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Trade models

Agency import and export

Agency import and export is the model in which a company handles imports or exports in its own name on behalf of a principal and earns only an agency fee. Tranexio recognises the fee on a net basis, treats goods payments as pass-through, and covers agency contracts, advances, FX collection, fee settlement and deposits.

Key points

  • Net revenue recognition

    Once the commercial model is set to agency, only the agency fee is recognised as revenue; goods payments are collected and paid on the principal’s behalf and never enter your inventory or sales.

  • Agency contracts

    The agency contract records the fee rate and charging basis, conditions for advances, deposit ratio and division of responsibilities, forming the basis for later settlement.

  • Advances and deposits

    Advances for goods, taxes and freight are recorded and charged against limits one by one; agency deposits are collected, offset and refunded with a full trail, and funds tied up can bear interest.

  • FX collection and settlement

    Foreign currency collected for principals is matched and allocated to each principal, the agency fee is calculated by contract rules, and settlement and account statements are generated.

  • Documents and customs as usual

    Agency deals follow the same shipping, declaration, document and tax refund workflows, with the declaring entity and consignor or consignee filled in according to the agency relationship.

The problem

The biggest risks in agency business lie in accounting treatment and cash. Recognising revenue gross inflates the size of the business, advances scattered across several ledgers are hard to recover, and FX collected for principals does not reconcile with agency fees.

What the platform does

Preset Commercial model Regulatory model Revenue basis
Agency export Agency General trade Agency fee recognised net
Agency import Agency General trade Agency fee recognised net

Workflow: agency contract → business order → advances and deposits → shipping and declaration → FX collection and goods payment on the principal’s behalf → agency fee settlement → reconciliation and journal entries.

Key controls

  • Advances, agency deposits and credit consume a single set of limits.
  • FX collected must be matched to a principal and order, with alerts for unmatched receipts.
  • Agency fees are calculated automatically by contract rules, and manual adjustments are logged.
  • The declaring entity, consignor or consignee and agency relationship are checked for consistency.

The agency module is fully featured; how it is applied is configured in each project to fit the company’s agency relationships and finance and tax treatment.

Frequently asked questions

How does the system tell agency business from own-account business?

Through the commercial model. Choosing agency recognises the agency fee net and treats goods payments as pass-through; choosing own-account recognises revenue gross. The shipping, customs and document workflows are the same, and the commercial model determines the accounting treatment automatically with no manual judgement.

How do we recover taxes and goods payments advanced for principals?

Each advance is recorded against the principal, contract and order, building a detailed receivable from the principal. Interest can be charged as agreed in the contract, and at settlement advances are reconciled and offset together with FX collected and agency fees; anything unrecovered shows up in ageing and credit.

Can agency exports claim a tax refund?

They can be handled under the rules that apply to agency exports. The system supports document completeness and refund-related records for agency exports; who files and which certificates are issued depend on the agency relationship and tax requirements, and are configured in the project to match the company’s situation.

Can we control principal risk?

Yes. Principals are managed as counterparties subject to onboarding, sanctions screening and credit management. Advances and deposits consume their limits, and any excess is blocked at order or payment.

Related

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Updated 2026-10-06