A company engaged a customs declaration agency for exporting goods and was confused because the contract did not specify who bears the export customs declaration agency fees, asking who generally bears them and if there are industry practices or legal bases. The best answer states that the responsible party is usually determined by mutual agreement between the buyer and seller in the contract, and different trade terms have different practices. It is recommended to clarify the allocation of fees when signing the contract to avoid disputes.
How is the export customs declaration agency fee usually charged?
Resolved
My company recently has a batch of goods for export and plans to find an agent for customs declaration, but I'm not very clear about the charging situation of export customs declaration agency fees. I'd like to ask what standards are usually used to charge these fees? Is it based on cargo value, the number of customs declarations, or other methods? I hope to understand this in detail, so I can be well-informed when choosing an agent and avoid being taken advantage of.
Trade Expert Insights Answers
There is no unified fixed standard for charging export customs declaration agency fees, and there are typically several common methods.
One method is billing per declaration, with fees per declaration typically ranging from 200 - 800 yuan, depending on various factors such as different ports and cargo complexity. For instance, for some regular general cargo at ports with simpler operating procedures, the fees might be lower; if the cargo involves special regulatory conditions, such as requiring commodity inspection or CITES permits, the fees will increase accordingly.
Another method is charging a certain percentage of the cargo value, typically around 0.1% - 0.5%. The higher the cargo value, the higher the agency fee.
Factors such as cargo weight and volume may also be comprehensively considered. Additionally, different agency companies may have varying fees due to differences in operating costs and other factors. It is recommended that when choosing an agent, you consult several companies, compare their service content and charging standards, and select one that offers good value for money.
Some agency companies charge based on the number of items declared on the customs declaration form; the more items, the higher the fee. For goods with simple declaration elements, the fee is lower; however, if the declaration elements are complex, involving multiple product information points, the fees will increase.
Some agents consider the mode of cargo transportation; customs declaration agency fees for sea and air freight may differ. Generally, air freight fees are slightly higher than sea freight due to higher operational timeliness requirements.
If the goods require additional services, such as inspection accompaniment or fumigation and disinfection, the agent will charge separately for these extra services.
Some agents charge based on the HS code of the goods. Different HS codes correspond to different regulatory requirements, leading to varying fees.
For long-term cooperation, agency companies may offer certain discounts, calculating the agency fee comprehensively based on the annual business volume, which will be cheaper than calculating per single declaration.
The busyness of ports also affects charges; agency fees at busy ports might be relatively higher due to increased operational difficulty and costs.
Market conditions also affect agency fees; charges may increase during peak seasons and there might be discounts during off-peak seasons.
The agency company's own positioning and service quality also determine the fee level; experienced agents providing good service may charge slightly higher fees.
If the goods have urgent customs declaration requirements, an expedited fee may be charged to meet rapid customs clearance demands.