What You're Actually Paying: The Anatomy of a Landed Cost
A supplier quotes you $2.55 per unit. You multiply by 1,000 units, budget $2,550, and place the order. Six weeks later the true number is over $4 per unit — and if that difference breaks your margin, you find out too late. Here's every layer you're actually paying.
Layer 1 — The product itself
The quoted unit price. Seems obvious — but check what it includes: packaging? Export cartons? Labeling? Often not. Those come later.
Layer 2 — Getting it to the port and onto a ship
- •Inland trucking from factory to port or warehouse
- •Export customs declaration
- •Origin handling and documentation
Layer 3 — The freight itself
Ocean, air, rail or express — quoted by CBM or chargeable kilo. This is the number everyone shops on, and the one that hides the least of the story.
Layer 4 — Getting it into your country
- •Import duty — by HS code; on China-origin goods, layered tariffs can apply
- •VAT or sales tax — often calculated on goods PLUS freight PLUS duty
- •Customs brokerage and documentation
- •For LCL: the destination CFS charges from our previous guide — $30–60/CBM if unquoted
Layer 5 — Getting it to your door
Final-mile delivery, and — if you're an Amazon seller — FBA prep: labeling, poly-bagging, bundling. Small numbers that add up per unit.
The 30-second version
Landed cost = product + export fees + freight + duties/taxes + last mile. Every serious import decision — supplier choice, order size, shipping mode, selling price — should be made against this number, not the unit quote. That's why our calculator shows all five layers at once, and why our quotes state every fee in writing.
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