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China Sourcing Cost Calculator
Enter the number of suppliers sampled, sample price and courier, inspection, NNN or legal review and other pre-launch costs. Then add the first order units, factory unit cost, freight and duty rate. The calculator returns the landed unit cost, the total cash required before the first sale and the units needed to recover the pre-launch cost at your target contribution margin.
Pre-launch cost is a separate budget
The first order is not the only money that leaves before a sale. A sample round costs the sample price plus courier for every supplier, and a typical round compares three or four. Third-party inspection, an NNN review before sharing specs and any certification or packaging work sit on the same pre-launch line. Seller-reported courier costs in 2026 sourcing threads run around $50–70 per sample, before the sample itself.
These costs are paid once but they are not small relative to a first order. Separating them from the per-unit landed cost shows the real cash requirement and stops a thin margin from hiding a launch that cannot be funded.
When the first order pays back
The break-even units figure divides the pre-launch cost by the contribution per unit at your target margin. If it exceeds the first order, the launch does not recover its own setup cost at that margin and price — either the order size, the price or the margin assumption has to change. The comparison is a planning check, not a forecast: contribution here is the target margin on the sale price, before marketplace fees unless you set the margin accordingly.
The landed unit cost output includes goods, freight and duty only. It is the figure to carry into the margin and fee calculators, not the fully loaded cost of the first sale. The sample round entry and the NNN entry explain the assumptions and the paperwork.
Seller cost playbooks — all entries
Every entry links to its full reference page. The search box above filters this list.
Frequently asked questions
How many suppliers should I sample?
A typical round compares three or four. The point is a physical comparison and a quality baseline, so the number is a trade-off between information and the courier and sample cost per supplier.
How much does courier cost per sample?
Seller-reported costs in 2026 sourcing threads are around $50–70 per sample, before the sample price itself. Treat it as a planning range and get a quote for your destination and product size.
Should I pay for third-party inspection?
Before mass production it is a separate cost that buys evidence the goods match the approved sample. Whether it is worth it depends on the order value and the risk of a defect that would be expensive to discover after shipping.
Does the calculator include marketplace fees?
No. It returns landed cost and the contribution at your target margin. Marketplace fees, advertising and returns belong in the fee and return calculators, where they are modelled line by line.
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