Free tool · Too cheap to be real?
Is this price too good to be true?
A quote far below everyone else’s usually hides a thinner, lighter or cheaper product. Check it two ways: against what UK importers actually declare per kilo for the same product (HMRC’s official trade data), and against the price of the metal inside it.
1 The product
2 The quote
The product itself, without packaging. Weigh the sample.
How the checks work
- UK average per kilo: the customs value of all UK imports from China under the same 8-digit commodity code over the last 12 months, divided by their weight, from HMRC’s overseas trade statistics. It includes freight and insurance to the UK, and every quality level under that code.
- Metal floor: the weight of metal in the product at the World Bank’s average price for August 2026 (commodity price data): aluminium $3,251, copper $14,326, nickel $16,751 and zinc $3,875 a tonne. Brass is counted as about 60% copper and 40% zinc, zinc die-cast alloy as about 96% zinc and 4% aluminium, and for stainless steel 304 only its 8% nickel is priced.
- Raw metal prices are a floor: sheet, wire and castings cost more, before any making.
A warning sign, not proof. A low price can be genuine (a large, efficient factory, a simpler design), and an average hides a wide range. Use it to ask the right questions, then check the sample: its weight, its material (see the material swap checker) and its finish.
More free tools for importers
- Landed-cost calculatorDuty, anti-dumping duty and import VAT for your product, from live UK Trade Tariff rates.
- Quote comparerPut up to four supplier quotes side by side and see which is really the cheapest to land.
- Margin calculatorFrom landed cost to profit per unit after VAT, fees, fulfilment and returns, with the break-even price.
- Plan my importFour short steps give one plan: landed cost, UK rules and documents, the order-by date and supplier checks.
- Supplier checkDecode the code on a Chinese business licence and run the warning signs before you pay.
- Payment safety checkCheck the bank details before you pay a supplier, and what to do if they change.
Questions about suspiciously low prices
How can I tell if a price from a Chinese supplier is too good to be true?
Compare it with two things: what UK importers actually declare for the same commodity code, per kilo, and the cost of the raw material in the product. A price far below both usually means thinner material, a cheaper grade, lower weight or something left out.
Where does the average price per kilo come from?
From HMRC’s overseas trade statistics: the total customs value divided by the total weight of everything imported into the UK from China under the same 8-digit commodity code over the last 12 months. It mixes every quality level under that code, and includes freight and insurance to the UK.
Why do metal prices matter for my product?
A factory can’t sell a product for less than the metal in it and stay in business for long. If the metal alone takes most of the price, ask how the supplier covers labour, energy, packing and profit. The usual answer is a cheaper alloy or less metal.
Found a price that looks too good?
I check the supplier, the material and the weight against the specification before you pay, and book an inspection that tests for the usual swaps.
Tell me what you’re buying ->