Recently, the frequency of inspections by Chinese customs has increased significantly, leading many importers to ask: What's going on with customs?
Don't panic. It's not that customs has become more aggressive; it's that they've become smarter.
Publicly available policies show that customs has not issued any notices to "comprehensively increase the inspection rate." However, in practice, everyone does feel that inspections are becoming more frequent. The reason is simple-the regulatory model has been upgraded.
In the past, customs relied on manual, experience-based random checks. Now, they rely on big data, risk models, and corporate credit assessments. The system is increasingly able to accurately identify "suspicious" goods. Simply put: not all goods are being inspected more, but the system is becoming increasingly adept at recognizing risky goods. Compliant companies may clear customs faster; while goods with abnormal declarations, outrageous prices, or ambiguous names are more likely to be monitored.
Therefore, the "stricter inspections" perceived by the market are essentially due to increasingly precise regulation-like your mother no longer searching your bag but directly checking your phone's location.
Further reading:
Which goods are more likely to be inspected?
1. Electronic cigarettes, lithium batteries, and new energy products.
2. Branded clothing, shoes, hats, and baby products.
3. Underreporting prices, vague product names, and discrepancies between weight and value.
4. Frequent changes in export entity or amendments to documents.
Impact on importers
Inspection can cause delays of several days, leading to missed shipping dates, storage fees, delayed delivery, or even default. The time cost far exceeds the inspection fee itself. In short: the inspection fee is a small expense; missing the shipping date is a major financial loss.
How to reduce risk
1. Declare information truthfully and specifically (don't write "plastic products" instead of "phone cases").
2. Price reasonably; neither underreport nor overreport (customs knows the market better than you do).
3. Do not conceal or misdeclare dangerous goods or infringing products (don't play with fire).
4. Maintain stable trading entities and a good track record (be honest).
Service story reference:
A Swedish Customer Asked Me: Why Are My Orders Shipped in Two Separate Shipments?
Future trends
Compliant companies will clear customs faster, while high-risk companies will face increasing difficulties. Stable delivery capability is more important than price and capacity. In other words: Previously, the competition was about price; now it's about reliability.
But ultimately, a reliable freight forwarder is paramount.
The phrase we tell our clients most often is: We are not price-quoting machines; we are partners who develop transportation solutions for you.
Choosing the right freight forwarder is not just about getting a price; it's about having someone help you with standardized declarations, risk mitigation, and route planning, ensuring your goods arrive smoothly at the port and are delivered on time. Just like driving, navigation is more important than the accelerator.
About author: Vilien Wu, Salesperson at Shenzhen Senghor Sea & Air Logistics Co., Ltd. Deeply involved in traditional sea freight and air freight door-to-door services in markets such as Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia, with extensive practical experience in consolidation and transportation, and multi-supplier integrated shipments.
Since entering the industry, I've worked with many small and medium-sized importers and found that many foreign trade professionals have only a superficial understanding of logistics, with most of their experience gained through trial and error. Therefore, I've decided to share some real-world shipping cases and logistics knowledge to help more foreign trade professionals avoid pitfalls in the shipping process.
Whether a shipment can be successfully shipped depends on the freight forwarder's control and predictive capabilities at each stage. Choosing a reliable freight forwarder is crucial, but as a foreign trade professional, having some logistics knowledge yourself allows for better judgment and selection.
Feel free to contact me anytime if you have shipping needs or logistics questions.
