How to evaluate a parallel-import offer

1. Start with the lot basics

Read the offer as a whole: brand, merchandise type, quantity and unit, origin country, and target markets. The first question is brutal and simple — do you already sell this product or an equivalent? Known sellers de-risk everything that follows. A lot of an unfamiliar product needs a much bigger discount to justify the sell-through risk.

2. Check quantity against your reality

• How many months of your normal sales does the lot represent? One to two seasons of stock is comfortable; more needs a plan.
• Can you warehouse it? Bulky categories tie up space as well as cash.
• If the lot is too big, ask whether a split is possible rather than walking away.

3. Check origin and target-market fit

Origin matters for two reasons: logistics cost and compliance. A lot's labelling, plug types, formulations, or pack languages were chosen for its original market. Check against the listed target markets, and confirm your market's labelling and certification rules for the category. Relabelling is often feasible; price the work in rather than discovering it later.

4. Work out your true landed cost

Never compare a lot's unit price directly against your current supplier's price list. Add sea or air freight, insurance, customs duties for the HS code, import VAT or sales tax, port and broker fees, and delivery to your warehouse. That total, divided by units, is the number to compare. Our landed-cost guide walks through the calculation.

5. Estimate sell-through honestly

• At what retail price does this move quickly in your market?
• What margin does that leave over your landed cost?
• How does the lot's best-before date, model year, or packaging version affect that price?

A conservative sell-through estimate that still clears a healthy margin is a deal. A deal that only works at optimistic prices is inventory risk wearing a discount.

6. Ask before you commit

Good questions to raise in the WhatsApp conversation: production or best-before dates, packaging condition and case counts, why the lot exists (surplus, range change, market exit), available documentation, and delivery terms. Sellers of genuine lots answer these easily.

Red flags

• Pressure to commit before basic questions are answered.
• No clarity on provenance or documentation.
• Prices far below even normal parallel-import levels, the classic counterfeit tell.
• Vague or shifting quantities.

Trade Sourcer vets suppliers before listing their lots, and every deal is brokered by our team — but a disciplined buyer runs their own checks too. The best deals survive scrutiny.