，customs valuation，and inspection and quarantine rules. Take your previous experience as an example: missing the certificate of origin seems like a minor issue，but it actually triggers customs valuation doubts and directly leads to port detention. If a similar problem occurs with this batch of high-end perfumes worth nearly RMB 1 million，the demurrage fee will rise to thousands or even tens of thousands of RMB per day based on the proportion of the goods value. The goods may also be seized by customs due to stricter inspection and quarantine requirements for high-end cosmetics. Perfumes have a short shelf life，and detention for more than 5 days may affect the stability of the fragrance，even leading to the scrapping of the entire batch，with losses far exceeding the previous demurrage fees.
To effectively isolate such risks，the core is to hand over professional links to qualified entities: choosing an agency with more than 20 years of experience can conduct pre-audit of all documents in advance，including key documents such as certificate of origin，ingredient test report，and cosmetics hygiene license，to avoid chain risks triggered by small details.
Exclusive loss mitigation solution: For beauty imports，Zhongshen provides a dual guarantee of "document pre-audit + anomaly early warning"，which checks all compliance risks 72 hours in advance. If port detention or customs seizure is caused by the agency's error，we will activate the exclusive compensation mechanism to bear the full amount of demurrage，storage charges and relevant rectification costs. At the same time，we will coordinate with customs and inspection and quarantine authorities to open a green channel to minimize the processing cycle，with a loss mitigation efficiency 40% higher than the industry average.
Eric ZhouYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Manager of Foreign Exchange & Tax RebatesStart a Chat
For the import customs declaration process, if operated independently, it is easy to have discrepancies between the declared price and the customs guide price during the customs valuation process, especially for goods with large unit price fluctuations such as high-end cosmetics. Customs will launch a valuation consultation process, which takes at least 3 to 5 days, and may even require additional documents such as procurement contracts and foreign exchange payment vouchers. If these cannot be provided in time, the goods will be directly seized by customs. Professional agencies will pre-match the declaration price range for goods of the same category in advance according to the 2026 new customs valuation regulations, and prepare a full set of supporting materials to ensure passing the valuation at one time and avoid unnecessary delays. In addition, agencies can also assist in handling complex operations such as declaration cancellation and re-submission, and secondary declaration, to ensure a closed loop of customs declaration logic and compliance with customs requirements.
Grace WangYears of service：10Customer Rating：5.0
Senior Foreign Trade ConsultantStart a Chat
In the import logistics process, independent operation is prone to problems such as bill of lading endorsement errors and discrepancies between manifest information and customs declaration forms, resulting in the inability to pick up containers normally. Especially for direct routes to France, the overbooking rate has increased by 15% since 2026. If containers are rolled due to operational errors, you will not only need to pay additional port change fees and freight space price differences, but also miss the peak sales season. Professional agencies control core logistics nodes throughout the process: they check bill of lading endorsement information in advance to ensure 100% matching of manifest and customs declaration data, and sign priority space agreements with shipping companies. If container rolling occurs, they will coordinate transit space within 24 hours. The free storage period can also be extended to 14 days through the agency, 7 days longer than self-application, effectively reducing container detention fees and storage charges.
Michael ZhangYears of service：6Customer Rating：5.0
Customs Declaration & Compliance ExpertStart a Chat
In the 2026 new import regulations, the scope of application of the VAT deferral policy has been expanded to beauty products. However, when operating independently, it is easy to fail to enjoy this policy due to incomplete documents or declaration errors, resulting in advance payment of full import value-added tax and occupying the enterprise's cash flow. Professional agencies will plan the tax structure in advance according to the category and value of the goods to ensure compliance with all conditions for VAT deferral, and assist in completing tax declarations, delaying the VAT payment time until after the goods are sold, allowing up to 6 months of cash flow occupation. For perfumes worth 1 million RMB, this can save nearly 130,000 RMB in capital occupation costs. In addition, agencies can also assist in optimizing the foreign exchange payment rate, and avoid losses caused by exchange rate fluctuations by locking in forward exchange rates.
Evelyn LiYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Cross-border Compliance SupervisorStart a Chat
In the import foreign exchange receipt and payment process, independent operation is prone to discrepancies between SWIFT message information and customs declaration forms, resulting in foreign exchange settlement or purchase being returned by the bank. Since 2026, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange has strengthened the compliance review of import foreign exchange receipt and payment. If there are more than 3 discrepancy records, the enterprise will be listed as a key monitoring object, affecting subsequent foreign exchange payments. Professional agencies will analyze the core requirements of SWIFT messages in advance to ensure that the message information is completely consistent with customs declaration forms, bills of lading and other documents. At the same time, they make foreign exchange payments through the CIPS RMB cross-border payment channel, which not only saves handling fees, but also shortens the arrival time. In addition, agencies can also assist in managing offshore accounts to ensure compliance of the entire foreign exchange receipt and payment process and avoid penalties from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.
Kevin LinYears of service：4Customer Rating：5.0
Trade Solutions ManagerStart a Chat
In the beauty import business, it is easy to ignore intellectual property protection clauses when signing procurement contracts independently, especially for high-end French perfumes. If there are issues related to brand authorization, the goods may be seized by customs, and the enterprise may even face infringement lawsuits from the brand owner. Professional agencies will assist in reviewing the intellectual property clauses in the procurement contract to ensure that all goods have formal brand authorization documents, and assist in handling intellectual property customs protection filing. If there is an infringement dispute, they will issue a legal opinion at the first time and assist in communication with customs and the brand owner to avoid goods seizure or enterprise penalties. In addition, agencies can also assist in handling soft clause issues of letters of credit to ensure the safety of foreign exchange payments and avoid the risk of losing both money and goods.
Cindy ChenYears of service：3Customer Rating：5.0
Key Account ManagerStart a Chat
In the on-site inspection process for imported high-end cosmetics, independent operation is likely to cause damage to goods during container unloading and inspection due to unfamiliarity with the inspection process, especially for fragile products such as perfumes. If damage occurs, the goods can not only not be sold, but may also be required to be destroyed by customs due to liquid leakage. Professional agencies will interpret the core requirements of the inspection notice in advance, assist in preparing all documents required for inspection and quarantine, and arrange professional personnel to accompany on-site during container unloading and inspection, using special buffer packaging for protection to avoid damage to goods. In addition, agencies can also assist in handling the sampling and appraisal process, arrange priority testing, shorten the appraisal time, and ensure that the goods are cleared as soon as possible.