What a fulfilment quote includes, and what it leaves out
A route page shows the logistics price for one parcel. The formal quote adds warehouse handling, tax and the charges that apply only when a shipment uses them. Read both layers before comparing providers.
What is the short answer?
A ShopRest quote has two layers. The route page shows the logistics price for one parcel on one product. The formal quote adds China warehouse handling, any duty or tax, and the charges that apply only when a shipment uses them, such as signature, remote delivery or a return. When you compare providers, make sure you are comparing the same layers.
What is inside the China-direct price?
The China-direct total on a route page is the freight for that product and weight band, converted from RMB at the indicative rate printed on the page, with fuel already included. The September 2026 lane card marks China prices as fuel-inclusive, so fuel is not added again. China warehouse handling is outside this total.
What is inside a local warehouse price?
A local warehouse price, such as Sydney, the UK warehouse, a US warehouse or the Germany warehouse, includes storage, putaway, dispatch, packaging and carriage from that warehouse. Fuel is extra: in Sydney it is 6.1% of the freight on the August 2026 card, with a week's notice before a change. Oversize, peak-season surcharges and failed delivery are extra where the route page says so.
What does China warehouse handling cover?
Scan-in is charged per piece: the carton is opened, counted, received and put away. Outbound is charged as a first piece per order plus each extra piece, covering pick and check, the waybill, packing, labelling and handover to the carrier. Storage is charged per pallet per day for bulk stock and per bin per day for the pick face, with bin sizes of 20, 40, 48 or 80 compartments. A periodic count is included. Cartons, tape and void fill are not included. The unit rates are confirmed on the formal quote.
What is optional?
Optional work is billed only when you ask for it. For apparel this includes visual quality checks, hanging or replacing hangtags, sewing care labels, applying barcodes or security tags, refolding, changing the outer bag, steaming or pressing, and light repair of a simple open seam. Warehouse insurance against inventory value is also optional and separate from storage.
How are duty and tax shown?
Duty, GST and VAT stay off the route total. When they apply, they are listed separately on the formal quote with the payer, the settlement currency and any payment-service or advancement fee. On supported routes ShopRest can coordinate payment or advance payment of duty and tax through the appointed declaration partner. For Australia on Select, a declared value of AUD 1,000 or more adds GST at 10% of the declared value, paid by the sender. Taxes and fines caused by under-declaration are paid by the sender.
Which charges appear only when they apply?
Signature, declared-value cover, return handling, remote-area delivery, oversize, failed delivery and address correction are charged only when that parcel uses them. Replenishment freight from China to an overseas warehouse is quoted separately from customer delivery. Urgent inbound beyond the agreed receiving window is a separate request.
Which exchange rate is used?
Each route page converts RMB prices at an indicative rate printed on that page: 1 AUD = 4.70 RMB, 1 USD = 6.69 RMB, 1 GBP = 8.85 RMB, 1 EUR = 7.51 RMB, 1 CAD = 4.70 RMB and 100 JPY = 4.22 RMB, rounded from the 7 October 2026 reference. A formal quote follows the live reference rate.
Worked example: reading one quote
One 0.2 kg apparel parcel, 10 × 5 × 2 cm, to postcode 3000. Layer one, the route page: China direct apparel economy AUD 6.89 with fuel inside, or Sydney economy AUD 8.43 before the 6.1% fuel. Layer two, the formal quote: China warehouse scan-in and outbound for that order, any packaging you choose, and any duty or tax with its payer. Charges such as signature or remote delivery appear only if that order uses them.
How do I compare this with another provider?
Ask every provider the same five questions. Is fuel inside the price or added? Is warehouse handling inside the price or separate? Is the price based on actual or volumetric weight? Who pays duty and tax, and is there a collection fee? Which charges are conditional, and what triggers them? A quote that looks cheaper often moves one of these items outside the headline number.
What does a monthly invoice look like?
A typical monthly statement groups charges by where they happen. China warehouse: scan-in for the pieces received, outbound for each order, storage for the pallets and bins used, and any optional work you asked for. Freight: one line per lane and weight band, at the price card in force. Local warehouse, if you use one: local fulfilment per order, fuel as a percentage of the freight, and any conditional charge such as signature or failed delivery. Tax: duty, GST or VAT and any payment-service fee, each on its own line with the payer named.
Keeping these groups separate is what lets you see which part of the cost is moving. If freight rises, check the weight bands and lanes. If warehouse cost rises, check storage days and slow stock.
Which charges can change from month to month?
Three things move. Fuel on local warehouse freight, which in Sydney is 6.1% on the August 2026 card with a week's notice before a change. The exchange rate, because the formal quote follows the live reference rate rather than the indicative rate on the route page. And the price cards themselves, which carry a date: the China lane card is September 2026 and the Sydney card is August 2026. Everything else follows the agreed rates.
How should tax appear on a fair comparison?
Put tax on its own line for every option you compare, and treat it the same way on both sides. For Australian sales, a GST-registered seller charges GST on the sale whether the parcel ships from China or from Sydney; GST paid at the border on bulk stock can usually be claimed back. Customs duty on bulk imports is the item that can genuinely differ between options. The ATO and Australian Border Force pages linked below explain both.
What should I send for a quote?
Send the SKU list with packed weights and dimensions, monthly orders by destination country and postcode, the packaging you want, any garment work, and whether you need duty and tax handled. The formal quote will list each layer separately.