Home » Trade Basics » How Are Export Agency Fees Calculated? How Much Do Different Services Cost? 2025 Latest Pricing Guide

?Export Agency?What basic items are fees composed of?

According to the International Commercial Terms (INCOTERMS 2025), regular export agency fees typically include three core modules:

Basic service fee(fixed + proportional fee)
- Customs Declaration Fee: 800-2000 RMB/shipment (includes HS code classification service)
- Document Handling Fee: 200-500 RMB/set of documents
- Tax Advance Service: 0.3%-0.8% of the advanced amount
Logistics handling fee
- Container Management Fee: approx. 500 RMB/40HQ container
- Port Surcharges: current standard in Shanghai Port is 380 RMB/TEU
- Special Cargo Surcharge: Dangerous goods +30%, oversized cargo +50%
Presentation of L/C documents: 800 - 1500 yuan per order
Agency for export tax rebate: 5% - 8% of the tax rebate amount
- ?Certificate of Origin?Agency Service: RCEP certificate 300 RMB/copy
- ?Tax Refund?Agency Service: 3%-5% of the tax refund amount
- ?L/C?Document Review: starting from 1500 RMB/time

Why do quotes from different agency companies vary by more than 40%?

In our 2025 market research, we found that the price differences among various agencies for the same service content are mainly due to:

Differences in qualification levels
- AEO Advanced Certified Enterprises charge a 15%-20% service premium
- NVOCC qualified enterprises can reduce?Ocean shipping?costs by 8-12%
Scope of Risk Undertaking
- Quotes including destination port customs clearance services are 25% higher
- Agency fees for purchasing transport insurance increase by 0.15% of the cargo value
Industry-specific solutions
- Medical DevicesExports require payment for FDA certification services (approx. 12,000 RMB/batch)
- Chemical exports must include GHS label service (500 RMB/shipment)

According to the newly released "Regulations on International Trade Facilitation," special attention should be paid to:

VAT Reform
- The applicable tax rate for export agency services will be reduced from 6% to 5%
- The quarterly tax exemption for small-scale taxpayers will be increased to 500,000 RMB
Changes in Customs Supervision
- Intelligent customs declaration system access fee of 150 RMB/time (mandatory)
- New standard for warehousing fees for goods released after inspection: 80 RMB/day·cubic meter
Green Trade Surcharge
- ?New Energy?30% reduction in surcharge for the use of transportation means
- Mandatory conversion of paper documents to electronic documents will incur an additional charge of 200 RMB per shipment

It is recommended to adoptThree-tier fee confirmation method:

Basic quote confirmation
- Request a "List of Service Items" with an official seal
- Confirm the validity period of the quotation (recommended to be no less than 60 days)
Contingency plan for unexpected fees
- Prepayment clause for inspection fees (recommend setting a cap of 2000 RMB)
- Sharing ratio for exchange rate fluctuations (recommend using the Bank of China's spot selling rate on the day of payment)
Settlement voucher review
- Request original billing vouchers from the port/shipping company
- Check if the service provider's surcharge ratio is in line with industry practice

Based on 20 years of industry experience, it is recommended to focus on:

System integration capability
- Whether it supports direct connection with the Golden Tax Phase IV system
- Frequency of logistics tracking system updates (excellent companies update every 30 minutes)
Special case handling
- Solutions for handling returned goods (a qualified agent should provide more than 3 solutions)
- Experience in handling intellectual property disputes (review past case studies)
Service response standards
- Time limit for feedback on customs declaration anomalies (quality service providers promise a response within 2 hours)
- Emergency handling mechanism for holidays (the contact authority of the duty manager must be clearly defined)