Import shipment cost comparison by supplier
Compare quotes from several suppliers on landed cost per unit, including freight, duty, VAT and clearing.
The cheapest price is not always the cheapest import. For each supplier enter the goods value, the freight, the duty rate, the clearing costs and the number of units, and the workbook works out the duty, the VAT, the total landed cost and the cost per unit, and ranks the suppliers, so you buy on the real cost and not on the price list.
Importers, traders and procurement officers who compare suppliers and need to know the true cost before they order.
What is included
- Duty and VAT worked out for each supplier
- Total landed cost and cost per unit
- Ranking of suppliers by cost per unit
- VAT rate you can edit on the Rates sheet
- Summary of landed cost by supplier with a chart
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How to use it
- List each supplier with the goods value and freight in shillings.
- Enter the duty rate for the goods and the clearing costs.
- Enter the number of units in the shipment.
- Read the cost per unit and the rank, and choose the best value.
Templates are tools to help with your own records. They are not tax or legal advice. Check the figures against official sources before filing or paying.
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What the import shipment cost comparison by supplier does
The cheapest price is not always the cheapest import. For each supplier enter the goods value, the freight, the duty rate, the clearing costs and the number of units, and the workbook works out the duty, the VAT, the total landed cost and the cost per unit, and ranks the suppliers, so you buy on the real cost and not on the price list.
Who it is for
Importers, traders and procurement officers who compare suppliers and need to know the true cost before they order.
How to use the workbook
- List each supplier with the goods value and freight in shillings.
- Enter the duty rate for the goods and the clearing costs.
- Enter the number of units in the shipment.
- Read the cost per unit and the rank, and choose the best value.
- Save a copy under a new name for each month or year, so earlier records stay as they were.
What is inside
- Duty and VAT worked out for each supplier
- Total landed cost and cost per unit
- Ranking of suppliers by cost per unit
- VAT rate you can edit on the Rates sheet
- Summary of landed cost by supplier with a chart
The workbook has these sheets: Instructions, Suppliers, By supplier, Rates. The main table has the columns Supplier; Goods value; Freight and insurance; Duty rate; Duty; VAT; Clearing and other costs; Total landed cost. Yellow cells are for you to fill in and grey cells calculate by themselves, so leave the grey cells alone. The example rows show how it works; type over them with your own entries.
Tips for getting it right
- Convert foreign prices to shillings at the rate you will really pay.
- Check the duty rate for the exact goods classification.
- VAT paid on imports may be recoverable if you are registered.
- Include insurance, port charges and transport to your store.
Why keep this record
Most tax trouble comes from late or missing records rather than from the tax itself. When the figures are collected as they happen, preparing a return becomes a matter of copying totals, not of searching for receipts. A workbook that follows the same layout as the return also makes it easier to spot a number that looks wrong before KRA does, and to explain it if asked.
Questions people ask
Do I need to know Excel formulas? No. Type into the yellow cells and the rest is worked out for you. The formulas are visible if you want to see how a figure is reached.
Can I add rows or change the layout? You can add your own columns to the right and your own notes. If you insert rows inside a table, copy the grey formula cells down so the new rows calculate too.
Will it work on my phone or in Google Sheets? Yes for viewing and typing, but dropdown lists and the charts look best in desktop Excel or LibreOffice.
Keeping it safe and up to date
Tax figures change with each Finance Act, so check the Rates sheet against KRA's current guidance before you file. Keep the supporting documents with the workbook, and keep each year's copy for at least five years in case KRA asks for proof.
Read the KRA filing calendar for small businesses for the wider picture. Free calculators that go with it: Import duty calculator, Landed cost calculator. See more tax templates or ask us for a custom one.
The workbook works in Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets. It is a tool to help you work out and record figures, not tax, legal or accounting advice, and it is not affiliated with the Kenya Revenue Authority. If something does not work as described, contact us and we will put it right.
Related guides, calculators and templates
- Free calculator: Import Duty Calculator for Goods
- Free calculator: Landed Cost Calculator
- Guide: Importing clothes and textiles: duty and classification
- Guide: Importing food and beverages: permits, inspections and labelling
- Guide: How to import furniture and home goods
- Another template: Import duty and landed cost workbook
- Another template: Annual income tax estimator
- Another template: Annual income tax return filing checklist
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