When selecting a Russian customs broker, enterprises exporting to Russia are often misled by low quotes and overlook core factors such as qualifications, resources, and services. Eventually, they fall into the dilemma of customs clearance delays, shirking of responsibilities, and loss of cost control. The China-Russia freight chain is complex, and the professionalism of the customs broker directly determines the smoothness of logistics and trade profits. In fact, a high-quality customs broker is by no means the one with the “lowest quote”, but the one that meets the standards in terms of qualifications, local resources, transportation coordination, service guarantees, and other dimensions. Shanghai SBTG takes railway transportation as its main business and fully meets these selection criteria, becoming a trusted China-Russia freight partner for many enterprises.
1. Selection Criterion 1: Qualification Compliance, Reject Hidden Risks
Qualifications are the foundation of a customs broker’s survival and the primary threshold for selection. Enterprises need to focus on verifying three core qualifications: first, the official registration certificate with Russian customs; second, complete international freight and customs declaration qualifications; third, whether there is any business subcontracting. The subcontracting model will lead to vague division of responsibilities. When problems arise, all parties shirk their responsibilities, increasing communication and rights protection costs.
Shanghai SBTG has complete compliant qualifications, completed official registration with Russian customs, and all customs clearance and freight businesses are operated by its own team, rejecting any form of subcontracting. Our qualifications can be verified through legal channels in both China and Russia, avoiding customs clearance risks caused by illegal agents at the source. This is the core premise to ensure the foundation of cooperation.
2. Selection Criterion 2: Local Resources, Solve Core Customs Clearance Problems
The core difficulties of Russian customs clearance lie in policy barriers and communication obstacles, and brokers lacking local resources are difficult to cope with. During selection, it is necessary to focus on whether the broker has established an exclusive service network in Russia and is equipped with a local team familiar with Russian and customs processes—this is the key to accurately interpreting policies and quickly responding to emergencies.
SBTG has established an exclusive service center in Moscow. The local team synchronizes the latest Russian customs policies in real time and accurately classifies goods by HS codes. In case of emergencies such as customs inspections, the local team can arrive at the scene immediately, clearly explain the attributes and purposes of the goods, and greatly shorten the processing cycle. Compared with brokers who only work in China, solid local resources can fundamentally improve the customs clearance pass rate.
3. Selection Criterion 3: Transportation Coordination, Prioritize “Customs Clearance + Railway” Integration
Customs clearance is closely related to transportation. Choosing a customs broker and a transportation company separately is likely to lead to information disconnection and process interruption. China-Russia freight is mainly based on railway transportation. When selecting a customs broker, priority should be given to “integrated” enterprises that can coordinate railway transportation and customs clearance—such enterprises can achieve seamless connection between transportation and customs clearance, greatly improving logistics efficiency.
SBTG takes railway transportation as its main business and has established long-term direct cooperation with Russian Railways and China Railway Container Transport Corporation (CRCT) to lock in exclusive shipping space for China-Europe Railway Express and China-Russia special trains. We can reverse the customs clearance schedule in advance according to the railway transportation timeliness and complete the preparation of customs clearance documents and pre-declaration preparations before the goods are shipped. For over-dimensional goods such as the 388.49-ton large-scale liquid filling production line, we can simultaneously plan the railway transportation scheme and customs clearance declaration process, realizing “transportation-customs clearance coordination” and avoiding disconnection between links.
4. Selection Criterion 4: Service Details, Control Full-Chain Risks
High-quality services are hidden in details. During selection, it is necessary to pay attention to the broker’s full-process service capabilities: first, whether document review is detailed; second, whether there is a full-chain visualization tracking system; third, whether the response to emergencies is timely; fourth, whether there is a sound risk guarantee plan. These details directly determine the cooperation experience and risk controllability.
SBTG has set up a professional document review team to carefully check materials such as commercial invoices, packing lists, and railway waybills one by one to ensure complete consistency of information. Through an advanced logistics system, it realizes the full-process visualization of railway transportation trajectory, customs clearance progress, and transit status. A 24-hour response mechanism has been established. In case of policy changes, railway scheduling adjustments, or customs clearance abnormalities, we coordinate solutions immediately and inform enterprises synchronously. For high-value goods, we provide a supporting risk guarantee scheme covering the entire process of transportation, customs clearance, and transit, comprehensively avoiding various risks.
5. Selection Criterion 5: Industry Reputation, Refer to Long-Term Cooperation Cases
Reputation is a true reflection of a broker’s professionalism. During selection, it is necessary to understand the broker’s years of deep cultivation in the industry, the type of cooperating enterprises, and past cases. A high-quality broker can adapt to the customs clearance needs of different types of goods, and especially the operation experience of special categories can better demonstrate its professional strength.
SBTG has been deeply engaged in the China-Russia freight field for 20 years, achieving the industry achievement of no major customs clearance accidents, establishing long-term cooperation with more than 400 China-Russia enterprises, and its service categories cover ordinary goods, oil and gas equipment, precision instruments, over-dimensional equipment, etc. The long-term trust of many enterprises is a strong proof of our professional capabilities.
Choosing a Russian customs broker is essentially choosing a full-chain partner that can share risks. The above selection criteria can help enterprises avoid most pitfalls and accurately lock in high-quality China-Russia freight companies. Taking railway transportation as the core, Shanghai SBTG fully meets the five major criteria of qualification compliance, local resources, transportation coordination, service guarantees, and industry reputation, and escorts exports to Russia with professional capabilities. Whether you are a small, medium, or micro enterprise or a large factory, whether you transport ordinary goods or special categories, choosing SBTG means choosing a reliable customs broker that meets the core selection criteria, making logistics for trade with Russia more worry-free and stable.
