Landed Cost From China to the USA: An Itemised Quote Guide

Commercial / Landed cost

Landed cost from China to the USA is not the factory price plus freight. It is a set of lines owned by different parties, and the quote you compare should show every one of them.

On this page

Why totals mislead The quote lines Who owns each line Compare two quotes What we do not quote FAQ

The short version

Insist on itemised lines for goods, tooling, packaging, inland China, consolidation, freight, insurance, destination charges, duties and inland US delivery.
The Incoterm determines who owns each line; decide it before comparing numbers. Importer of record.
Duty and fee figures belong in a quote from your licensed broker, not in a generic guide.
Compare lines and assumptions, not a single bottom number.

Two suppliers can quote the same product at very different totals because one included packaging, inspection or destination charges and the other did not. The quote cost breakdown guide and landed cost notes for CNC parts explain the same problem on the metalwork side. This page generalises it for a US-bound order of any category.

Why a bottom-line number is not a quote

Different scope

One total may include tooling and packaging while another excludes both.

Different Incoterm

FOB, DDP and DAP move cost and responsibility between buyer and seller. DDP shipping.

Different assumptions

Volume, packaging density and destination change freight and handling.

Different evidence

A quote with inspection and test records is not the same product as one without.

The lines an itemised quote should show

Line	Who quotes it	What to check
Factory unit price	Supplier	Whether it is tied to a specific drawing, sample and material
Tooling, setup or mould	Supplier	One-off or amortised, and who owns the tooling
Packaging & labelling	Supplier	Retail box, carton marks, label artwork and language
Inland China & consolidation	Agent / forwarder	Pickup from several factories, warehouse, loading supervision. Consolidation
Inspection & testing	Independent inspector	Dated report, test records, rework responsibility. Inspection
Ocean or air freight	Carrier / forwarder	Mode, route, transshipment, seasonal surcharges
Cargo insurance	Insurer / forwarder	Coverage and who is named as beneficiary
Destination & port charges	US-side broker / forwarder	Whether they are inside the quoted total
Duties, taxes & brokerage	Licensed broker	Confirmed against current rules for the exact classification
Inland US delivery	Local carrier	Port to final address, appointment and accessorial charges
Sourcing service fee	Your agent	Quoted separately from the factory invoice so it can be audited

We do not publish duty rates, fee amounts or entry thresholds: these change and should be confirmed by your licensed broker.

Who owns each line

The Incoterm decides where the seller’s responsibility ends and yours begins. It also decides who is the importer of record and who pays duties. Who is the importer of record and the customs and entry guide set out the split. DDP shipping from China explains when one all-in number is useful — and why the responsibility question still needs a written answer. The US seller brief checklist includes an all-in quote section you can reuse.

How to compare two quotes

A five-step comparison

Normalise the scope — Ask both suppliers to quote the same drawing, packaging, quantity and Incoterm.

Put lines side by side — Use the table above as the column list; blanks are questions, not zeroes.

Check the evidence — Does the price include inspection and the document set? Factory verification.

Add the broker figure — Insert the current duty and fee estimate from your licensed broker, not a number from a blog.

Compare after delivery — Reconcile the estimate against the actual invoice after the first shipment and keep the variance.

What we deliberately do not put in a quote

No rates, thresholds or fee numbers in this guide

US duty rules, entry thresholds and fee schedules change, and public secondary sources disagree. A figure that was right when a page was written can be wrong by the time a container sails. Every number in your landed cost should come from your licensed customs broker against current rules. We quote the China-side lines and make the responsibilities explicit.

For how we structure the commercial side, see what a procurement agent does, the sourcing agent guide and our services.

Frequently asked questions

Q.What is included in landed cost from China to the USA?

Factory price, tooling, packaging, inland China costs, consolidation, inspection, freight, insurance, destination charges, duties and brokerage, inland US delivery, and any sourcing service fee — each as a separate line.

Q.Why do two quotes for the same product differ so much?

Usually scope and Incoterm: one may include tooling, packaging, destination charges or duties while the other excludes them. Ask for the same line items from both.

Q.Should I ask for a DDP all-in price?

It can simplify comparisons, but confirm in writing who is the importer of record and what the price covers. See DDP shipping.

Q.Who calculates duties?

Your licensed customs broker, against the current rules and the classification of your exact product. We do not publish duty figures.