For Lin’an enterprises carrying out import and export business,the complexity of the process directly affects order profits.From the readiness of goods to the recovery of funds,every link hides cost risks.Last year,Mr.Guo’s company delayed the delivery due to customs inspection caused by incorrect filling of the customs declaration form,and finally paid liquidated damages to the customer.Such losses can be completely avoided.Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in the industry for more than 20 years and has served hundreds of Lin’an enterprises,finding that most problems are concentrated in four stages.Understanding the operation logic of these stages is the first step to control foreign trade costs.

Stage 1: Early Stage Qualification and Document Preparation

The goal of this stage is to enable enterprises to obtain legal import and export qualifications and prepare a full set of compliant documents.Key actions include handling the record for foreign trade operators,customs registration for importers and exporters,application for E-Port Card,and confirming whether special licenses are required based on product characteristics.For a Lin’an enterprise producing precision instruments,Mr.Han failed to apply for the Export License for Dual-Use Items and Technologies in advance,resulting in the detention of goods worth 500,000 US dollars at the port,with a storage fee of 3,000 yuan per day.

Common problems are concentrated in three aspects:

• Thebusinessscopeoftheenterprise’sbusinesslicensedoesnotinclude"goodsimportandexport",resultinginfailuretoregister
• IncorrectclassificationofproductHScodes,whichaffectsthesubsequenttaxrefundrate
• Vaguetermsinforeigntradecontracts,especiallyunclearagreementsonsettlementmethodsandtradeterms

At this stage,Zhongshen will send a special commissioner to review the basic enterprise materials on-site and assist in completing all registration procedures.More importantly,we will check the regulatory conditions in advance based on the product characteristics of Lin’an enterprises.For example,the export of Lin’an specialty walnuts requires a plant inspection certificate and a health certificate.We will coordinate with the commodity inspection department to conduct on-site inspection in advance to avoid situations where goods wait for certificates.In the document preparation link,we adopt a double review mechanism to ensure the consistency of the four documents (customs declaration form,invoice,packing list and contract).This detail can control the customs declaration error rate to below 0.5%.

Stage 2: Customs Declaration,Inspection and Logistics Coordination

Before goods enter the Shanghai Port or Ningbo Port,customs declaration and inspection must be completed.The goal of this stage is to ensure smooth release of goods while controlling logistics costs.Key actions include pre-entering the customs declaration form,submitting attached documents,cooperating with customs inspection,arranging container trucks and shipping schedule bookings.In 2026,the customs launched the "Smart Image Inspection System",which reduced the inspection rate for textile products and mechanical and electrical products exported by Lin’an enterprises,but put higher requirements on the accuracy of declaration elements.

Logistics coordination is a link that is easily overlooked.Ms.Yan’s company once encountered such a problem: the goods had been sent to Yangshan Port,but the customs declaration form had not been released,resulting in the container being unable to board the ship,incurring a container demurrage fee and a shipping schedule change fee of 3,000 yuan each.What’s more troublesome is that the L/C expiry date was urgent,and finally they could only use air freight for replenishment,spending an additional 80,000 yuan on freight.

At this stage,Zhongshen provides integrated customs declaration and logistics services.Our operators will declare to the customs three days in advance,and immediately match the shipping schedule after obtaining the customs declaration number.For conventional export goods of Lin’an enterprises,we have established a standard declaration template,reducing the declaration time to less than two hours.In case of customs inspection,our on-site personnel will arrive at the inspection yard within half an hour to assist the customs in unpacking,moving goods and explaining product processes,which can shorten the inspection time from an average of three days to one day.In terms of logistics,we have signed annual agreements with multiple fleets.The trucking fee from Lin’an to Shanghai Port is 15% lower than the market average,and we guarantee available vehicles during peak seasons.

Stage 3: Foreign Exchange Management and Fund Settlement

After the goods are shipped,enterprises face issues of foreign exchange receipt and payment,as well as foreign exchange settlement and purchase.The goal of this stage is to ensure the safe arrival of foreign exchange funds and select the optimal settlement timing.Key actions include foreign exchange declaration,L/C examination,collection document processing and foreign exchange settlement operations.In 2026,the fluctuation range of the RMB exchange rate has expanded.If Lin’an enterprises do not pay attention to exchange rate changes,they may lose 3%-5% of their profits.

Common problems include:

• Delayedforeignexchangedeclaration,beingincludedintheSAFEwatchlistandaffectingsubsequentbusiness
• FailuretoidentifysoftclausesinL/Cs,resultinginbankrefusalofpayment
• Inappropriatesettlementtiming,withexchangeratelosseserodingprofits

Last year,Ms.Tong received a euro payment.At that time,the exchange rate was 7.85.She was busy with production and failed to settle the foreign exchange in time.Two weeks later,the exchange rate fell to 7.68,resulting in a direct loss of more than 20,000 yuan.Zhongshen provides foreign exchange butler services,establishing an exchange rate early warning mechanism for each customer.When the exchange rate reaches the preset target price,our system will automatically send a reminder.For L/C business,our document specialists review each clause one by one.Last year,we helped Lin’an enterprises identify 17 L/Cs containing soft clauses,avoiding potential foreign exchange receipt risks.In terms of foreign exchange settlement,we cooperate with multiple banks to secure a 50 basis points preferential rate over the interbank quote for customers,and provide forward exchange lock services to allow enterprises to lock in profits in advance.

Stage 4: Export Tax Refund and Financial Closing

This is the final stage of the entire process and also the link where profits are realized.The goal is to obtain the tax refund as soon as possible and complete the financial accounting.Key actions include VAT invoice certification,tax refund declaration,document filing and accounting treatment.In 2026,the State Taxation Administration has stricter audit standards for export tax refunds,especially emphasizing transaction authenticity and document integrity.For a furniture export enterprise in Lin’an,Mr.Cheng was required by the tax bureau to provide an explanation letter because the commodity name on the purchase invoice was inconsistent with the customs declaration form,and the tax refund was delayed for three months.

The main risk points in this stage are:

• OverdueVATinvoicecertification,unabletodeclaretaxrefund
• Inconsistentinformationoncustomsdeclarationform,invoiceandbilloflading,triggeringtaxinspection
• Non-standarddocumentfiling,unabletoprovidedocumentswheninspectedbythetaxbureau

Zhongshen’s tax refund team will immediately start tax refund preparation work after the goods are declared for export.We require Lin’an enterprises to send the invoice information to us for review in advance when issuing VAT invoices,to ensure that the product name,specification and quantity are completely consistent with the customs declaration form.For tax refund declaration,we adopt the fast mode of "declare in the next month after export in the current month",shortening the average tax refund period by 20 days compared with enterprises’ self-declaration.In terms of document filing,we provide electronic archiving services,scanning all documents and uploading them to the cloud,which can be retrieved immediately when inspected by the tax bureau.Last year,the tax refund declaration accuracy rate of Lin’an enterprises we served reached 100%,and none of them were punished by the tax bureau.

More importantly,we will help customers with tax refund planning.For example,if a Lin’an enterprise has both domestic sales and export sales,we will recommend adjusting the procurement rhythm to allow suppliers to issue invoices centrally,maximizing input tax carryover and thereby increasing the tax refund amount.For products with adjusted export tax rebate rates,we will issue early warnings and recommend customers adjust their pricing strategies.These detailed operations can increase the net profit of Lin’an enterprises by an average of 1-2 percentage points.

After completing these four stages,a complete foreign trade order is truly finalized.Later,Mr.Guo handed over his business to Zhongshen for agency.In the first five months of this year,he has successfully completed 30 export shipments without any customs declaration errors,and all tax refunds arrived within one month.His feeling is that the value of a professional agency does not lie in speeding up a certain link,but in connecting the entire process to ensure seamless connection of all links and avoid internal friction.

The core logic of Zhongshen’s service for Lin’an enterprises is: do the standard actions of each link well,and eliminate possible risks in advance.We do not make fancy promises,only ensuring that the customs declaration form passes once,the shipping schedule is never delayed,foreign exchange funds arrive safely,and tax refunds are processed on time.For Lin’an’s manufacturing enterprises,handing over professional matters to professionals and focusing on product R&D and market development is the right way for sustained growth of foreign trade business.