Home / Cost & Fit

Is sourcing furniture from Foshan right for your project?

Compare the same specification and the cost to a usable site — not just the factory price. Scale, destination and local installation can change the answer.

Check project fit →See the cost checklist

Braced timber crates lined up inside the house before unpacking — **La Crescenta, CA · 13:20** Factory price ≠ cost to a usable site

01 · Project fit

Start with the project, not a price promise.

Three routes. Each one lists what still needs confirming.

Finished chairs staged on the factory floor

Compare fully

Multi-room or many pieces

Usually worth a full like-for-like comparison.

Room types
Approvers
Delivery end point

Needs confirming ↑

Living room set after installation in Orlando, Florida

It depends

Whole home

Depends on the item list, the destination and local installation.

Item list
Destination
Local installer

Needs confirming ↑

Maybe local

Single, urgent or sit-test

Often better bought locally — especially if local repair matters.

Timeline
Sit test
Local warranty

Needs confirming ↑

Next stepNot sure which of the three routes is yours?

See who we help →

02 · Compare

Compare like with like.

A local price with installation is not comparable to an ex-factory price. Align every row first.

Like-for-like checkIllustrative

Row	Local offer	Foshan, as first quoted	Aligned?
Dimensions	W780 D820 H760	W780 D820 H760	Confirmed
Materials	Solid oak	Oak veneer	To confirm
Hardware	Soft-close, branded	Standard	To confirm
Quantity	148	148	Confirmed
Quality rule	Showroom sample	Photos only	To confirm
Delivery end point	Room of choice	Port (FOB)	To confirm
Installation	Included	Not quoted	To confirm

Five rows do not match yet — the two prices are not comparable until they do.

Corner and leg of a solid-wood table — Solid or veneer? The edge and end grain tell you.

Drawer boxes opened on a hammered-front cabinet — Hardware named on the sheet: runners, pulls, glides

Dimensioned drawing for a stone and metal console — Same drawing sent to every supplier quoting

Next stepAlready holding a local quote? Send it with the item list and we line the rows up.

Send the item list →

03 · Cost checklist

What is the cost to a usable site?

Twelve lines from the factory to an installed room. Each has a basis, a status and an owner.

QuotedEstimatedTo confirmExcluded

Cost to a usable siteSample format

Cost item	Included?	Basis	Status	Owner
01 Product price	Yes	Per signed specification	Quoted	Factory
02 Sourcing service fee	Yes	Method disclosed in writing	Quoted	Us
03 Samples & QC	Yes	Per sample and inspection plan	Estimated	Us / inspector
04 Packing & consolidation	Yes	Volume per item	Estimated	Us
05 International freight	Yes	Quote date, currency, terms	Estimated	Forwarder
06 Insurance	Optional	Policy holder and excess	To confirm	Forwarder / buyer
07 Duties, taxes & clearance	Depends	Product and destination market	To confirm	Importer of record
08 Destination port charges	Depends	Port and trade terms	To confirm	Importer
09 Final-mile delivery	Depends	Postcode and site access	To confirm	Local carrier
10 Unload & carry-in	No	Floors, lifts, access	Excluded	Local team
11 Installation	No	Local labour rates	Excluded	Local installer
12 Spare parts	Yes	Hardware, fabric, touch-up	Estimated	Us

Sample format — no amounts until a real, dated quote exists.

Worker finishing a sofa in the workshop — **Lines 01–03** Made and checked in Foshan

Case goods stacked on a pallet before dispatch — **Line 04** Packed and consolidated

40 ft container opened outside a house in Orange County, California — **Lines 05–09** Freight, duties, final mile

Installer assembling an upholstered bed on site — **Lines 10–11** Carried in and installed

Next stepWant each of the twelve lines explained, with who owns it?

Read the landed cost checklist →

04 · Before a deposit

Three decisions before a deposit.

If any of the three is still open, the comparison is not finished.

Decision 01

Is the local comparison the same specification?

Dimensions, materials, hardware, quantity and quality rule all match.

Timber crates inside the shipping container on arrival

Decision 02

Are destination costs and responsibilities clear?

Duties, port, final-mile and who pays each — in writing.

Local delivery crew in hi-vis carrying a cabinet into a house in Australia

Decision 03

Who measures, receives and installs locally?

A named person or team for each, before production.

Next stepStill open on who measures, receives and installs?

See who does what →

05 · An honest exit

When local buying may be the better call.

If your project looks like this, we will say so — before you spend anything.

A single item
A tight timeline
Needs a sit or touch test
Site sizes still changing
Local warranty response matters

Freight, handling and final-mile delivery do not scale down with the order. A sofa has to be sat on; a mechanism has to be opened and closed in front of you. Where those matter most, a local showroom is often the right answer.

Sit test on a finished sofa in the inspection studio — Comfort is decided by sitting, not by a photo

Extending table pulled open to show the leaf mechanism — A mechanism has to be opened in front of someone

Next stepIf your project looks like this, we will say so at the brief — before you spend anything.

Check project fit →

06 · Quote factors

What changes the quote?

Destination & postcodeSets duties, port and final-mile options.

Quantity & volumeFreight is priced by space, not by piece.

Materials & dimensionsSolid vs veneer, custom sizes, finishes.

Trade termsEXW, FOB or DDP move who arranges what.

Shipping methodConsolidated, full container or air.

Site accessFloors, lifts, tail-lift and parking.

Installer & timelineLocal labour and required on-site date.

Tell us these once →

Fabric colour cards for custom upholstery — Material choice moves the price

Crew carrying a crated piece up a staircase — Site access: stairs change the labour

07 · FAQ

Straight answers.

Is one item worth importing?

Rarely on cost alone. Freight, handling and local delivery do not scale down, so single pieces are often better bought locally — unless the item is genuinely unavailable.

Why can a local quote be close to an imported quote?

Once duties, freight, port charges, final-mile, carry-in and installation are added, the gap can narrow. That is why the comparison is made to a usable site.

What do EXW, FOB and DDP leave for me to arrange?

EXW leaves almost everything to you; FOB covers loading at the port; DDP usually stops at an address — often not carried in or installed. Each is spelled out per quote.

Does the comparison include carry-in and installation?

Only if they are listed. Each is shown as included, by a local team, to confirm or excluded — never assumed.