Калькулятор стоимости посадки

A landed cost mistake is how a buyer loses margin without seeing it coming. I have watched a quote that looked 8% cheaper turn into the expensive option once freight, duty, brokerage, and inland delivery hit the file. One missed HS code did the damage. Customs reclassified the goods, duty jumped, and the “better” supplier burned through the gross margin the team had already promised to finance.

This article shows you how to calculate the real number before you approve the PO. You get the formula, the input list, and a clean way to compare Supplier A against Supplier B on the same basis, including DDP versus EXW, duty and tax impact, mixed-carton allocation, and the hidden charges that show up late. You will also get a practical landed cost example, a procurement checklist, and a supplier comparison method you can use with finance and operations without hand-waving.

Landed Cost Formula

Landed cost is the real approval number: product price plus freight, duties and taxes, insurance, brokerage, inland delivery, and compliance fees. If you miss one variable, Supplier A and Supplier B are not comparable.

Core formula

Use this landed cost formula for imported goods: product cost + international freight + duties and taxes + insurance + brokerage + inland delivery + compliance fees. For retail procurement, that is the only number that matters before PO approval, because a lower unit price can disappear once freight, clearance, and destination charges are added.

The practical rule is simple: compare all supplier quotes in one currency, normalize them to the same unit, and apply the same Инкотермс, HS code, and destination tax assumptions. If the quote is EXW, you still need to add origin handling, export clearance, main carriage, and destination-side costs. If the quote is DDP, confirm exactly which fees are included and which charges can still land on your desk later.

What drives landed cost

The biggest cost swings usually come from five inputs: origin country, Incoterms, tariff code accuracy, shipment mode, and package density. Destination tax rules also matter, because VAT, GST, or customs duty can change the final margin even when the product price looks stable.

• Origin country: Changes freight access, export handling, and sometimes the duty profile at destination.
• Incoterms: EXW, FOB, CIF, and DDP shift cost visibility and buyer risk in different ways.
• HS code accuracy: A misclassified tariff code distorts duty and can invalidate supplier comparisons.
• Shipment mode: Air, sea, and courier pricing behave very differently on small cartons versus dense freight.
• Package density: Low density raises volumetric freight cost, even when gross weight looks acceptable.
• Destination tax rules: VAT, GST, customs duty, and inspection fees can materially change the true landed number.

This is where many procurement teams get burned. They compare quote price first, then discover freight, storage, demurrage, or clearance charges after the supplier has already been shortlisted. That is not a sourcing decision; that is an invoice surprise.

Where landed cost is commonly underestimated

The most common mistake is treating the supplier quote as the total cost. In reality, landed cost is often understated because teams ignore currency spread, inland delivery, brokerage, storage, demurrage exposure, and compliance fees tied to inspection or product documentation.

Mixed-container and multi-SKU orders create another blind spot. If you do not allocate freight, duty, and clearance costs per unit, one SKU can subsidize another and hide a margin leak until replenishment is already in motion.

Practical supplier comparison framework

For procurement approval, compare Supplier A versus Supplier B on true landed cost, not unit price alone. Standardize the quote into one currency, apply the same HS code, use the same shipment mode, and calculate per-unit cost after freight, duty, and clearance. If the comparison is not normalized, the cheapest quote is usually fake cheap.

• Step 1: Request at least 3 supplier quotes with the same product specification.
• Step 2: Lock one currency for all comparisons.
• Step 3: Verify the HS code before comparing duty exposure.
• Step 4: Add freight, insurance, brokerage, inland delivery, and compliance fees.
• Step 5: Convert the total into landed cost per unit and test the margin impact.

For veteran buyers, the decision rule is not complicated: pick the supplier that protects margin after freight, duty, and clearance, not the one with the lowest ex-factory price. In Yiwu sourcing, supplier verification and sample-to-bulk consistency matter here because a cheap quote is useless if the bulk order shifts in quality, packaging density, or compliance status.

Example: landed cost for a wholesale import

If a product costs $2.40 per unit, freight adds $0.62, duty and taxes add $0.31, insurance adds $0.04, brokerage adds $0.09, inland delivery adds $0.11, and compliance fees add $0.08, the landed cost is $3.65 per unit. That is the number finance should approve, not the $2.40 supplier quote.

That example also shows why DDP versus EXW changes the conversation. DDP can improve cost visibility if the supplier truly includes destination-side charges, but it can also hide weak assumptions if the importer does not confirm the inclusions line by line.

Procurement checklist before approval

• Confirm unit price, carton count, gross weight, and cubic volume.
• Verify the HS code and the duty rate before supplier comparison.
• Check whether the quote is EXW, FOB, CIF, or DDP.
• Add insurance, brokerage, inland delivery, and compliance fees.
• Allocate freight and clearance costs per unit for mixed-SKU shipments.
• Review storage, demurrage, and currency spread before signing off.

If you are building a landed cost spreadsheet for the procurement team, this checklist is the minimum. It keeps Supplier A and Supplier B on the same basis, exposes hidden cost gaps early, and protects gross margin before the purchase order is issued.

Hidden Cost Buckets

Hidden cost buckets are where supplier quotes become real landed cost. If you do not price freight, duty, and risk correctly, the cheapest quote can become the most expensive PO.

Freight charges

Freight is not one line item. For China sourcing, you usually need to separate ocean freight, air freight, fuel surcharges, port handling, and last-mile delivery. A supplier quote that ignores any of these will understate landed cost and distort margin approval.

• Ocean freight: Best for volume, but the unit cost changes with cube, weight, and route timing.
• Air freight: Faster, but it usually destroys margin on low-value goods unless replenishment speed matters more than cost.
• Fuel surcharges: These move outside the base rate and should be treated as part of the quote, not an afterthought.
• Port handling: Charges at origin and destination can be small per shipment, but they add up fast across repeated orders.
• Last-mile delivery: Inland delivery to the warehouse or fulfillment center often gets missed in early comparisons.

For procurement, the rule is simple: compare freight on a per-unit basis, not as a shipment headline number. That is the only way to see whether Supplier A or Supplier B actually protects gross margin.

Duty and tax

Duty and tax can erase a small unit-price advantage very quickly. Customs duty, VAT or GST, and broker handling fees all belong in the landed cost formula, and HS code accuracy matters before you compare suppliers. If the tariff classification is wrong, the quote comparison is already broken.

• Customs duty: Rate depends on the HS code and destination market.
• VAT or GST: Often calculated on a broader customs value, not just product price.
• Tariff misclassification risk: A wrong HS code can make a low quote look better than it really is.
• Broker handling fees: These are usually fixed-cost administration charges that still hit unit economics.

We advise buyers to standardize one currency and verify HS codes before supplier approval. Otherwise, the finance team ends up comparing fiction, not landed cost.

Risk costs

Risk costs are the bucket most quote sheets ignore, which is exactly why they cause surprise variance later. Inspection failures, rework, storage delays, demurrage, and currency conversion spread do not always show up at purchase order stage, but they hit margin just the same.

• Inspection failures: Failed AQL inspection can trigger sorting, replacement, or delayed release.
• Rework: Packaging fixes, relabeling, or product correction add labor and time.
• Storage delays: If goods sit in port or warehouse, carrying cost increases immediately.
• Demurrage: Late container pickup can create avoidable detention and demurrage charges.
• Currency conversion spread: FX spread can quietly widen the true buy price, especially on repeated imports.

This is where low MOQ wholesale risk becomes real. Small orders are not automatically safer if hidden charges eat the margin before the first replenishment cycle is complete.

Practical landed cost check

Use this simple approval sequence before you compare Supplier A against Supplier B. It keeps the landed cost calculation template clean and stops quote distortion early.

• Collect at least 3 supplier quotes in the same currency.
• Normalize every quote per unit, not per carton or per shipment.
• Add freight, duty, tax, brokerage, inland transport, and compliance fees.
• Adjust for inspection failures, storage delay, and demurrage exposure.
• Approve only after the true landed cost supports target margin.

Example: a supplier with a $0.20 lower unit price can still lose on total cost if freight, duty, and clearance add $0.35 per unit. That is why procurement teams should treat DDP and EXW as different visibility models, not just different terms.

Comparison Table

The lowest supplier quote is not the best buying decision. Procurement should compare quote price, landed cost, and margin impact before approving any PO.

Supplier cost view: quote price versus landed cost versus margin impact

A supplier quote only shows the factory side of the deal. Landed cost is the full import cost, including freight, duties, taxes, insurance, brokerage, inland transport, and compliance fees. That is why a cheaper quote can still produce a worse margin after the goods clear customs.

For procurement review, compare at least three supplier quotes in one currency, then normalize every offer to a per-unit landed cost. If the HS code is wrong, the duty rate is wrong, and the comparison is useless. DDP terms usually give clearer cost visibility than EXW, but the buyer still needs to verify what is included.

• Supplier quote: Factory price only, usually the starting point for negotiation.
• Landed cost: Quote plus freight, duties or VAT/GST, insurance, brokerage, inland delivery, and compliance charges.
• Margin impact: Retail or wholesale gross margin after import cost is applied to the expected selling price.

1,000-unit import case: low unit price versus lower landed cost

Here is the practical trap. Supplier A may quote a lower unit price, but Supplier B may still deliver the lower landed cost once freight, duty, and clearance are included. That difference often decides whether a launch protects margin or creates an inventory problem.

• Supplier A quote: $4.20 per unit EXW, with higher freight and separate clearance charges.
• Supplier B quote: $4.45 per unit DDP, with freight, duties, and delivery already absorbed.
• Order size: 1,000 units, so the quote gap starts at $250 before logistics are added.
• Result: Supplier A can still end up more expensive if freight, duty, brokerage, or demurrage pushes total landed cost above Supplier B.

This is why procurement teams do not approve on unit price alone. They approve on landed cost per unit, then test the margin impact against the planned selling price. For mixed-container or multi-SKU orders, per-unit allocation matters even more, because shared freight and clearance costs can distort one SKU if you spread them badly.

Decision rule for procurement approval

Use the quote only as input. The approval memo should confirm HS code accuracy, freight mode, Incoterms, insurance rate, brokerage fee, inland delivery, and any inspection or compliance cost. If those inputs are not standardized, the supplier comparison is not credible.

For Yiwu sourcing, this matters even more when buyers are checking supplier verification, sample-to-bulk consistency, and DDP hidden costs. A lower quote means nothing if the true landed cost erodes gross margin or creates restocking delays.

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Procurement Checklist

Procurement Checklist

Do not compare supplier quotes until the cost inputs, HS code, and Incoterms match. Otherwise, the lowest unit price can hide the highest true landed cost.

For procurement approval, collect the same inputs from every supplier before you compare numbers. That means product cost, carton count, gross weight, dimensions, HS code, destination, Incoterms, freight mode, insurance, and tax assumptions. If one quote is DDP and another is EXW, the comparison is not usable for margin control.

Data to Collect

Start with the commercial quote, then strip it down to the variables that move landed cost. You need unit price, carton count, gross weight, cubic volume, destination, freight mode, insurance rate, brokerage fee, inland delivery, and expected duties or VAT/GST. For mixed-container or multi-SKU orders, assign each SKU its own share of freight and clearance cost so margin does not leak into the wrong line.

• Product cost: Unit price, currency, and any tiered pricing at the quoted MOQ.
• Packing data: Cartons per SKU, carton count, gross weight, net weight, and dimensions.
• Trade data: HS code, destination country, Incoterms, and declared customs value.
• Logistics data: Freight mode, insurance rate, brokerage fee, inland transport, and any warehouse or delivery charge.
• Tax assumptions: Customs duty, VAT or GST, inspection fees, and any clearance-related administrative cost.
• Risk items: Currency spread, storage, demurrage exposure, and any charge that could appear after the first quote.

Validation Steps

First, verify the supplier before you trust the quote. Check the factory or trading company identity, business license, export capability, and whether the address, product line, and sample quality actually match the claim. This is where yiwu sourcing supplier verification matters, because fake factory verification China mistakes can turn a cheap quote into a costly mistake.

Second, review the HS code before you compare suppliers. Duty misclassification changes the total landed cost and can make one supplier look cheaper only because the tariff was calculated wrong. Third, ask finance or operations to sign off on the landed cost after freight, duties, insurance, and clearance fees are normalized to one currency and one unit basis.

• Supplier verification: Confirm legal entity, production address, export history, and sample-to-bulk consistency before approval.
• Tariff review: Validate HS code accuracy and check duty, VAT or GST, and compliance fees before any supplier comparison.
• Landed cost sign-off: Finance or operations should approve the final total after freight, clearance, inland delivery, and risk allowances are included.

Practical Approval Rule

Use at least three supplier quotes, convert them into one currency, and normalize every line to cost per unit before you approve the purchase order. If Supplier A is cheaper on ex-factory price but loses on freight, duty, or clearance, Supplier B may protect margin better. That is the right way to judge true landed cost for retail procurement.

Example: How the Check Works

A buyer receives two quotes for the same SKU. Supplier A offers a lower unit price, but the cartons are heavier, the freight mode is more expensive, and the HS code pushes the duty higher. After allocation, Supplier B can deliver the better landed cost even with a higher factory price, which is why quote price alone is not a decision rule.

Risk Control

The cheapest quote is often the wrong quote. For Yiwu sourcing, landed cost only holds when freight, duty, clearance, inland delivery, and FX are priced in together.

Common errors that break landed cost

Procurement teams usually lose margin in the same five places: inland freight, duty rate, clearance fees, currency movement, and mixed-SKU allocation. The problem is not the formula. The problem is bad inputs and incomplete quote comparison.

• Ignoring inland freight: Factory-to-port, warehouse-to-port, and final-mile delivery can erase a small unit-price advantage.
• Using the wrong duty rate: If the HS code is misclassified, the landed cost model is wrong before the supplier comparison even starts.
• Missing clearance fees: Brokerage, customs handling, inspection fees, and demurrage exposure often appear after the first quote.
• Failing to model FX movement: A weak currency assumption can turn a good quote into a bad approval one week later.
• Mixing cost logic across quotes: EXW, FOB, and DDP are not interchangeable. If the Incoterms differ, the comparison is not clean.

If you compare Supplier A and Supplier B without normalizing currency, HS code, and delivery terms, you are not comparing landed cost. You are comparing two different risk profiles and calling it a price check.

How to protect margin before approval

Use one currency, one unit basis, and one landed cost template for every supplier. We recommend comparing at least 3 supplier quotes, then normalizing each quote to per-unit landed cost before finance signs off.

• Pricing decision: Rank suppliers by true landed cost, not quote price.
• Inventory planning: Build reorder timing around transit time, clearance time, and buffer stock.
• Supplier negotiation: Push for clearer Incoterms, packaging counts, and invoice consistency so cost leakage is visible early.
• Gross margin protection: Check whether freight, duty, and brokerage still leave the target margin intact after all charges.
• Replenishment reliability: Favor suppliers that can repeat sample-to-bulk consistency and ship on schedule, not just quote low.

For procurement teams, the real win is not finding the lowest quote. It is locking a repeatable landed cost that protects margin and keeps stock moving without surprise variance.

DDP versus EXW: the practical decision

DDP gives cleaner cost visibility because freight, duty, and delivery are bundled into one buying view. EXW may look cheaper on paper, but the buyer carries more risk, more line items, and more chance of missing hidden costs.

Use DDP when the team needs approval clarity, faster supplier comparison, and fewer logistics surprises. Use EXW only when the buyer has strong freight control, customs capability, and enough data to model every fee accurately.

• DDP advantage: Better landed cost visibility and lower buyer-side execution risk.
• EXW risk: More hidden costs, more clearance work, and more exposure to margin leakage.
• Mixed-container orders: Allocate freight and clearance per unit or per carton, otherwise one SKU subsidizes another.

Practical example for a retail procurement team

Supplier A quotes a lower unit price than Supplier B. After adding inland freight, duty, clearance fees, and FX spread, Supplier A ends up with the higher landed cost per unit. That is why the quote must be converted into a full landed cost model before purchase order approval.

A clean approval memo should show unit price, carton count, gross weight, cubic volume, Incoterms, destination tax regime, freight mode, HS code, insurance rate, brokerage fee, and inland delivery cost. If any one of those inputs is missing, the margin decision is incomplete.

Checklist before you approve the PO

• Confirmed HS code and duty rate
• One currency used across all supplier quotes
• Freight, insurance, brokerage, and inland delivery included
• DDP versus EXW comparison completed on the same basis
• Per-unit allocation completed for mixed-container or multi-SKU orders
• Replenishment lead time checked against stock cover

That is the difference between a cheap quote and a protected margin. In Yiwu sourcing, the buyers who win are the ones who model all-in cost before they commit volume.

Заключение

Use landed cost as your approval number, not the quote price. If Supplier A looks 8% cheaper on paper but adds higher freight, duty, and clearance charges, Supplier B often wins on real margin and cash flow. For imported goods, I would always compare the full cost per unit before I sign anything.

Get three quotes in one currency, confirm the HS code, and ask for DDP and EXW side by side so you can see the hidden charges. If the order mixes SKUs or cartons, push every extra fee into a per-unit allocation and check the sample against bulk before you approve the PO.

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