Compare EXW, FOB and DDP custom plush quotes by bringing every offer to the same product specification, delivery address and cost boundary. Record the named place, transport mode, included charges, remaining buyer costs and point where transit risk changes hands. A lower factory-side price and a higher destination-delivered price can cover very different work. The useful comparison is the complete, documented scope for your order.
Start with the rule summary below, then use the quote-review worksheet to find omissions before approving an order. This is general purchasing guidance based on Incoterms® 2020; destination-specific customs, tax and contractual questions need qualified advice.
What changes between EXW, FOB and DDP?
The following table describes the normal allocation under each rule. Read it alongside the agreed contract, including any expressly documented variations.
| Rule | Delivery and transit-risk handover | Main scope to verify |
|---|---|---|
| EXW: Ex Works | Goods made available at the named collection point, before loading | Buyer arranges onward transport and export/import clearance; seller loading is not included by the rule |
| FOB: Free On Board | Goods on board the buyer-nominated vessel at the named shipment port | Seller handles export clearance and delivery aboard; buyer arranges the main carriage and import side |
| DDP: Delivered Duty Paid | Import-cleared goods at the named destination, on the arriving vehicle and ready to unload | Seller arranges carriage and export/import clearance, including applicable import duties and taxes; unloading needs separate attention |
EXW and DDP can be used for different transport modes. FOB applies only to sea or inland-waterway transport. These distinctions come from the ICC rules for any transport mode and ICC sea and inland-waterway rules.
Write the selected rule, precise location and edition together: for example, “EXW [agreed collection address and point], Incoterms® 2020.” Use a shipment port for FOB and a destination address and delivery point for DDP. A country name alone leaves too much unanswered.
Before comparing freight, freeze the plush specification
Send the same revision of the product brief to everyone preparing a quote. Identify the artwork, finished size, fabric, filling, decoration, attached accessories, labels and packing arrangement. List quantities by design and version. A plush keychain and a larger plush based on the same character should have separate quote lines.
Keep optional changes separate. If one offer includes a printed retail box and another assumes individual bags, the difference affects both product cost and shipment measurements. Ask for a base specification plus clearly priced options rather than accepting an unexplained combined figure.
Aokuma’s standard bulk minimum is 500 pieces per design; different sizes and colourways count separately. Comparing quantity tiers is useful only when each tier preserves the same specification and clearly identifies the quantity for each version.
What should an EXW plush quotation make explicit?
An EXW offer needs an exact collection address and an agreed collection point. Ask when the goods will be available, how collection will be coordinated and what shipment information your forwarder will receive. “Factory pickup” is too vague to book a vehicle or establish a clean handover.
Two questions deserve particular attention: who will physically load the cartons, and who can complete export clearance? Under EXW, the seller is not obliged to perform either task. If the seller will load in practice, agree on the cost and loading-risk allocation before pickup. If your arrangement needs the seller to load and clear the export, discuss FCA at the seller’s premises. The ICC Academy’s EXW and DDP explanation highlights these practical limits.
For the quote review, obtain the collection charge, origin handling and documentation scope from the party actually arranging them. Record whether any seller assistance has a separate charge. Do not leave these cells blank because the product price is already confirmed.
EXW can be evaluated sensibly when the buyer has a workable collection and export plan. Without that plan, the apparent saving remains an incomplete comparison.
When does FOB fit, and when should you ask about FCA?
For a genuine FOB arrangement, specify the port of shipment and confirm the buyer’s vessel-booking responsibilities with the forwarder. Ask how the supplier’s origin charges and the forwarder’s charges meet, so the same handling item is neither omitted nor counted twice.
Check the actual handover for containerised cargo. When cartons or a container are handed to a carrier at a terminal before vessel loading, ICC advises considering FCA instead of FOB. FCA can identify that earlier carrier handover; the exact delivery mechanics depend on the named place. The seller handles export clearance under FCA.
For custom plush orders, this is especially worth discussing when a forwarder collects cartons for a consolidated shipment. Ask the forwarder and supplier to identify the collection point, receiving facility and intended risk handover together. Avoid treating the word “FOB” as a generic label for any price that excludes international freight.
If you request both sea and air options, ask for a suitable rule for each route. An air-freight offer labelled “FOB airport” needs clarification. Keep the product specification and final comparison destination constant while the transport arrangement changes.
What must be confirmed before relying on a DDP price?
DDP requires a feasible import arrangement in the destination country. Confirm which entity will be named as importer, who will arrange clearance, which broker or logistics provider is involved, and what information the buyer must supply. A shipping salesperson’s “tax included” message is insufficient evidence that those arrangements are in place.
ICC’s report on national regulatory barriers warns that foreign sellers can face restrictions or administrative obstacles when completing import and tax formalities. Have the proposed arrangement checked for the destination. If the buyer must handle import clearance, discuss a properly documented alternative such as DAP rather than leaving a contradictory DDP label in the quotation.
Ask for the exact delivery point and receiving requirements. Is it a warehouse loading dock, a shop or another location? Does the site need a booking reference, delivery appointment, tail-lift vehicle or other handling arrangement? Give those details before requesting the price.
DDP delivery occurs before unloading from the final vehicle. The buyer bears unloading risk even when the seller’s carriage contract covers the unloading charge. Unloading costs may already be covered by the seller’s carriage contract, so check their treatment rather than automatically adding or excluding them. The ICC Academy’s DAP and DDP comparison explains this distinction.
Finally, request the basis for duties and taxes and the treatment of any later adjustment. Do not assume that import tax is recoverable by your business. Ask your customs or tax adviser what documentation and conditions apply to your particular arrangement.
DDP still requires the buyer to assist with necessary clearance documents or information at the seller’s request, risk and cost. If the buyer is entitled to choose the delivery time within an agreed period or the delivery point, it must also give sufficient notice. Failure to provide required assistance or notices can expose the buyer to additional costs and loss-or-damage risks under the rule’s conditions.
A quote-scope worksheet you can use with any supplier
Create one column for each offer and use the rows below. In every cost row, record the amount, currency, responsible party and status: included, separately priced, estimated, excluded or awaiting confirmation. “Included” should identify which total already contains the charge.
| Review row | What to enter or ask |
|---|---|
| Product and quantity | Specification revision; design and version codes; quantity per version; unit price and extended goods total |
| Development and checks | Sample fee, sample freight, agreed testing, inspection or special development work; state which are outside the bulk total |
| Packing basis | Individual pack, units per carton, carton count, external dimensions, gross weight and any pallet requirements |
| Rule and location | Incoterms® rule and edition; precise named collection point, shipment port or destination; documented variations |
| Origin work | Collection, loading, inland movement, export formalities, documentation and origin terminal or consolidation charges |
| Main transport | Mode, service scope, route assumptions, freight amount, surcharges and quotation validity |
| Destination and import | Destination handling, broker arrangements, importer, customs value/classification assumptions and applicable duty/tax treatment |
| Final receiving | Delivery address and point, booking requirements, unloading, special handling and any separately quoted receiving work |
| Risk and insurance | Agreed transit-risk handover; whether cargo cover is arranged; coverage period, exclusions, deductible and claim contact |
| Uncertainty and changes | Estimated quantities or measurements, missing charges, expiry dates, change triggers and who must approve a revised price |
Read the completed worksheet against the chosen rule. If a DDP quote excludes import duties, or an EXW quote quietly assumes supplier-managed export clearance, resolve the inconsistency in writing. A list of exclusions should not be allowed to obscure the parties’ actual agreement.
Ask how customs examinations, storage, failed delivery appointments and similar exceptional events will be handled. Identify the relevant contract terms and escalation contact. Avoid assuming that every possible event is included in a headline price, or that an unspecified exception automatically becomes the buyer’s cost.
Why do carton details matter so much for plush?
Plush products can occupy substantial space relative to their weight. A freight estimate based only on the number of toys leaves important information missing. Request carton dimensions and gross weights, and ask whether they are provisional packing estimates or measurements of the final packed goods.
For example, FedEx explains dimensional-weight pricing as a comparison between package size-based weight and actual weight. The applicable calculation depends on the service. Ask your freight provider for its charging basis instead of applying a courier formula to every sea or air quotation.
Keep the packing version tied to the freight estimate. A switch to gift boxes, a change in units per carton or an added accessory can require a fresh check. Do not assume that vacuum packing or tighter compression is acceptable for the approved plush appearance; agree on the packing method first.
How do you turn different quotes into a fair total?
Choose one comparison endpoint, such as the same warehouse receiving point, and one currency. Record the exchange-rate assumption used for internal budgeting when offers use different currencies.
Comparable planned outlay = quoted order total + buyer-paid items needed to reach the same endpoint + separately agreed project costs. Add only items missing from the quoted total. Keep uncertain costs visible rather than turning an unanswered line into zero.
Show two subtotals if development costs matter: the current bulk shipment and the whole project including samples or separately commissioned checks. A sample-fee refund that depends on a later qualifying order belongs in a conditional note until its application is confirmed.
For a per-unit comparison, divide the relevant total by the quantity that total actually covers. If an order contains several designs with different carton sizes, do not assume freight is distributed equally merely because their piece counts match. Ask for an agreed allocation method if you need a separate landed figure for each SKU.
Maintain a second list for unresolved exposure: unconfirmed packing measurements, expiring freight estimates or a tax treatment awaiting advice. Two offers can have similar totals while requiring very different amounts of buyer coordination.
A short comparison exercise
Imagine three offers for the same plush specification and quantity. This is an illustrative review exercise, not a customer case or a price benchmark.
- Offer A is EXW: the product and packing are defined, but no collection/export estimate has been obtained. Complete those buyer-side lines before comparing its total.
- Offer B is FOB: the shipment port is named, but the forwarder expects a container-terminal handover. Resolve whether FCA better matches the plan before relying on the risk allocation.
- Offer C is described as door-to-door: the delivery address is correct, but import duties are excluded. Ask for the actual Incoterms® rule and import responsibilities; “door-to-door” alone does not establish DDP.
The next action is different for each offer. Adding a guessed shipping allowance to all three would hide those differences rather than resolve them.
Keep the commercial agreement complete
Incoterms® rules do not settle product specifications, payment terms, ownership transfer or remedies for a defective product or missed commitment. Keep those matters in the sales agreement. The U.S. International Trade Administration’s overview sets out these limits.
Also confirm cargo insurance explicitly: EXW, FOB and DDP do not themselves require either party to buy it. Document who will handle a transport claim and what evidence to retain. Transit-risk allocation and the procedure for reporting a manufacturing defect address different questions.
For scheduling, distinguish goods-ready date, carrier departure, estimated arrival and final delivery appointment. Request project-specific timings and dependencies rather than reading a transit estimate as a warehouse-delivery promise.
Prepare a quote request Aokuma can assess
Send the design reference, finished size, quantity per design/version, packing requirement, destination address, preferred transport options and target arrival date. State whether you have a forwarder and which quote scopes you want assessed. Ask for unavailable options and unconfirmed charges to be identified clearly; availability depends on the project and destination.
Keep sampling separate from the bulk-shipping comparison. Aokuma’s standard sample fee is USD 200 per design, with a maximum of three revision rounds. The fee is refundable at 3,000 units of the same design. General sampling time is 7–10 working days; exceptions are quoted and agreed separately. Confirm sample delivery and other additional charges in the quote. The custom plush sampling guide explains the approval process.
Send Aokuma your product and delivery brief with the worksheet questions that remain open. A useful quote should let you see what is being supplied, where responsibility changes and what still needs confirmation before you commit.
