Reborn in 2010, the AI ​​in my mind is too powerful.

Chen Yiran opened Baidu and searched for "customs clearance of parallel import cars at Tianjin Port".

The quality of Baidu search results in 2010 was predictably poor. The first two pages were filled with all sorts of spam and junk information, such as "Tianjin Port car pickup hotline" and "luxury car wholesale prices," with each website more useless than the last. It's not that contacting these people is wrong; they would definitely source cars if they bought them, but whether or not problems would arise was anyone's guess.

After flipping through the pages for a while, I finally found a post on the second page called "Xinshengda International Trade". I clicked on it a few times and finally found it.

It's a rather dated website, filled with scrolling text and Song typeface, with a reflective blue background. However, the business descriptions are fairly clear—customs clearance, 3C certification agency, commodity inspection, tax payment, and vehicle registration.

This is the company I worked with in my past life.

He met Manager Wang by chance when he was having dinner back in China. The dishes for the two tables were served to the wrong people. After chatting for a while, he learned that Chen Yiran was an international student and added her on QQ. Later, they started working together.

"Jasmine, is this Old Wang's phone number?"

Yes, this is Lao Wang's phone number.

"By the way, what's Old Wang's name? I've forgotten, I only remember he's Old Wang."

I don't know either; you don't remember his original name.

Wow, so that's what Manager Wang or Old Wang was all I ever called him in my past life.

I glanced at the time; it was still too early in China.

Alright, let's eat first, so I ordered from another restaurant that saved him during his university years.

Mayflower is a small sushi shop on the edge of the main street; their udon noodles are pretty good.

After a satisfying meal, it was still a bit early.

After thinking about it, it seems reasonable for people in the import/export business to go to work in the morning.

I dialed the number listed on the webpage.

After a few beeps, a middle-aged man's voice answered, with a distinct Tianjin accent.

"Hello, who is this?"

"Hello Manager Wang, my surname is Chen. I'm currently studying in the United States. I have a classmate whose family is very wealthy and they're in the car business. So I'm considering starting a parallel import business. I saw on the website that your company does similar services, is that right?"

"Oh, in the US. What kind of cars did you get your hands on?"

"My friend's family owns a large dealership, so getting a car isn't difficult. How about a 2010 BMW X5, US spec, 3.0L?"

Manager Wang clearly became interested and spoke much faster: "US-spec X5s? Those come with 3C certification, easy. How many do you have now?"

"We have plenty of stock, but we want to confirm the current demand in your area and which vehicle models are the best to ship."

"The X5 is the easiest to sell, followed by the Mercedes GL350 diesel. These two are the most in demand and are the highest-volume sellers. You can tell me how many of these you have; the price won't be outrageous, and we'll take as many as you have."

The Toyota Land Cruiser 5700, Toyota Sequoia 5.7, and Cadillac Escalade—it depends on whether anyone orders them. The GMC Savana and Ford E350 are the same; if you can get your hands on them, you can do small-scale imports. I can help you find out if anyone wants them.

"I heard there are engine displacement requirements, right?"

"Yes, 3.0 or less is best. The consumption tax is 12%, and the overall tax rate is about 66%. Moreover, each car is different, so you have to check carefully. Some cars are labeled as 3.0, but they are actually only slightly more than 3001cc. That's a problem. In China, they are still taxed according to the above."

"Understood. What about the color?"

"White and black are the best-selling colors. There's no need for any special colors; things that look novel don't actually sell well."

"What's the configuration?"

"Go for the best you can get. Small-scale imported cars are mainly for saving money and showing off. Add luxury packages, navigation, heated seats, if they're available. US-spec cars generally have higher specifications than Chinese-spec cars, which is an advantage."

"What are the payment methods? Can we use a letter of credit?"

"Oh, you need a letter of credit? An irrevocable documentary letter of credit, that's fine, we can issue one. Once the goods are loaded onto the ship and the documents are approved, the payment will be released."

"Okay, I'll compile the information on car dealers in the US and discuss it with you in detail later."

"Okay, add me on QQ. Send me any information you need. You can also call me if you need anything."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Yiran breathed a sigh of relief.

Manager Wang was indeed already working on it, but it didn't seem to be on the same scale as later on; he clearly didn't like dealing with letters of credit.

Generally, most of these transactions involve a 30% down payment lock-up period, with the full payment due upon arrival at the port. This means the risk is primarily borne by the US side, since if the car encounters problems in China and can't be sold, it would be a problem.

In later years, parallel import cars became increasingly difficult to sell. A large number of unwanted cars were piled up at Tianjin Port, and even at half price, they were hard to sell.

However, that was more than a decade later. By then, domestic car prices had plummeted, and imported cars no longer had a price advantage.

However, in 2010, this was still a relatively untapped market, much better than when he entered the industry in 2012 in his previous life.

By 2012, the market was already saturated with players, intermediaries, and exporters, with incredibly low barriers to entry. But 2010 was different; there were relatively few people doing this.

In his past life, he knew of a large car dealership in New Jersey that represented many brands. His youngest son ran a company that specialized in skirting the law by selling parallel import cars. They even helped people procure cars from various sources and accepted letters of credit.

What was the name of that company again?

Jasmine?

[It should be AVE in Elizabeth, New Jersey, but I don't know the full name.]

Chen Yiran searched on Google and found it quickly.

Atlantic Vehicle Export, abbreviated as AVE, is located in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

The website is a bit better than Manager Wang's, but it's still nothing special. It says "We export vehicles worldwide" at the top, followed by a bunch of colorful flags of the destination countries.

Call them.

The person who answered the phone was a man with a Middle Eastern accent who spoke very quickly.

Chen Yiran stated her requirements directly: 2010 X5 xDrive35i, white or black, with all configurations maxed out.

The other person became noticeably more serious after listening.

Then he said, "30 units? Sure. We'll buy them from dealers in different states, no one will notice."

The payment method was confirmed as a letter of credit, and the service fee was four thousand per unit, including procurement, title transfer, export documents, and inland transportation to the Port of Los Angeles.

"Send me the specific configuration details to my email, and I'll send you a quote. I've already received orders from China, and the letter of credit from them will be available soon."

The other party noted down Chen Yiran's email address and agreed to get the letter of credit as soon as possible to start the transaction.

He hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair. 30 vehicles. In his previous life, he had never handled such a large volume at once. Back then, several manufacturers had already started checking vehicles and issuing fines. This kind of large-scale vehicle mobilization was already somewhat risky. BMW was the most ruthless; they would even hire people to wait at the Port of Los Angeles to record license plates.

This is so convenient; he doesn't need to pay a single penny upfront. The domestic agent opens a letter of credit, and AVE finances the vehicle delivery.

All he needs to do is register a shell company and get a back-to-back letter of credit.

My immediate priority is to go to New York.

Originally, at the end of the first month, freshmen would be organized to take a group bus trip to New York, but now we can't wait that long.

He took out his phone and dialed Xu Li's number directly.

"Hey, old man."

"Sigh, how did you find out about this nickname? It's spread way too far."

"I need your help urgently. Let's skip class. I have to go to New York for something urgent."

"Oh, what is it?"

Two days later, Xu Li and Chen Yiran prepared to set off before dawn.

Xu Li said obsequiously, "Boss, please sit down. Boss, we're about to leave, boss!"

Chen Yiran was a little helpless. He simply told Xu Li that he was going to register a company in New York to do business, and that he had been called "boss" for the past two days.

The journey from Newark to New York via the New Jersey Turnpike takes less than two hours. Following the navigation, Xu Li entered Manhattan through the tunnel, turned directly onto the road towards Queens, and finally arrived at Flushing.

The streets are full of Chinese signs, selling everything from milk tea and shoes to visa services, legal services, and accounting.

"Boss, where are we going?"

"Drive straight ahead, there's a firm called New Town Accountants, I checked, it's on Roosevelt Avenue."

When they arrived, Xu Li parked the car in a parking spot in front of a row of Chinese restaurants. After looking around, he decided not to pay and went to the tea restaurant next door after telling Chen Yiran.

The New Town Accounting Firm is located on the second floor of a small, cramped building, which is considered one of the larger commercial buildings in the area. A sheet of A4 paper is posted at the entrance, printed in Song typeface: Company Registration, Bookkeeping & Tax Filing, EIN Application, Chinese Services, along with a phone number.

Pushing open the door, I saw a middle-aged woman in her forties at the front desk, eating breakfast—a bowl of plain porridge with pickled vegetables.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

"I want to register an LLC in Delaware."

The woman put down her chopsticks, took a form out of the drawer, and handed it to her.

"Please fill in the basic information. Have you decided on a company name yet?"

When Chen Yiran filled in the form, he thought about it for a moment and finally wrote "Chen Trading LLC".

How much is the registration fee?

"Delaware registration, including a one-year registered agent fee, costs $450. EIN application is an additional $150. Expedited processing takes about a week, while regular mail takes four to six weeks."

"Urgent."

"Okay. Do you need a nominal manager? Your LLC needs a manager or member to sign legal documents. You have an F1 visa, right?"

Chen Yiran paused for a moment, "Wow, that's professional. You have a really sharp eye."

"An F1 visa holder can be a passive owner and receive dividends, but cannot be a manager. If you need someone to sign documents on your behalf, we can provide a nominal manager service for 800 per year, or a commission based on transactions, 100 to 200 per transaction."

"Then let's make it eight hundred."

The woman nodded, took the form, and made copies of her ID card and passport.

"You'll receive your EIN number in a week. Take it to the bank to open a bank account. You'll need your passport, I-94, company registration documents, and EIN confirmation letter. Do you have a Social Security Number (SSN)?"

"no."

"It will be more troublesome to open an account without an SSN. There is an East West Bank branch in Flushing, so it will be more convenient for you to go there. It is best to bring a copy of your address and school certificate."

Chen Yiran hesitated for a moment before peering inside.

The middle-aged woman smiled and said, "No need to look inside. We don't have a reception desk. Whoever comes waits for us at the front desk. There are only three people in the entire accounting firm. The other two are at home, and I'm here to oversee things. Don't worry, it's all standard procedure."

Chen Yiran could only nod and leave the accounting firm with the documents.

He saw Xu Li leaning against the car door waiting for him, holding a cup of bubble tea in his hand.

"Is it all done?"

"It's all done. I can open a bank account once my EIN is processed in a week."

Xu Li took a sip of milk tea, chewed on the tapioca pearls, and said, "Boss, you're really something! Come on, I'll treat you to dinner. Tell me all about it, I want to do it too."

Chen Yiran thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I might need your help. I was originally planning to ask my family."