Two quotes for the "same" order differ 30% once the hidden lines land: destination CFS, customs brokerage, insurance, inspection, refund drag. This simulator puts all seven lines on one table and divides by real unit count — so you can compare suppliers on the only number that matters: landed cost per sellable unit.
1 · Order
2 · Freight & compliance
3 · Government & risk
| Goods (EXW) | — |
| Tooling amortized | — |
| Freight all-in | — |
| Inspection + lab | — |
| Destination + clearance | — |
| Duty | — |
| Tax / VAT skeleton | — |
| Total landed cost | — |
| Per-unit landed (sellable) | — |
Benchmarks preloaded from the audited 2026 stack. Compare this per-unit number against the profit ceiling calculator's factory ceiling and the shipment calculator's mode decision — the three tools together simulate a full order file.
The Seven Lines, Explained
1 Goods + 2 Tooling. EXW value times units; tooling amortizes over the order (Mold spread across remaining reorders too — keep a rolling amortization if the tool serves future POs).
3 Freight all-in. Origin + ocean + destination, pair this with the mode calculator — LCL's $/CBM stack or FCL's flat rate per the break-even math. A quote below $50/CBM all-in on LCL routes is usually deferring fees to destination.
4 Inspection + lab. $90-150 per man-day PSI plus any category lab tests (food-contact, EN 71, UN38.3). Read the AQL protocol for scope discipline.
5 Destination + clearance. Terminal handling, customs brokerage, ISF/ENS filings. This is the line LCL quotes hide — cross-check against the forwarder vetting guide.
6 Duty lands on goods value (some countries add freight to the customs base — adjust the duty % up to compensate). 7 Tax rides on goods + duty in most VAT/GST jurisdictions; the full HS-code walkthrough covers code lookup. Add the returns allowance as a percentage of everything above — refunds return freight too.
Worked Example (Preloaded Defaults)
1,200 units at $3.20 EXW, one LCL shipment ($440 all-in at ~$55-80/CBM for 6-7 CBM), PSI + micro test $220, $310 destination stack, 7% duty, 20% VAT, 4% returns: the preloaded simulation lands around $5,600-5,800 total, ≈ $4.75-4.90 per sellable unit — against the $3.20 sticker, that's a +47% "invisibility tax" first-time importers routinely miss. Run your real numbers before your next PI.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does landed cost actually include?
Everything between the factory floor and your shelf: ex-works goods value, inland China legs, ocean or air freight, insurance, destination port and clearance fees, duty, VAT/GST or sales tax where applicable, third-party inspection, and a returns/refund allowance. The calculator skeletons each line so a quote that quietly omits destination fees is exposed immediately.
How accurate are the preloaded benchmarks?
They reproduce the audited 2026 figures published across our freight and cost guides (LCL $55-80/CBM all-in, 20ft $2,200-3,800 CN to US West, inspection $90-150 per man-day). Replace any line with your own quote when you have one — the structure matters more than the default.
Why is per-unit landed cost the number to track?
Because unit price alone lies. A $0.10 cheaper factory quote can be $0.30 more expensive per unit landed after bulkier packing inflates freight share and a longer sampling chain delays cash conversion. Per-unit landed cost is the only cross-supplier comparable number.