Core mindset for traders: you're not 'filling out one form'—you're 'operating a supplier document library.' Your real asset is the 'supplier × box type' diff view, not a stack of PDFs.
Example: one 40-foot container to Germany, goods from five suppliers consolidated— • Supplier A's parts in their own corrugated box with their brand printed → A signs, 1 declaration • Supplier B, same situation → B signs, 1 declaration • Supplier C's goods in a carton you specify and print with your customer's brand → you sign, 1 declaration • Suppliers D and E, each in their own boxes → D and E each sign, 2 declarations • Pallet and stretch wrap you provide → you sign, 1 declaration
Total: 6 declarations (you sign 2)
Key point: one declaration ≠ one shipment; one declaration = one packaging type. Step one isn't opening the form—it's pulling out the packing list and listing every packaging type used in this shipment.