The bonded stocking model refers to shipping goods in large quantities from abroad to the bonded area for storage, and then clearing customs and shipping them in time when an order is placed, with a fast arrival time. Generally, goods with relatively large sales will choose the bonded stocking model. Under the bonded stocking model, cross-border import e-commerce merchants purchase goods in bulk in advance, ship the goods to the bonded logistics center for shipment, and then clear customs under the supervision of customs, national inspection and other departments. This model can reduce the commodity prices of import e-commerce companies and shorten the logistics waiting time for consumers. After the release of the “positive list” of cross-border e-commerce retail imports in 2016, the categories of goods stocked in bonded warehouses are restricted by the “positive list”. The bonded stocking model has the following four key nodes.
(I) Stocking and customs clearance
Merchants stock foreign goods in bulk to the bonded logistics center. After the consumer places an order, the e-commerce company handles customs clearance procedures for each item according to the order, completes the face sheet and packaging at the bonded logistics center, and after customs inspection and release, it is handed over to the entrusted domestic courier for delivery to the consumer. Each order is accompanied by a customs document.
(ii) Random inspection mode
In the bonded stocking mode, random inspection will be conducted by the national inspection when the order is shipped out of the warehouse. The goods can be shipped only after the random inspection passes. If it fails, the order will be deleted. The probability of failing the random inspection will directly affect the credit of the e-commerce enterprise. If the probability of passing the inspection decreases, the probability of being inspected will increase significantly.
(iii) Comparison of three documents
During the customs review, the system automatically compares the three documents, including the order, waybill, and payment order, and requires the information of the three documents to be consistent. The commodity inspection will also manually compare the information of the three documents when inspecting the package, and compare it with the actual goods in the package.
(iv) After-sales service
After the order is generated, the goods are actually shipped from the bonded logistics center. In principle, they can be delivered to consumers within 2 to 3 days, which is very timely. The large inventory of the bonded logistics center also provides a guarantee for after-sales services such as consumer returns and exchanges.