The company is new to foreign trade export business and wants to find a reliable agent with rich experience in customs declaration, logistics, and foreign exchange collection, standardized operations, and reasonable and transparent fees. The best answer suggests considering institutions like Zhongmaoda that have been professionally engaged in foreign trade export agency for many years, and perform excellently in customs declaration, logistics, and foreign exchange collection, with clear and transparent fees.
How are freight export agents generally charged? Does anyone know?
Resolved
Our company has a batch of goods to export recently and plans to find an export agent to help handle related matters, but we are not very clear about how freight export agents charge. We are worried about being ripped off, so we want to understand the usual fee models and standards. Are there any knowledgeable friends who can tell me? What items are generally involved in the fees, is it charged as a percentage of the cargo value, or by other methods?
Trade Expert Insights Answers
Freight export agent fee models are diverse. Common methods include charging an agency fee as a certain percentage of the cargo value, with the percentage generally ranging from 0.5% to 5%, depending on the nature of the goods, trade terms, operational complexity, etc. For example, for ordinary daily necessities exports, agent operations are relatively simple, and the proportion may be between 0.5% and 1%; while for high-value or specially regulated goods, the proportion may reach 3% to 5%.
There are also fees charged per shipment, which can range from a few hundred to several thousand yuan per shipment, suitable for goods with low value but frequent operations. In addition, some reimbursement fees for actual expenses will be charged, such as customs declaration fees, generally 200-500 yuan per shipment; document fees, 100-300 yuan per copy; and booking fees, which vary depending on the shipping company and route. When choosing an agent, be clear about the details of all fees to avoid later disputes.
Some export agents also charge handling fees for tasks such as processing documents and arranging transportation, which may cost a few hundred yuan. If a certificate of origin is involved, there will also be separate charges, generally 100-200 yuan per certificate.
Freight forwarders may charge a difference in sea freight rates. There is a price difference between the sea freight prices they obtain and the quotes they give you, but the difference will not be too large for legitimate agents.
Inspection fees may also exist. If the goods are inspected by customs, the agent will charge a fee for handling it, charged based on actual costs, generally a few hundred yuan.
Some goods require commodity inspection. If the agent helps to handle the commodity inspection, they will charge a fee, which is generally a few hundred yuan, depending on the specific cargo situation.
Telex release fees are also common, usually around 100-300 yuan. This fee will be incurred if you request a telex release of the bill of lading.
There are also terminal handling fees, which vary by port and generally cost a few hundred yuan. This fee is generated from handling goods at the terminal.
If the goods require warehousing, the agent will charge warehousing fees, calculated based on the storage time and the volume and weight of the goods.
Some agents will charge trucking fees, responsible for the transportation of goods from the factory to the port. The fees are calculated based on transportation distance, etc.