Furniture is bulky, light for its volume, and therefore expensive to move. That single fact makes the factory price a poor guide to what a product will actually cost you.
Two sofas at the same factory price are not the same cost if one ships knocked-down and the other does not. How efficiently a product packs — and therefore how many units fit in a container — frequently matters more to the landed cost than the price difference between two factories.
Packaging design is a commercial decision, not just a protective one.
Duty depends on the tariff heading a product falls under, and furniture headings vary by type and material. Where origin qualifies for preferential regional treatment the position can change materially. This is worth confirming with a broker before an order is placed, not after.
Freight rates, labour costs, duties and exchange rates all move. A source that was clearly correct two years ago may not be now. Sourcing decisions deserve periodic re-examination rather than becoming habit.
When freight and duty are properly counted, regional and local manufacturing often competes better than the factory-price comparison suggests — with shorter lead times, less cash tied up in transit, and the ability to respond to what is actually selling.
The total delivered cost of a product: factory price plus freight, insurance, duty, VAT, port and clearance charges, inland haulage and an allowance for damage — not just the factory quotation.
Furniture is bulky and light, so freight is charged largely on volume. How efficiently a product packs determines how many units fit in a container, which often outweighs the price difference between two factories.
Finding the right source based on product, quality, price and landed cost — while supporting Caribbean manufacturing wherever it can compete.
Global Sourcing & Partnerships → Let's talkGreat ranges are planned, not accumulated. Here is how the structure actually works.
Read →Retailers know what sells. Manufacturers know what they can make well. Products developed without both halves of that knowledge usually disappoint.
Read →Caribbean manufacturers compete on the things distance makes expensive: speed, flexibility and knowing the customer.
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