Two quotes for the same order, several dollars apart, and no obvious reason why. Comparing agents is difficult for a specific reason rather than a general one: the quotes are not laid out on the same axis, and the largest cost is often the one that never appears as a line.
This is a guide to reading a quote properly — what an honest one contains, what each fee model quietly rewards, and the four places money hides when a fee looks unusually low.
The four parts of a quote that can be checked
A purchasing quote has four components that can be verified, and one that frequently is not.
The verifiable four are the item cost from the seller, the service fee, the packing and consolidation charge, and the international freight. Each of these can be stated precisely, because each is set by someone identifiable: the seller, the agent, the agent, and the carrier. A quote that states all four is doing most of the work already.
The fifth component is the exchange rate, and it is where a quote can quietly stop being comparable. If money is converted at a rate the agent chooses, the difference between that rate and the mid-market rate is a cost that is real and unlisted. It is worth asking for it in writing, because an agent who answers precisely is an agent who is not relying on it.
Fee models, and what each one rewards
There is no single fair model; each one shifts behaviour in a particular direction. Knowing which way is the difference between comparing fees and comparing incentives.
| Model | How it charges | What it quietly incentivises |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of item cost | A fee on what you spend, usually with a minimum. | A low minimum favours small orders; a high one quietly punishes them. It also means the agent earns more when you buy more. |
| Per-item or per-parcel | A flat charge for each item, or each box. | Predictable and easy to compare. Flat per-item charges punish consolidation, because they are charged per thing rather than per shipment. |
| Subscription or membership | A monthly fee for reduced rates. | Worth it only if you order often enough to clear the fee — and the break-even is usually higher than it sounds. |
| Marked-up exchange rate | No visible fee; the money is in the conversion. | This is the hardest to compare, because it never appears as a line. A 1.5% spread on a $400 order is $6, and it is invisible in every quote format. |
| Load-bearing freight margin | Freight quoted as a round number rather than at the carrier’s rate. | You cannot tell whether a cheap line is cheap or whether the difference went somewhere else. |
None of these is dishonest on its own. What matters is whether the model is disclosed clearly enough that you can work out what it costs you on your specific order — which is a different question on a $40 order and a $400 one.
The four places money hides
- The exchange rate spread. An unlisted markup on conversion. It scales with order value and never appears in a quote that is being compared on fee percentage.
- Freight quoted as a round number. If the freight is not the carrier’s rate, the difference between the two has gone somewhere, and you cannot see where.
- The fixed components of customs handling. Brokerage and entry preparation are roughly the same on a $30 parcel as a $300 one — which is why the fixed part of importing hurts small orders unevenly.
- Charges that appear only once something is already bought. A re-packing charge, a storage charge for a parcel held while a slow seller catches up, a fee to send photographs. Each is individually reasonable; the pattern of them is not.
Comparing two quotes properly
Do not compare the totals. Compare the lines, in this order.
| What to compare | The question to ask | Why it decides the answer |
|---|---|---|
| The fee | Is it a percentage or flat, and is there a minimum? | On a $40 order the minimum matters more than the percentage. On a $400 order it is the reverse. |
| The exchange rate | What rate did you use, and what was the mid-market rate on the day? | This is where a ‘no fee’ quote stops being free. Ask for the rate in writing. |
| Freight | Is this the carrier’s rate, or yours? | Freight at the carrier’s rate is checkable. Freight as a round number is not. |
| Packing and consolidation | Is consolidation included, and what does repacking cost? | Consolidation is usually the largest saving available. If it is charged twice, it stops being a saving. |
| What happens when it goes wrong | Who deals with the seller, and in what language? | A quote that does not answer this is priced for a transaction where nothing goes wrong. |
The practical trick is to normalise on one thing: the total you will pay, in your own currency, for the goods in your hands, before duty. Every question above exists to let you compute that number for both quotes. Importer charges sit on top and belong to your customs authority — no agent can quote them, and an agent that does should be read as guessing.
Six questions worth asking any agent
- Is the service fee a percentage or flat, and what is the minimum?
- What exchange rate are you using, and what was the mid-market rate that day?
- Is the freight the carrier’s actual rate?
- Is consolidation included in the packing charge?
- What does repacking cost if I ask for it?
- Who deals with the seller if the wrong thing arrives, and in what language?
An agent who answers all six precisely has told you something about how the rest of the transaction will go. An agent who answers four of them and deflects two has also told you something.
Questions we get asked
Is a percentage fee or a flat fee better for me?
It depends entirely on your order size, and the honest answer is that you should work it out rather than take a rule. On a small order a percentage is usually cheaper because a flat fee does not shrink; on a large order the percentage grows while a flat fee does not. The trap is a percentage with a high minimum, which behaves like the worst of both. Our fee is 5% of the item price with a $5 minimum, and 3% on a first order — so on small orders you will usually be paying the minimum, and it is worth knowing that before you compare us with a flat-fee competitor.
Why does the exchange rate matter if there is no fee on it?
Because the markup on a conversion is a fee that is not labelled as one. If your order is converted at a rate worse than the mid-market rate, you have paid the difference — and unlike a stated fee it scales with the value of what you buy, so it grows fastest on the orders where the fee percentage looks best. It is the first number to ask for when a quote looks unusually cheap.
How can I tell if the freight figure is fair?
Ask whether it is the carrier’s actual rate or the agent’s figure. If it is the carrier’s rate, the number can be checked against the line and the weight. If it is the agent’s figure, the quote is not comparable with one that itemises, and the gap between a cheap quote and an expensive one may just be where the margin was placed. It also matters which basis is used — on air freight a bulky parcel may be charged on volume rather than weight, which is the most common reason a freight figure moves between the estimate and the actual.
What should I expect to pay for packing and consolidation?
It should be a small, stated, per-parcel figure rather than a percentage — packing is work, and the work does not scale with the price of the goods. Ours is $2–5 per parcel depending on size and how much repacking is needed, and consolidation is included in it. Be sceptical of anyone charging consolidation separately from packing: it is the same job, and it is usually the largest saving on the freight, so it is worth knowing it has not been charged twice.
Are cheaper agents hiding something?
Not necessarily: a low fee can be a real fee, and a large operation can charge less than a small one. The check is not the size of the fee but whether the other lines are itemised. A cheap quote that separates item cost, fee, packing and freight is a cheap quote. A cheap quote that presents a single total, or leaves the exchange rate unstated, has not told you what it costs — only what it charges.
Where to start
Send photos of what you want (or the product name) to the photo upload box on our home page and compare our four lines against any other quote you have. Our fee is 5% of the item price with a $5 minimum and 3% on a first order, packing and consolidation is $2–5 per parcel, freight is charged at the carrier’s actual rate with no markup, and the exchange rate carries a mark-up of no more than 1.5% over the mid-market rate. Service Terms sets out the rest.
Related reading
- The $800 De Minimis Is Gone — why the cost sequence changed for US buyers.
- Estimating Your Landed Cost Before You Buy From China — the six-line worksheet.
- Who Actually Pays the Import Duty on a China Parcel? — the liability question.
This article describes how buying from Chinese marketplaces works in general terms as we understand it in September 2026, and is not customs, tax or legal advice. Sellers, platforms and import rules change. Questions about a specific order? Email info@elovyrhaven.com.
