SERVICES · RELAY MODULES
Landed cost calculation service: the real cost of every SKU, re-costed when rates change
Landed Cost Desk works out what each unit really costs once it is ready to sell, from your own invoices, and re-costs every affected SKU when a supplier price, freight quote or duty rate changes.
Landed cost per unit
Recalculated whenever a rate or a freight quote changes
A landed cost calculation service works out what each unit really costs once it is ready to sell: product, freight, duty, fees and inbound handling. Landed Cost Desk (RELAY-04) builds this per SKU from your own invoices, re-costs every affected SKU when a rate changes, shows price scenarios and keeps clean paperwork for your customs broker. It is an advanced Relay Module, $1,500 to $3,500 fixed in writing before the build.
Why the cost in your spreadsheet is probably wrong
Many cost sheets hold the supplier price plus a freight guess someone entered a year ago. Since then, ocean rates have moved, the duty on a product line may have changed, the broker has added fees and Amazon stopped offering FBA prep and labeling in the US on Jan 1, 2026, so that work now costs money somewhere upstream. The selling price did not move. The margin did.
It usually surfaces as a vague feeling that the best seller "should be making more than it is." Landed Cost Desk replaces the guess with a number you can trace to an invoice.
What a landed cost calculation service counts
Every cost line comes from a document. If there is no document yet, the line is marked as an estimate.
| Cost line | Document it comes from |
|---|---|
| Product cost, with the Incoterm noted (for example FOB or EXW) | Supplier invoice |
| International freight and insurance | Forwarder invoice |
| Duties | Rate from your broker's classification; amount from your entry summary (CBP Form 7501) |
| Customs fees, such as the merchandise processing fee and harbor maintenance fee where they apply | Entry summary |
| Broker fees | Broker invoice |
| Demurrage, detention and exam fees | Carrier and broker invoices |
| Drayage and inland freight | Trucking invoice |
| Prep, labeling and inbound charges at FBA, WFS or your 3PL | Fee reports and 3PL invoices |
Landed cost per unit = all costs for a shipment allocated to each SKU ÷ units received
Units received, not units ordered. A short shipment raises the cost of every unit that did arrive.
When rates change: re-costing and price scenarios
Landed Cost Desk re-costs every affected SKU when one of four things arrives: a new supplier price, a new freight quote, a duty rate your broker confirms or a new entry summary.
Import costs for small brands have moved a lot. The suspension of duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value imports, from all countries, took effect Aug 29, 2025 (CBP, implementing Executive Order 14324), and duty rates can change by executive action, court ruling or a new classification. We do not forecast tariffs. We make sure the day your broker confirms a new rate, every affected SKU shows its new cost.
For each re-costed SKU, you get a scenario row:
| SKU-2041 | Today | After new duty rate |
|---|---|---|
| Landed cost per unit | $4.62 | $5.31 |
| Margin at current price ($24.99) | 26.1% | 23.3% |
| Lowest price that holds your Margin Guard floor (24%) | $24.99 | $25.29 |
| Margin at the lowest competitor price ($23.99) | 23.6% | 20.8% |
Illustrative · sample figures. Assumes a 15% referral fee and all other costs unchanged.
You see the effect on every SKU before you decide, not after the first invoice.
Paperwork ready for your broker
Per shipment, Landed Cost Desk keeps a checklist and files the documents in your workspace:
- Commercial invoice
- Packing list
- Bill of lading or air waybill
- Product descriptions with materials and intended use
- Country of origin
- Supplier certificates where required
- Past entry summaries (CBP Form 7501)
Your licensed customs broker classifies products and files entries. We prepare clean paperwork and ask your broker the questions; we do not give customs, tax or legal advice.
What it connects to, and who does what
Invoices arrive in a shared mailbox or folder you control. Freight, broker and 3PL bills come from the same place or from a read-only export of your accounting tool. Inbound and prep charges at FBA come from Amazon's settlement data and the SP-API Finances API; WFS and 3PL inbound charges come from their fee reports and invoices.
Outputs flow two ways: new costs update the floors in Margin Guard and the margin panel in Profit and Cash Pulse.
Automated: cost table updates, allocation, re-costing and the scenario table. A person: reads each new invoice, checks the allocation, asks your broker questions and flags SKUs whose floor breaks. On Ops Desk that is your named ops lead; on a module-only build, your team uses the written playbook. You decide prices, suppliers and which scenario to act on.
How the build runs and how you accept it
Week 1 is the spec: cost lines, allocation methods, source documents and re-cost triggers. Weeks 1 to 2 build the cost table and allocation. Weeks 2 to 3 add re-costing and scenarios. Weeks 3 to 4 run acceptance, using one of your real past shipments.
The acceptance tests in a typical Landed Cost Desk spec:
- Every active SKU has a landed cost with its method and source documents listed, or is marked as an estimate.
- A test shipment's allocated costs add back to its invoices to the cent.
- Changing one input re-costs every affected SKU in one refresh.
- Scenario prices match the Margin Guard floors.
- Documentation is stored in your workspace.
Price, timing, ownership and fit
Landed Cost Desk is an advanced module: $1,500 to $3,500, fixed in writing before the build, built in 1 to 4 weeks. You pay 50% at the start and 50% at acceptance; anything that fails acceptance is fixed free for 60 days. Module Care is included on any Ops Desk or other monthly plan, or 10% of the build cost a year otherwise. Full terms are on pricing.
Founding offer: 20% off the module build, plus 20% off monthly plans for the first 6 months, for our first 25 clients or until Jan 31, 2027, whichever comes first.
The cost table, methods and document files stay in your accounts. Named user access with multi-factor authentication. Never your owner password. No bank, payout or legal-entity permissions.
It fits brands that import, or buy on FOB or EXW terms and pay their own freight. If you buy only from US suppliers with delivered pricing, landed cost is simpler, and Pulse may be all you need. For the pattern where sales grow and margin shrinks, read revenue up, margin down; the per-unit margin formula is on profit and cash reporting, and a landed cost calculator is planned for our free tools. All ten modules are on the Relay Modules hub.
How much does Landed Cost Desk cost?
It costs $1,500 to $3,500 to build, fixed in writing before we start, and takes 1 to 4 weeks. The price depends on how many suppliers, freight routes and SKUs it covers. Upkeep is included on any monthly plan, or 10% of the build cost a year otherwise.
Do you classify our products or file customs entries?
No. Your licensed customs broker classifies products and files entries. We keep the paperwork complete and organized, ask your broker the questions that affect cost and record the confirmed rate against every SKU it applies to. We do not give customs, tax or legal advice.
Which allocation method should we use?
It depends on how each cost is charged. Duties follow value, air freight follows weight, ocean freight follows space and labels follow units. We document a method for every cost line in the spec, show you the effect on your SKUs and you approve it.
What if we only buy from US suppliers?
Then landed cost is simpler: supplier price, inbound freight and receiving or prep. The margin view in Profit and Cash Pulse may be all you need, and we will tell you so rather than build a module you do not need.
How often is landed cost updated?
Whenever a new supplier invoice, freight bill or entry summary arrives, and whenever your broker confirms a rate change. Each update re-costs every affected SKU in one refresh, and the scenario table shows the price that holds your floor. Between shipments, nothing changes unless an input changes, so the number you see always traces to a dated document.
Does it feed our margin alerts?
Yes, if you run Margin Guard. New landed costs flow straight into its floor checks and into the Pulse dashboard, so a duty or freight change shows up as a list of SKUs below floor the same day, not as a surprise at month end. Without Margin Guard, the scenario table gives you the same list.
A free Profit Leak Scan shows margin by SKU after every fee, and flags SKUs whose cost data looks stale.
Ecomrelays LLC is a Texas company. Part of our team works outside the US, as one managed team with a named US-facing lead. 597 Mountcastle Dr, Rockwall, TX 75087. +1 (469) 331-3129.
Sources4 sources
- 01kpmg.comCBP implements EO 14324 suspending duty-free de minimis treatment for all countries from Aug 29, 2025; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 02cbp.govCBP Form 7501 Entry Summary; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 03developer-docs.amazon.comSP-API Finances API for inbound and fulfillment fees charged; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 04developer-docs.amazon.comUS FBA prep and labeling services ended Jan 1, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
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