Free tool · Choosing a supplier
Which supplier quote is really the cheapest?
Put up to four quotes for the same product side by side. The comparer adds freight, tooling, customs duty, each supplier’s own anti-dumping rate and the UK costs, then shows the landed cost per unit, the cash you tie up and when the goods reach you. The cheapest price often isn’t.
1 The product and your order
· Made-up prices. Supplier B is one of the exporters named in the UK tariff with its own lower anti-dumping rate.
2 The quotes
3 The comparison
Choose the product, enter the quantity and at least two prices to compare.
How the comparison is worked out
- Customs value is the price plus everything needed to get the goods to the UK border: freight and insurance (FOB and EXW), collection and export clearance in China (EXW) and any mould or tooling fee, which counts towards the customs value. A CIF price already includes the freight.
- Customs duty and anti-dumping duty come live from the UK Trade Tariff for goods from China. Each quote uses the anti-dumping rate for the exporter you pick. A named exporter’s own rate only applies with the paperwork the tariff asks for.
- Import VAT is charged on the customs value, the duties and the UK delivery costs. If you can reclaim it, it is left out of the landed cost.
- DDP quotes are taken at face value: the supplier says duty and VAT are paid. The comparer also shows how little the goods could be worth for that price to cover them.
- Arrival is today plus the production time, 7 days for inspection and getting to the port, the voyage (planned at 50 days by sea, 8 by air) and 7 days for UK clearance and delivery, with a week added for Golden Week.
- Currency is converted at HMRC’s official monthly exchange rate.
An estimate to compare quotes, not customs advice. Duties charged by weight, excise, quotas and reliefs are not included. Choosing the right commodity code is the importer’s responsibility. Sources on price terms: Maple Sourcing (FOB and EXW), FreightAmigo (CIF), CustomsBrokerUk (DDP).
More free tools for importers
- Landed-cost calculatorDuty, anti-dumping duty and import VAT for your product, from live UK Trade Tariff rates.
- Margin calculatorFrom landed cost to profit per unit after VAT, fees, fulfilment and returns, with the break-even price.
- Price checkIs a quote too cheap to be real? Compare it with what UK importers declare per kilo and the metal in it.
- 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 comparing quotes
Why isn’t the cheapest quote always the cheapest?
Because the price per unit is only part of what you pay. Freight, the price terms, tooling, customs duty and above all anti-dumping duty all scale differently. Anti-dumping rates on the same product can differ by supplier: the UK tariff lists named Chinese exporters with their own, often lower, rates, and one higher rate for everyone else.
Which price terms should I ask Chinese suppliers for?
FOB is the safer default for most imports from China: the supplier clears the goods for export and loads them onto the ship, and your own forwarder handles the voyage. Under EXW you would have to handle Chinese export clearance, which a foreign buyer cannot do itself. CIF lets the supplier choose the shipping line and insurance, and UK destination charges are often higher.
Is a DDP quote from China a good idea?
Be careful. A DDP price says the duty and VAT are paid, but ask who is named as the importer on the customs entry. If it is you, you carry the audit exposure for that duty and VAT, even though the seller arranged it.
Do mould and tooling costs count for customs duty?
Yes. Tools, dies and moulds used to make the imported goods count towards their customs value, so duty (and any anti-dumping duty) is charged on them. HMRC calls them assists when you supply them.
Want the quotes checked, not just compared?
I check the suppliers on China’s official register, confirm the commodity code and the anti-dumping position, and negotiate the terms before you pay anything.
Tell me what you’re buying ->