The unit price is the smallest part of your import cost, and the easiest to compare. The cost to import from China is a stack, and the stack is what decides whether your brand makes money. The number that decides whether your brand makes money is the landed cost per sellable unit.
Here is the full stack, in the order it hits your bank account.
1. Goods
The FOB price per unit, multiplied by quantity. This is where every negotiation starts and where most buyers stop.
Two things change it: the quantity tier and the specification. A lighter filling, a shorter stitch, a simpler carton — each is a cost decision, and each is visible only if you ask for a breakdown.
2. Development and samples
Sampling is not free, and it should not be. A realistic first-order budget includes:
- Sample production and materials.
- Courier costs, both directions.
- Any lab testing you require.
- Revisions after the first sample.
This line is small in absolute terms and large in schedule terms. Under-budgeting it is the most common reason a launch slips.
3. Freight
Sea freight is priced per container or per cubic metre; air is priced per kilogram. Textiles are bulky and relatively light, so you pay for volume, not weight.
Costs that catch first-time buyers:
- Minimum chargeable volume. A small shipment still pays for a minimum.
- Peak season surcharges. Rates move with capacity.
- Destination charges. Port fees, terminal handling, documentation.
4. Duty and taxes
Duty depends on the product classification, the country of origin and the destination market. Rates change, and they change for political reasons as much as commercial ones.
Do not rely on a number you read in a blog. Ask your customs broker for the current rate on the specific product code, and check the U.S. Customs and Border Protection entry process or the equivalent in your market.
5. Compliance and inspection
- Product testing (flammability, fibre content, chemical restrictions) where your market requires it.
- Pre-shipment inspection, if you use one.
- Labelling compliance, including any translation.
CBI's guidance on European buyer requirements is a useful reminder that these costs are not optional extras — they are the price of admission to a regulated market.
6. The costs nobody budgets
| Cost | Typical trigger |
|---|---|
| Defect allowance | A percentage of every order will not sell at full price |
| Dead stock | You ordered a size or colour that did not sell |
| Storage | Goods arrive before your warehouse or sales channel is ready |
| Re-shipment | A labelling or compliance problem found after arrival |
| Cash-cycle cost | Money is tied up from deposit to first sale |
The last one is the largest for most small brands and the least discussed.
A worked example, without numbers
Take any product and build the stack yourself:
- FOB unit price × quantity.
- Plus samples and courier.
- Plus freight and destination charges.
- Plus duty and taxes.
- Plus testing and inspection.
- Plus a defect allowance.
- Divide by the number of units you expect to sell at full price.
That final number is your real cost per sellable unit. Compare it with your planned retail price and your channel margin.
Where the money actually leaks
Buying on unit price alone. The cheapest quote often carries the highest defect rate or the worst carton efficiency.
Under-ordering. A small order spreads fixed costs over fewer units and pays a minimum freight charge.
Over-ordering. The discount for volume disappears if a third of the stock never sells.
Ignoring the cash cycle. A 90-day production-to-sale cycle needs working capital, and that capital has a cost.
A landed-cost sheet you can build in twenty minutes
You do not need software to model this. A spreadsheet with seven rows is enough.
| Row | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Goods | FOB unit price × quantity |
| Samples | Sample fees + courier + revisions |
| Freight | Quoted freight + destination charges |
| Duty | Confirmed classification × current rate |
| Compliance | Testing, inspection, labelling |
| Defects | A realistic percentage of units unsellable |
| Cash | Interest or opportunity cost over the cycle |
Divide the total by the number of units you expect to sell at full price — not the number you ordered. That single change makes the model honest, because every order has a tail of units that sell at a discount or not at all.
Update the sheet when a quote changes, not when the invoice arrives. The point of the model is to make the decision before the money moves.
How to use this
Build the stack before you ask for a quote, and ask every supplier to quote on the same basis: same product, same terms, same destination.
If you want a landed-cost comparison on a stated basis, send your product brief and destination through the contact page. We will quote the goods and tell you plainly which costs sit outside our control.