Stop buying Chinese stock
through Irish wholesalers.

Irish retailers typically recover 35–60% on COGS by buying factory-direct instead of through Irish wholesalers. Irish wholesalers usually mark up Chinese goods 40–80% over their landed cost — and the goods have already passed through a Chinese trading company (20–40% margin) and often a European importer (15–30% margin) before reaching them. Factory-direct sourcing removes those layers. The exact saving depends on category and current wholesale pricing, but on most stock SKUs the gap is enough to either rebuild margins, fund discounting against competitors, or both.

Most retailer orders start meaningfully at €4,000–€10,000 per SKU depending on the product category. Pet supplies, bags, and small electronics start at the lower end (€4k–€8k). Furniture, larger electronics, and fit-out start at €10k–€25k. Below €4k per SKU, factory MOQs become harder to meet without significant price loading. We typically work with retailers running €30k–€500k annual China imports, although first orders can be smaller as a way to test the relationship.

Full container (FCL) is dramatically more cost-efficient than partial (LCL) on a per-unit basis. A 20ft container holds roughly 28 cubic metres of cargo and ships China-to-Dublin for typically €2,500–€4,500. A 40ft HQ holds roughly 67 cbm for €3,500–€6,000. LCL pricing per cubic metre is usually 2–3x the FCL equivalent. Most retailers reach FCL economics by consolidating multiple SKUs from a single factory or by sharing container space across categories we're sourcing for them in the same window.

Highest-margin recovery is typically in: consumer electronics and accessories, pet supplies and accessories, home goods and kitchenware, beauty and personal care, and small furniture and homewares. These categories carry the highest wholesaler markups in Ireland and have the deepest, most competitive Chinese manufacturing base. Heavy or low-value-density goods (basic packaging, bulky low-margin items) are less suited to factory-direct sourcing because freight cost erodes the margin gain.

For stock products from an established factory relationship, typical lead times are 6–10 weeks total: 2–4 weeks production, 4–5 weeks sea freight from China to Dublin Port, 1 week customs clearance and delivery. First orders with a new factory add 2–4 weeks for sampling and approval. Repeat orders run faster because pricing, packing, and shipping are pre-agreed. Urgent restocks can be moved to air freight (5–7 days transit) but pricing increases significantly.

We coordinate full export documentation in China (commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, bill of lading) and work with Irish customs brokers who handle the import-side process at Dublin Port — entering the customs declaration, paying the customs duty (typically 0–12% depending on HS code) and the 23% Irish VAT on the duty-inclusive landed value. The VAT is recoverable for VAT-registered businesses. We provide a landed-cost calculation up-front so there are no surprises on arrival.