Landed cost from China, the real price at your address

How much import from China costs is not one figure. A factory offer is not import. Landed cost from China is: goods, freight, duty, VAT and fees, at your address. The same $8 product can fall apart on LCL, duty without a COO and delay.

That is why we give the number before you confirm the order, from your brief. A generic import costs X is marketing. Your landed cost is a quote.

Base: goods price (EXW or FOB/CIF, with a stated Incoterm). Then: international freight (LCL, FCL, air or rail), local port costs, insurance if needed, duty, VAT, forwarder and agent fees, and the Papillon service.

A hidden markup in a cheap offer is a more common problem than duty itself. That is why the Papillon fee is shown separately, so you see the structure, not only one number.

From 1 July 2024 the Serbia China FTA can lower duty when HS code and COO allow it. Without a certificate the standard rate stays. We do not count someone else’s saving in place of your code.

The quote marks assumptions: with FTA (with COO) and, if needed, without FTA, so you know the risk if papers are late.

LCL charges CBM. It suits smaller quantities and consolidation of several suppliers. FCL makes sense when volume fills a 20' or 40'. Then unit cost usually falls and handling is simpler.

Comparing only EXW piece price without freight leads to the wrong supplier. Landed cost per piece is the only comparable metric.

From the brief and shortlist we collect goods offers and current freight. We add indicative duty, VAT and our fee. Figures are indicative until the freight booking is final. Season and routes move freight.

The goal: before the deposit you know the investment range and the timeline, not only the factory says $X.

Forgotten local delivery, a wrong CBM, QC left out, a missing COO (lost FTA), or mixed currencies without a rate buffer. A check before you sign the purchase order saves more than another 2% rebate.

Landed cost from China starts from the goods price with a stated Incoterm. EXW is the factory gate. FOB is the load port. CIF already includes part of freight and insurance to the port, so that part must not be added twice. Then come international freight, port, duty, VAT and fees. The Papillon fee is a separate line.

Scrap you expect after inspection enters the unit price. A lot that looks cheap at the gate and has high breakage is not cheap at the address. Quality control (QC) before shipment, standard on sourcing execution above 2,000 USD, exists so that percentage is an estimate, not a surprise at the warehouse.

Two duty scenarios sit side by side when the agreement from 1 July 2024 is in play: with a certificate of origin (COO) and without it. The tariff code (HS) is an assumption you confirm before loading. If the code changes, the figure changes. We do not hold an old quote as a promise.

LCL charges cubic metres (CBM), and sometimes weight. FCL makes sense when you near 20 or 40 feet. Comparing only factory price picks the wrong supplier as soon as one is far from the port or packs air.

Sea is about 35–52 days and enters the calendar, not the unit price, unless delay has its own line. Air changes both price and date. A sample of 2–5 weeks and research of 1–3 weeks are not freight, but they are part of whether the goods arrive in time for the figure to matter.

The quote states assumptions. You approve the figure before the deposit for the lot. After the deposit only what the purchase order left open can change. Paper detail is on China Serbia import documents.