The final price is largely dependent on the cost of shipping, which is most often dependent on the means of transportation.

Full Container Load (FCL) vs. Less then Full Container Load (LCL).  After a certain point, it becomes cheaper to ship using a full container.  A less than full container load requires the packages to be unloaded and reloaded at the ports, which a full container, assuming it passes customs safely, can be loaded on a truck and shipped directly to a client’s site.

20 Foot Container vs 40 Foot Container.  These are standard container sizes.  A 20 ft container holds approximately 24 tons of goods while a 40 ft container can hold approximately 30 tons.  Normally heavier goods will be shipped in the smaller containers.  CMS has saved client’s money by consolidating shipments for factories close to each other into a full container load.

Air Shipment vs Sea Shipment.  Air shipment as expected, is considerably more expensive than sea shipment.  Initial samples are often shipped by air in order to have production started as early as possible.

Land Shipment.  Eastern European suppliers usually ship by truck to Western European sites.  This makes Eastern Europe a good choice for JIT deliveries to the west.

Value Added Tax: China VAT rebates change frequently and need to be checked before each order.

Peak Season Surcharge (PSS).  Shippers often add a PSS for pre-Christmas shipments.