SZN-Vietnam 10x40HQ Plastic Pellets CIF Sea
Transitioning to a new, more complex export model, like one supporting tax rebates, requires deep customs compliance expertise, not just freight services.
This case details how GWT Shipping guided a long-term client through this precise transition for a 10x40HQ (10-TEU) shipment of plastic pellets from Shenzhen to Vietnam.
By acting as a 1-on-1 consultant and leveraging our AEO-certified customs team, we navigated complex documentation, compliance filings, and high-risk cargo protocols to successfully launch our client’s new, more profitable export strategy.
Situation & Client Context
Client | A long-term GWT partner in Shenzhen. |
Contract | CIF Sea Freight (First-time using a tax-rebate-compliant model). |
Shipment | 10 x 40HQ of Plastic Pellets. |
Route | Shenzhen, China to Vietnam. |
Objective | Flawlessly execute the client’s first tax rebate-eligible shipment, managing all new compliance, documentation, and cargo-specific hurdles. |
Prior Pain Points | The client was experienced in shipping but not in the complex procedures for tax rebates. They lacked the in-house expertise to manage the required customs filings, special documentation, and payment compliance, risking costly errors. |
The Challenges
The client’s strategic shift to a tax rebate model introduced several high-stakes challenges that GWT was hired to solve:
Complex Tax Rebate Compliance: To claim a tax rebate, the official “Exporter of Record” on the customs declaration must match the entity receiving foreign payment. This required a new, complex corporate filing with customs that the client had never done before.
Specialized Documentation (CO): The consignee in Vietnam required a Certificate of Origin (CO). Crucially, this CO could not be a dual-header (agent) certificate, adding another layer of compliance complexity to the new corporate filing.
Special-Handling Cargo: As plastic pellets, the cargo required both an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) and a Sea Transport Appraisal Report before any shipping line would accept the booking.
High Customs Inspection Risk: Due to the nature of the product, this cargo type has a high rate of customs inspection. With 10 containers, GWT’s AEO customs advantage was critical to ensure a smooth data review and avoid costly physical inspections.
GWT Shipping's Solution & Actions
Our team implemented a five-step, consultative plan, acting as the client’s integrated logistics and compliance department.
Step 1: VIP 1-on-1 Customs Registration
Action: To solve the core tax rebate challenge, GWT established a “VIP channel” and assigned a senior customs consultant to the client.
Innovative Solution: Our consultant personally guided the client’s staff, bringing their company’s official seal (chop), to the customs bureau. We managed the entire on-site registration process, successfully filing their company as the official Exporter of Record.
Outcome: This solved the “matching header” problem, making the entire shipment tax-rebate compliant from day one.
Step 2: Proactive Cargo Compliance (MSDS & CO)
Action: GWT’s specialists assisted the client in preparing and submitting the MSDS and Sea Transport Appraisal Report, securing booking approval from the carrier.
Coordination: Simultaneously, our documentation team managed the complex application and filing for the required single-header Certificate of Origin, ensuring it met Vietnam’s import requirements.
Step 3: AEO-Certified Customs Management
Action: Leveraging our AEO-certified status, GWT’s in-house customs team took control of the declaration for the 10 high-risk containers.
Execution: We ensured all data (product codes, weights, values) was meticulously reviewed and submitted, maximizing the chance of a “green light” data-pass and minimizing the risk of a physical inspection.
Step 4: Seamless Freight Execution
Action: With all compliance and documentation hurdles cleared, the core freight operation was routine for our experienced team.
Execution: We managed the entire process from booking and container pickup to port return and on-time loading, ensuring the cargo sailed as scheduled.
Step 5: Post-Sailing Tax Rebate Support
Action: Immediately after the vessel sailed, GWT’s team compiled and delivered the complete, verified set of export documents (including the B/L and customs forms) back to the client.
Outcome: This provided the client with the final, official documentation required to successfully apply for their VAT tax rebate.
Results & Benefits
Our consultative, end-to-end management turned a complex strategic transition into a seamless success.
Flawless Tax Rebate Execution: The client’s first-ever tax rebate shipment was completed perfectly, with all customs filings and documentation handled compliantly.
Successful Cargo & Documentation Handling: GWT successfully managed all special cargo requirements (MSDS, Sea Transport Report) and secured the complex single-header Certificate of Origin.
On-Time, Delay-Free Sailing: Despite the cargo’s high inspection risk, our AEO-certified customs management ensured the 10 containers were released by customs and sailed on time.
Deepened Strategic Partnership: The success of this new, complex model gave the client the confidence to expand their business. This trial fortified their deep trust in GWT as a partner who can manage not just freight, but critical business compliance.
Conclusion
This project demonstrates that GWT Shipping operates as a true logistics and compliance consultant, not just a freight forwarder. Our value is in our AEO-certified customs expertise and our willingness to provide hands-on, 1-on-1 guidance. We empower our clients to undertake complex new business strategies, like tax rebates, with total confidence, managing the high-stakes details so they can focus on their growth.
Client Review
GWT’s team guided us through the complex tax rebate process step-by-step. Their customs expertise is unmatched and gave us the confidence to launch our new export model. They are a true partner.
— Our Trading Partner in Shenzhen
Founded in 2004, Shenzhen Guanwutong International Freight Forwarding Co., Ltd. (GWT) is a WCA- and AEO-certified global logistics provider offering end-to-end air, ocean, rail, express, and DDP solutions.
With bonded warehouses in Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Fuzhou, plus 24/7 customs brokerage and real-time tracking, we deliver reliable, compliant, and tailored freight services to 3000+ clients across 190+ countries.
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