---
title: China Import Agent for US Importers | China Agent
description: "A China import agent should work only for you at the factory end: who makes your goods, the contract, the dispute. No sourcing, no commissions."
image: https://www.china-agent.com/hubfs/china-factory-production-hall-panorama.jpg
---

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# What should a China import agent do for a US importer?

![Wide view of an empty production hall at a factory in China, with stacked white panels on pallets](https://www.china-agent.com/hubfs/china-factory-production-hall-panorama.jpg)

- October 6, 2026

![Eldad Shashua](https://www.china-agent.com/hubfs/Eldad%20Shashua.jpeg)

[Eldad Shashua](https://www.china-agent.com/blog/author/eldad-shashua)

A China import agent should work for you, the importer, at the factory end of your chain: face to face with the factory you already buy from, making sure you know who really makes your goods, negotiating your contract, and standing with you when something goes wrong. Your freight forwarder moves the boxes and your customs broker files the entry. Neither of them sits across from your factory owner.

The factory has its people. The forwarder has his. The broker has his. Nobody in China works only for you.

The trouble is the name. Type "China import agent" into Google and you get four different jobs under one label, and not all of them are paid by you. Sort out which one you need before you pay anyone.

## Which "import agent" do you actually need?

Start with where your problem sits.

If the problem is the US entry, the paperwork CBP sees when the goods land, you need a licensed customs broker. That's a US job. Brokers are licensed by CBP, and an agent in China can't file it for you.

If the problem is moving the goods (booking the container, the truck to the port, the bill of lading), you need a freight forwarder. Good forwarders know ports and schedules. They don't know whether the company on your proforma invoice is the company running the machines.

If you don't have a factory yet and want someone to find one, that's a different service, and it isn't ours. Before you hire anyone for it, read [how they get paid](https://www.china-agent.com/blog/who-pays-your-china-agent).

If you already have a supplier, and the problem is that you're on the other side of the world from it, you need the agent at the factory end. That person's whole job is the factory: who it is, what it promised, and what it's actually doing with your order.

That last seat is the one nobody else in your chain fills, and a trading company in the middle works for its margin.

## What should an agent in China do at the factory end?

Five jobs. If an agent can't do these, the title on the business card doesn't matter.

**Tell you who really makes your goods.** Not the English name on Alibaba. The Chinese legal name on the business license, the address where production happens, and the company your wire goes to. Those should be one company. When they're not, you want to hear it before the deposit, not after. We go deeper on that match in [proving who made your goods](https://www.china-agent.com/blog/prove-who-made-your-goods-in-china).

**Sit across from the factory owner.** You learn most of what matters about a supplier face to face: who comes out to meet you, and whether the boss even knows your order. You also see whether the place they show you makes your goods or is just a showroom. A video call shows you what the factory wants you to see.

**Negotiate the contract, in Chinese.** A Chinese court reads Chinese, so a contract that only exists in English is weak where it counts. An agent on your side negotiates the terms with the factory and gets them into a contract that can hold up in China. Here's [why a US contract often won't hold in a Chinese court](https://www.china-agent.com/blog/chinese-court-enforceable-contracts-why-your-us-agreement-wont-save-you).

**Stand with you in a dispute.** When the goods come out wrong or the money gets stuck, someone has to walk in and negotiate. An email from abroad is easy to ignore. If you're already there, read [how to recover money from a Chinese supplier](https://www.china-agent.com/blog/how-to-recover-money-from-a-chinese-supplier-a-no-nonsense-guide-2026).

**Keep the China-side papers straight.** Business license, invoices, payment records, visit notes, refusals, all dated and in English. It doesn't carry your CBP duty, but it's the China half of your file when someone asks.

## What should you ask an import agent before you hire one?

Ask these in writing. The answers tell you more than the website.

1. **Who pays you?** If any part of the agent's money comes from the factory, as a commission or a markup hidden in the unit price, they work for the factory too. Ask it plainly.
2. **Will you give me my factory's Chinese legal name and license in writing?** If the agent keeps the factory's name to themselves, they own your supply chain and you don't.
3. **Who actually goes to the factory, and how soon?** A name, a city, a date. "Our team" isn't an answer.
4. **Will you tell me to stop?** Ask what would make them tell you not to place an order. If the honest answer costs them money, you'll probably never hear it.
5. **Who owns the relationship with the factory?** It should be you. The agent works on your file. If you fire the agent, the factory should still be yours.
6. **What won't you do?** A straight agent tells you. They're not your broker, and they can't promise what CBP will decide. If they promise a clean clearance, walk.

## Does an agent in China take over your CBP duty?

No. You're the importer of record, and the duty to use reasonable care when you enter goods sits with you under 19 U.S.C. § 1484. The DOJ and DHS Resource Guide to Trade Fraud Enforcement from July 2026 cites United States v. Golden Ship Trading Co. for the point that you can't hand reasonable care to the exporter or the broker. Nobody in China takes that duty off you, us included.

What a good agent changes is what you have in hand when someone asks: a dated China-side record of who made the goods, where, and who you paid. That helps your broker and your counsel. It isn't a release. For the full role split between you, your broker and the China side, read [who carries your importer duty](https://www.china-agent.com/blog/importer-of-record-china-documents).

## Where does China Agent fit?

We're the agent at the factory end, for importers who already have a supplier or factory in China. You pay us. Nobody else. No sourcing, no commissions.

There are a few ways in, depending on how much you need.

**One supplier, one question: is this the company I think it is?** Start with the [$95 Supplier Reality Check](https://www.china-agent.com/supplier-reality-check). You get a written verdict on one supplier you already chose, in two business days.

**Suppliers you already have, watched between shipments.** That's [Monthly Support](https://www.china-agent.com/monthly-support-packages). Our people read what the factory sends in Chinese, follow up on missing papers, keep the China-side record current, and go to the factory. Visibility is $995 a month plus $1,000 setup, month to month, for up to three suppliers with one factory visit a month. You get a named contact on your file, Monday to Friday, 9 to 6 China time.

**A contract the factory will be held to.** That's our [contracts](https://www.china-agent.com/contracts) work. We negotiate the terms with your factory and put them in a contract built to hold up in China.

**Your own person in that city, doing what you direct.** That's [Employee in China](https://www.china-agent.com/employee-in-china). The person works only for you. If you want someone negotiating with the factory day to day on your instructions, this is that door. We employ them under Chinese law through our hubs, legally registered in each city, and we train them and back them up. From $595 a month, plus your person's real costs. [See the full breakdown](https://www.china-agent.com/employee-in-china).

Not sure which one fits? See [how Employee in China and Monthly Support compare](https://www.china-agent.com/blog/employee-in-china-vs-monthly-support), or ask on the call.

## Limits

We don't file entries.

We don't give US customs legal advice.

We don't promise any CBP outcome.

## What to do

Write down every party on your last order and who pays each one: the factory, the trading company if there is one, the forwarder, the broker, any agent. Then look for the one who works only for you at the factory end. If that line is empty, fill it before the next deposit.

[WhatsApp](https://wa.me/8615322086875) [Book a call](https://www.china-agent.com/booking)

If you already know you want ongoing help, look at [Monthly Support](https://www.china-agent.com/monthly-support-packages) for suppliers you have, or [Employee in China](https://www.china-agent.com/employee-in-china) for your own person there.

---

I'm Eldad Shashua, founder of China Agent. I've spent 17 years in China sitting with factory owners, reading licenses and negotiating for importers. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/eldad-shashua-36519040)

## FAQ

**What does a China import agent do for a US importer?**  
A China import agent who works for the importer handles the factory end of the chain: confirming who really makes the goods, meeting the factory face to face, negotiating the contract, handling disputes and keeping China-side supplier papers in order. A freight forwarder moves the goods and a US customs broker files the entry. Those are separate jobs.

**Is a China import agent the same as a customs broker?**  
No. A customs broker is licensed by CBP and files the US entry. An agent in China works with your factory in China. China Agent is not a customs broker and does not file entries.

**How do I know if a China agent works for me or for the factory?**  
Ask in writing who pays them. If any money comes from the factory, as a commission, a rebate or a markup inside the unit price, the agent is paid by both sides. China Agent is paid a fixed fee by the client only and takes no commission from factories.

**Does China Agent find factories?**  
No. China Agent works on the suppliers and factories an importer already has. No sourcing, no commissions. A person hired through Employee in China works for the client and can look for new suppliers if the client tells them to. China Agent itself never does.

**Can an agent in China take over my reasonable care duty to CBP?**  
No. The importer of record keeps the duty of reasonable care under 19 U.S.C. § 1484. China Agent verifies and documents the China side so the importer and the broker have a dated record, but it does not carry the importer's CBP obligation and does not promise any CBP outcome.

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