Fees & landed cost

One number, and the arithmetic behind it

Most sourcing quotes are a single figure with no explanation, which is exactly why people do not trust them. We quote a landed price and show the components, so you can see where the money goes and challenge any line of it.

LineWhat we chargeNotes
Goods costFactory ex-works priceQuoted at cost — we do not add a hidden margin to the unit price
Procurement commissionFrom 5% of goods valueSliding with order size: 5% above USD 20,000, 10% typical, 15% on small or high-touch orders
SamplingUSD 50–400 plus freightCharged at cost; usually credited against the production order
Tooling and mouldsAt cost, quoted separatelyOwned by you, held at the factory
FreightAt cost to usAir express, air freight or sea LCL/FCL, booked at market rate
Duty and import VATAt cost, shown separatelyCalculated from the HS code and the destination country
Customs clearanceIncluded in a DDP quoteWe act as or arrange the importer of record where your country allows it
InspectionUSD 100–350 per inspection dayOptional; mandatory-feeling for orders over roughly USD 10,000
Certification (CE, FCC, RoHS, FDA)Quoted per itemThird-party lab fees passed through with no mark-up

Quoting is free

You can ask us to price something and walk away. No deposit, no retainer, no obligation to order. We only earn when you place an order.

Commission, not mark-up

We buy at factory cost and charge a stated commission on top. You see the factory price. That is a different business model from a trading company that hides a margin in the unit price.

Freight at cost

Freight is booked at the rate we are charged and shown as its own line. When rates fall, your quote falls.

Worked example: 500 custom silicone wristbands to Texas

Goods (500 × USD 0.42 ex-works)USD 210.00
Tooling and set-up, one-offUSD 180.00
Procurement commission, 15% of goodsUSD 31.50
Export packing and domestic freight to portUSD 25.00
Air express, 12 kg, door to doorUSD 148.00
US import duty (HS 3926.90, 5.3%)USD 11.13
Clearance and final deliveryUSD 42.00
Landed totalUSD 647.63
Unit landed costUSD 1.30

Illustrative arithmetic, not a quote. Real numbers depend on the current silicone price, the artwork, the exchange rate and the freight lane — which is why every case is priced individually.

Why a landed price matters

A factory quote of USD 0.42 per unit sounds cheap until you add air freight, duty and clearance and discover the goods cost USD 1.30 by the time they are on your desk. Half of the wasted time in first-time importing comes from comparing an ex-works price with a delivered price. We remove that ambiguity deliberately: the number you approve is the number you pay, delivered.

Payment terms

  • Small orders under roughly USD 2,000: often paid in full on delivery, or 50% deposit and 50% before shipment.
  • Standard orders: 30–50% deposit to begin production, balance once you have seen inspection evidence and before the container or parcel is released.
  • Tooling: paid up front, invoiced separately, and it remains your property.
  • Methods: bank transfer, Wise, or card for smaller amounts. We will issue a proper invoice for every payment.