The real landed cost of imported home appliances
HS codes, duty, levies and handling: what actually sits between FOB price and your showroom floor.
The FOB price on a proforma invoice is the smallest part of what an appliance costs by the time it reaches a showroom floor.
Between the two sit freight and insurance, duty assessed against the HS code, the levies that ride on top of it, terminal handling, clearing, storage for any day the container is not moved, and haulage to destination. Each is predictable on its own. Together they are what turns an attractive unit price into a disappointing margin.
The HS code matters more than most importers expect, because it sets the duty rate and it is not always obvious which code a given appliance falls under. Getting it wrong is expensive in both directions: an under-declaration invites a query and a delay, and an over-declaration is money handed over that nobody refunds.
The practical answer is to price the landed cost before committing to the order, not after the container has arrived. We quote that figure as a single number, and we show the components that make it up.