Taotao product photo used as context. It does not document a real quotation, consignment or freight booking.
Two China suppliers can quote the same helmet and show different totals without one being cheaper on a like-for-like basis. The missing question may be where the goods are handed over and who handles the steps between the factory and the carrier.
If your team is comparing an EXW offer with an FCA or “FOB China” offer, do not rank the prices until the delivery scope is written down. Under the ICC Incoterms® 2020 rules for any mode, EXW makes the goods available at a named place; the seller need not load the collecting vehicle or clear the goods for export. FCA places different delivery and export-clearance obligations on the seller. These rules allocate delivery, risk and certain costs; they do not replace a complete purchase specification.
Ask for five fields, not a three-letter answer
- Rule and version: for example, “FCA [precise named place], Incoterms® 2020”—not “FOB China.”
- Handover point: the address or terminal and the point within it where delivery occurs.
- Export clearance: who will arrange and pay for it, and what documentation the buyer will receive.
- Charges outside the unit price: loading, inland movement, terminal handling, main carriage and destination charges, identified by party rather than guessed as one freight number.
- Same product scope: model, configuration, carton specification, quantity and any inspection or document deliverables.
This is Taotao's buyer comparison sheet, not a claim that every charge is always allocated the same way. Confirm the exact contract and carrier arrangement with your freight professional. For containerized goods handed to a carrier at a terminal, the ICC's checklist points buyers toward FCA; its FOB rule guidance cautions against treating terminal handover as if goods had already been placed on board a vessel.
Continue, pause or escalate
Continue when both suppliers restate their quotes against the same product and a precise delivery point, with excluded costs visible. Pause when the offer still says only “FOB China,” omits the named place, or assumes the buyer can arrange export clearance without checking. Escalate unusual routing, documentation or customs responsibilities to your forwarder and trade adviser before paying a deposit.
See our helmet and visor category for the product context. The method also applies to other categories when the exact packing, delivery point and responsibilities are specified.