Return
- Same descriptions, quantities, and serial numbers as the outbound file
- Carnet stamped on exit and again on re-entry to China
- Pickup booked before the show opens, for the move-out window
- Re-import into China on Yihang’s AEO file
Guide
Decide the ending before the cargo leaves.
Exhibition cargo ends one of three ways: it returns, it is sold locally, or it is abandoned. Each is a different customs file, and each is cheapest when it is decided before the goods ship. A return needs the same descriptions and quantities as the outbound declaration. A local sale converts the piece to a normal import with duty and tax. Abandonment still costs storage, handling, and sometimes destruction under customs supervision. Yihang Shipping books the return leg as its own date, and splits the file early if some pieces may stay.
Sell locally
- The piece becomes a normal import, with duty and tax at destination
- A local buyer or importer of record files it
- Certificates and labelling for that market may apply
- The carnet is discharged for that piece
Abandon
- Storage, security, and paperwork charges start the day after move-out
- Destruction under customs supervision has its own fees
- Without a destruction or abandonment record, the duty can still be claimed
- Often the most expensive ending, after the bill arrives
Move-out traps
- Many halls give 24–48 hours to clear; after that, storage or forced removal
- Empty crates must come back from storage before packing
- A missed carrier slot is rerouted by the show contractor at the exhibitor’s cost
- Changing a description on the return invoice holds the cargo
How it works
Move-in count-back Tool
Receiving deadline in, latest cargo-ready date out.
ATA carnet GuideATA carnet China: CCPIT issue, eATA in the EU since June 2026, country steps, and when goods return from a show. Match the carnet list to the packing list.
Temporary import without a carnet GuideTemporary import when a carnet will not work: US TIB, deposits, Brazil admissão temporária, and when normal import is simpler for show cargo from China.
Move-in timing GuideHow to work out the latest cargo-ready date for a trade show: the receiving window, advance warehouse or direct to show, release, and the sailing.
Packing, fumigation, insurance GuideCrates that survive a return trip, ISPM 15 and fumigation declarations, lithium batteries in demo units, loading photos, and cargo insurance through PICC.
Group and pavilion shipping GuideSeveral exhibitors, one container, one delivery slot: how a pavilion or delegation consolidates exhibits, with separate packing lists and carnets per exhibitor.
Show-to-show freight GuideTouring exhibits from one trade show to the next across countries: carnet routing, time limits, storage between shows, and Yihang’s agent network outside China.
Your direction
Exhibiting abroad from China Direction
Ship stands, machines, and samples from a Chinese factory to a trade show abroad and back: ATA carnet, move-in count-back, group shipping, and the return or sale.
Exhibiting in China DirectionBring exhibits into China for CIIE, bauma CHINA, or the Canton Fair import pavilion, or ship what you bought at a Chinese fair home. Carnet, fumigation, and retention.
Exhibiting in a third country DirectionInternational exhibitors going to a show in a third country, or touring several shows: one file, Yihang’s 180+ overseas agents, and carnet routing.
Questions exhibitors ask
When should the return shipment be booked?
Before the show opens. The move-out window is short, the carrier has to be named in advance, and the return sailing or flight is its own date.
Can some pieces return and others stay?
Yes. Split them before they ship: carnet or temporary import for the returning pieces, a normal import for the pieces that may be sold. One mixed file is where most returns go wrong.
Can the goods go to another show instead of home?
Yes, if the carnet or temporary import allows the next country and the time limit. See show-to-show freight.