GUIDES
1688 Retail vs Wholesale: Compare Landed Cost per Usable Unit
Compare a small order and a wholesale batch using quantity, freight, packaging and expected usable units.
Prepared by Superbuy Spreadsheet Editorial · Reviewed 23 October 2026 · Independent research directory.
A wholesale discount is valuable only if the complete purchase works for your demand. Build separate budgets for a sample, a small mixed order and a repeat batch. Use the same specification when comparing suppliers.
A planning calculation
For a hypothetical batch, CNY 1,000 in goods plus CNY 100 domestic freight, CNY 500 international freight and CNY 100 selected services produces CNY 1,700 before any destination charges. Dividing by 100 usable units gives CNY 17 per unit. These numbers illustrate arithmetic and are not supplier prices or freight quotes.
Include the trade-offs
- Minimum order quantities and mixed-size availability.
- Cash tied up in slow-selling stock.
- Sample approval and batch consistency.
- Packaging, inspection and possible short counts.
Keep destination charges as a separate line until you have confirmed them. If some units cannot be used, divide by usable units rather than the ordered quantity. A cheaper nominal unit price can produce a more expensive usable product.
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