Why your China factory quote is always wrong (and a free tool to fix it)

I'm a dry bulk shipping broker. Every day I see the gap between what a forwarder quotes and what the market really is — and sellers who think they have 40% margin on a product that actually loses money after the hidden costs land.

This started as my own spreadsheet. It became a tool: truelandedcost.com

What it does that generic calculators don't:
- Tariffs stacked on CIF value (MFN + Section 301 + IEEPA) — not FOB. This alone catches mistakes worth hundreds per shipment
- Actual freight rates by mode (LCL, FCL, air) from someone who sees the market daily
- FBA dimensional weight at the real 139 divisor
- ISF, customs bond, THC, port charges, trucking minimums
- The 2-3% currency spread your bank takes on top of the Google rate

No signup. No email gate. Forever free — this is a weekend project, not a startup.

Tell me what I got wrong:
1. Missing cost categories that burned you before?
2. Tariff rates accurate for your product category? (MFN + 301 + IEEPA current as of July 2026)

I'll fix the rate tables as things change. Happy to answer anything shipping/logistics — that part I actually do for a living.