Landed cost & funding gap calculator

How the calculator works

The tool follows the same order a shipment does. You pay a deposit when the order is placed, the balance before the goods leave the factory, the freight and insurance to get them here, then duty, GST and clearance costs before the goods are released at the Australian border. After that, the stock has to sell and your customers have to pay before any of that money comes back.

The landed cost

Landed cost is the goods plus every cost of getting them onto your shelf: freight, cargo insurance, customs duty, broker and clearance fees, and local port and cartage charges. If you enter an estimated total cost of finance, it's added too, because it's a real cost of the stock. Dividing by the number of units gives you a per-unit figure you can price from. Our guide to calculating landed cost line by line explains each component.

Why GST is counted in cash but not in cost

The Australian Border Force describes GST on imports as 10% of the value of the taxable importation: the customs value, plus any duty, plus the cost of transporting and insuring the goods to Australia. The calculator uses your goods cost as a stand-in for customs value. That GST normally has to be paid before the goods are released, so it's a genuine cash outflow. A GST-registered business importing for its own business use can usually claim it back on the next BAS, so it isn't part of the cost of each unit. If you're approved for the ATO's deferred GST scheme, tick the box and the GST moves off the border bill and onto your monthly BAS.

The funding gap

The funding gap is the total cash that leaves your business before the stock is sold and paid for, less what you can put in yourself. It's the practical answer to "how much do I need to borrow for this container?" The weeks figure adds production, transit and sell-through time, which shows roughly how long the money would be tied up. A short gap on a repeat order is a very different conversation from a long gap on a first order, so both numbers matter.

Reading the result sensibly

• Test a bad week on the exchange rate. Change the supplier cost by a few per cent to see how an adverse movement flows through to landed cost. Our page on exchange-rate timing covers when that risk bites.
• Add slack to the timeline. Factories run late and ports get congested. An extra two weeks at sea or at the wharf adds to the time your money is out.
• Check the duty rate early. A wrong tariff classification is one of the most common reasons a landed cost blows out. A licensed customs broker can confirm it before you sign.
• Remember GST comes back later, not now. Even if you claim it on your next BAS, you still need the cash on the day the goods clear.

Want to see the dates rather than the dollars? The import cash timeline planner turns the same order into a calendar of when money leaves and when it comes back.

What to do with your funding gap

If the gap is small and short, a line of credit or a modest unsecured facility sized on turnover may be enough. If it's large, or you're funding several containers at once, property security usually opens up bigger amounts. Our import finance hub walks through each option, from supplier deposit funding to a revolving line of credit for repeat orders.

When you're ready, tell us about the order. The enquiry takes about a minute and doesn't involve a credit check. A real person who knows how import orders run reads it — your details aren't passed around a panel of lenders — and calls you to talk it through. The more accurate your answers on the form, the better the first conversation.