Guide · hidden costs
Short answer: the unit price on a quote is not the price you pay. For offshore manufacturing, Sourcify estimates the factory price is only 50 to 70% of the landed cost. The rest hides in tooling, samples, freight, customs and inspection. Even with a local supplier, setups and secondary operations are often charged separately.
By the RFQdecoder team · updated 27 September 2026
Comparing two quotes on unit price alone is like comparing two baskets without looking at delivery charges.
| Item | Published amount |
|---|---|
| Tooling or mould | $500 to $1,000 for a simple part, $15,000 and more for a complex mould |
| Samples | $100 to $500 per round, 3 to 5 rounds |
| Wire and exchange | $25 to $50 per transfer, 0.5 to 3% exchange spread |
| Customs duties | 0 to 35% depending on the product |
| Customs broker | $150 to $400 per shipment |
| Port handling | $300 to $800 per container |
| Inland drayage | $300 to $800 per container |
| Inspection | $200 to $400 per inspection |
Source: Sourcify.
In machining, Hotean lists items often charged outside the hourly rate:
In the welded frame priced by QuoteBuddy, finishing weighs €162 and transport €90 out of €1,127 cost, or 22% of the total. A quote that leaves them out looks 22% cheaper.
Sourcify estimates the unit price from the factory is typically 50 to 70% of the landed cost, once freight, customs, bank fees and inspection are added.
Sourcify publishes $500 to $1,000 for a simple part and $15,000 and more for a complex injection mould.
Sourcify lists customs duties (0 to 35%), the customs broker ($150 to $400 per shipment), port handling and drayage ($300 to $800 per container each) and inspection ($200 to $400).
Hotean lists setup ($50 to $150 per job), material handling markup (15 to 35%), tooling ($5 to $25 per part) and secondary operations ($10 to $50 per part).
Bring them to the same scope: delivered price, fixed costs shown apart, same quantity, same inspection and same packaging. Only then compare the unit price.
Upload your PDF, DXF or STEP drawing: material, operations, setups, finishing and fees, each on its own line.