Sourcing Note 15 · Market Analysis
Flat-pack price hides the freight
The ex-factory number is not the landed cost. Carton footprint decides the rest.
Flat-pack furniture looks cheap until the container clears Australian quarantine. The landed price a Brisbane buyer pays is the ex-factory number plus the freight, the LCL consolidation, the AQIS inspection, and the carton that arrives split at the corner.
I now ask suppliers for the flat carton dimensions and the per-carton weight before I quote, because a panel that is 10 mm over the flat-pack limit ships as a full case instead of a carton, and the freight jumps. Buyers I work with who import ready-to-assemble wardrobes now check the carton footprint against their racking before they sign.
Send me your room dimensions and I will flag the cartons that will not fit the lift.