How to Automatically Calculate Landed Costs

February 4, 2013
Do you know precisely how much it costs to order new parts, products, and materials? You need to look beyond the initial price tag and dig deeper to discover what is known as the Landed Cost or True Cost of each item. Landed Costs are calculated by adding up all the costs that go into getting products from one location to another. These costs can be separated into four categories. Let’s go through each one: Landed costs, Fishbowl Inventory BlogTaxes Customs Tariffs Duties Harbor fees Currency conversion Shipping Costs Crating Packing Freight Handling Operating Expenses Employee compensation Due diligence Brokerage and logistical fees Risk Management Insurance Regulation compliance Quality checks Buffer stock Once you add up all of these costs, then you’ll see the final price you’ll pay. Of course, not every product you order will have all of these built into it. These are all of the possible taxes and fees that can go into each order you make. It’s important to be aware of all of them and also know when they apply and how to calculate them. Fishbowl Inventory can handle the heavy lifting for you when it comes to calculating Landed Costs. When you place orders, Fishbowl Inventory automatically distributes the vendors’ costs (e.g., taxes, shipping costs, and tariffs) across the items in the order to give you more accurate costing on your products. By knowing what your final cost will be, you can decide if each purchase is absolutely worth it and if you’re getting the best deal. Sign up for an inventory software demo to start enjoying this and many other advanced order management features.