Double clear to the door, why people “love to hate”?

Bytuson

--The Risk Game Behind the “Convenience” of Cross-Border Logistics

One,“The cause of love: the attraction of the double clear to the door

1. One-stop convenience, freeing up corporate energy

Double clearing to the door service will export customs clearance, international transportation, destination country customs clearance, end delivery and other aspects of the full to the freight forwarder to deal with, the enterprise only need to “delivery that is done”. This model is especially suitable for small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises, can save more than 80% logistics management time. For example, a cross-border e-commerce enterprises in Shenzhen through the double clearing to the door service, the original need for three people to work together to simplify the logistics process for one person to docking, significant improvement in operational efficiency.

2. Cost transparency and budget control

Service providers usually provide “all-inclusive price”, covering transportation, customs clearance, taxes and other costs. According to industry statistics, compared with the traditional segmented logistics, the overall cost can be reduced by 15%-30%. For example, furniture exporters in East China through the LCL double clearing service, the logistics cost of a single cabinet to save more than 2,000 U.S. dollars.

3. Avoiding complex regulations and lowering operational thresholds

For enterprises unfamiliar with the customs clearance rules of the destination country, double clearance to the door can avoid the risk of detention caused by incomplete documents and missing tax codes. For example, Germany has stringent requirements on the packaging and labeling of imported goods, and the compliance team of a professional freight forwarder can efficiently handle such details.

Two,“Root causes of ”hate": hidden risk traps

1. The Compliance Minefield of Gray Customs Clearance

In order to reduce the cost, some forwarders use “low declaration”, “concealment of name” and other irregularities.2024 EU Customs data shows that 30% of double clearing to the door cargoes were inspected due to inaccurate declaration, of which 15% faced forfeiture or return. Typical Case Typical case: a clothing enterprise goods due to misrepresentation of the value of the freight forwarder, was seized by the Italian Customs and imposed a fine of 200% of the value of the goods.

2. Joint and several liability and cargo rights risks

  • Shared tax ID number pitfalls: Multiple customers share the freight forwarder's EORI number for customs clearance, and once a shipment violates the law, the associated companies will be implicated.2023 UK Customs investigated a cosmetic smuggling case, and the 20 customers of the freight forwarder involved were all blacklisted.
  • blurring of cargo rights: The use of a freight forwarder's name for customs clearance may lead to disputes over ownership of the goods. For example, an importer of electronic products in Poland lost more than 500,000 euros due to the insolvency of the forwarder and the inability to prove the ownership of the goods.

3. Hidden Costs and Timing Out of Control

  • additional surcharge: Destination port warehousing fees, reordering fees, remote area delivery fees, etc. are not specified in the contract, the final cost may exceed the budget by more than 30%.
  • Statute of limitations fluctuation: During the 2024 U.S.-West port strike, average delays in double clearing to the door amounted to 28 days, compared to only 7 days in traditional self-clearance channels.

4. Increased supply chain vulnerability

The “guilt by association effect” of LCL transportation is significant - if any one of the goods in the same container is inspected, the whole container will be stranded.2024 Shanghai port inspection data shows that the inspection rate of LCL containers is 3 times of that of whole containers, and the average processing time is 15 days more.

三、Breaking the ice: Strategies for balancing convenience and safety

1. Rigorous selection of partners and establishment of a wind control mechanism

  • Verification of freight forwarder's qualification: NVOCC (Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier) certificate, AEO certification, etc. are required.
  • Signing a “liability division clause”: to clarify the liability for customs clearance errors, such as “penalties due to under-declaration shall be borne by the freight forwarder”.

2. Strengthening autonomous control capacity

  • Critical interventionsEven if you choose Double Clearance to Door, you still need to review the core documents such as Customs Declaration, Bill of Lading, etc. to ensure that the name and value of the goods are the same as those of the actual goods.
  • Data Penetration Management: Access to the logistics tracking system of the freight forwarder, real-time monitoring of the status of goods, to avoid the “black box of information”.

3. Explore compliance alternatives

  • DDP terms + own tax code: Clear customs with your own VAT/EORI number to enjoy door-to-door convenience and avoid the risk of sharing tax codes.
  • Segmented cooperation: Splitting transportation and customs clearance and choosing the special service of local customs clearance agent increases the cost by 5%-10%, but compliance is improved by 70%.

四、Future Outlook: Industry Regulation and Technology Enabling

1. Tightening of policy regulation

The EU plans to implement the Customs Clearance Transparency Act in 2026, which will require dual clearing service providers to disclose full link cost breakdowns, with violators facing fines of up to 10% of turnover.

2. A New Path to Technological Breakthrough

  • blockchain depository:: Ali, Maersk and other enterprises have piloted “digital bills of lading” to realize non-tampering traceability of cargo rights.
  • AI Compliance Testing: The intelligent system automatically compares the declaration data with the historical records, and the risk warning accuracy rate reaches 92%.

concluding remarks

Double clear to the door as cross-border logistics “fast channel”, but behind its convenience is the transfer of responsibility and risk sharing. Enterprises need to “strategic procurement” thinking about logistics cooperation - not only to leverage professional services, but also need to build a strong line of defense. As a senior trader said: “In the cross-border track, fast is a kind of ability, stability is a kind of wisdom.” Only by balancing “love” and “hate” can we move steadily forward!

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