Compare total landed cost by building one sheet per option on the same product specification, order quantity, delivery term, payment terms and delivery point. Include the product price, yield and coating, packaging, freight and insurance, import charges, cold storage, inventory carrying cost, quality and documentation, claims, and the internal time to coordinate. A lower unit price is only meaningful when every other line is comparable.
Start with one specification.
Most misleading cost comparisons begin with two different products. Write the specification once, then ask each option to quote against it.
- Species, origin and raw-material grade.
- Size or count range and net weight.
- Format, coating or seasoning, and glaze.
- Cooked or raw state, and the intended cooking method.
- Packing, labelling and market-specific requirements.
- Shelf life, storage conditions and the delivery point.
Build a landed-cost sheet.
The exact cost lines depend on your programme. The point is to give every line an owner and a value instead of allowing it to sit outside the comparison.
Illustrative cost structure, not a current quotation or freight rate. Adapt the lines to your product, market and agreement.
Normalise the assumptions.
A cost sheet is only as useful as the assumptions behind it. Record them next to the numbers and keep them consistent across options.
- Use the same specification and net seafood content.
- Use the same order quantity and shipment window.
- Use the same delivery term and named place.
- Use the same payment terms and currency date.
- State whether the volume is a trial order or a repeat programme.
- Model a rejected shipment and the cost of resolving it.
What a lower quote can hide.
None of these points makes a lower quote wrong. Each one needs to be visible before the comparison is treated as complete.
- A lower net weight or a higher coating percentage.
- A different packing format or more labour passed to you.
- Ex-works pricing compared with a delivered price.
- A longer lead time that requires more inventory.
- Documentation and inspection left outside the supplier scope.
- No clear claim process or replacement commitment.
- A trial volume that cannot be repeated at the quoted price.
Questions to resolve before deciding.
Should we compare price per kilogram or per pack?
Use the unit that matches how you buy and sell, then show both. A price per pack can conceal differences in net weight, glaze and coating.
How do we treat a distributor quote?
Put it on the same specification, delivery basis and volume. A distributor may reduce some coordination and inventory costs, so compare the complete cost structure rather than the product line alone.
What if the factory cannot provide a delivered price?
Ask for the delivery term it can quote, then add the missing logistics and import lines yourself. Record every assumption so the options remain comparable.
Put your options on one page.
Share the specification, volume and delivery requirement you are comparing. We can help structure the product and production questions behind the cost.
This guide is a decision framework, not a quotation. Cost lines and assumptions must be confirmed for your product, market and agreement. Published 31 October 2026.