What a Pallet of Ottoman Bed Bases Costs You Landed in the UK
Ex works pricing only tells you part of the story. Here's how to turn a price list and a freight estimate into the number that actually matters — cost per frame, delivered.
A price list only gives you one part of a landed cost. The other parts — freight, duty, VAT — either add nothing, add a fixed range, or don’t apply at all, depending on which one you’re looking at. Here’s how the four pieces fit together, worked through on a real order.
The four numbers a landed cost is made of
Landed cost is what a pallet actually costs you, delivered to your address, before you set your own resale price. It’s built from four figures:
- Goods value — the ex works price of the frames themselves
- Freight — covering transport, Polish export clearance, UK import clearance and delivery booking-in
- Duty — the import tariff charged at the UK border
- Import VAT — charged on the value of the goods when they enter the UK
Two of these four add real cost. The other two, for most VAT-registered UK buyers, don’t — and knowing which is which is most of what you need to price confidently.
Goods value: ex works price × 30 frames
Ex works pricing is per frame, and a pallet holds 30 frames of one size. For King at €93 per frame, that’s €93 × 30 = €2,790 in goods value for one pallet. Multiply by the number of pallets for a larger order — the per-frame price doesn’t change with volume, because the saving on a bigger order comes from freight, not from the frame price itself.
Freight: how the rate per frame falls with the second and third pallet
Freight is quoted as a range per shipment, not per frame, which is exactly why the cost per frame falls as the pallet count rises — the freight is being spread across more frames. Using the upper end of the published range for a conservative estimate on King:
- One pallet: €2,790 goods + up to €800 freight = €3,590 landed, or roughly €120 per frame
- Two pallets: €5,580 goods + up to €1,400 freight = €6,980 landed, or roughly €116 per frame
- Three pallets: €8,370 goods + up to €1,700 freight = €10,070 landed, or roughly €112 per frame
The pattern holds for any size — see the full comparison of all six for their ex works prices. Use the calculator below to run the same sum on your own quantities and sizes; it splits out goods value and freight the same way. Four pallets or more is quoted individually rather than as a published range.
Duty and VAT: why neither adds to your cost of goods
Ottoman bed bases fall under commodity code 9403 20, which qualifies for 0% duty under the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, provided the shipment carries a statement of origin — which our invoices do. That means duty doesn’t feature in your landed cost at all.
Import VAT is charged on the goods value, but for a VAT-registered UK business this is normally handled through postponed VAT accounting: you declare and reclaim the same amount on your next VAT return rather than paying it in cash at the border. It’s a paperwork step, not a cost that erodes your margin. For the full mechanics of duty, VAT and what a customs agent actually does with your shipment, see our guide on importing furniture from the EU.
Working out your own margin from the landed figure
Once you have a landed cost per frame, your margin calculation is the same as for any other stock line: resale price minus landed cost, minus whatever else you allocate to that product line — storage, handling, your own delivery to the end customer. The figures above give you the two real cost inputs; everything else in your margin is under your control, not the supplier’s.
Where the published figures stop and a quotation starts
The numbers on this site — ex works prices, freight ranges — are there so you can build a landed cost estimate before you ever send an enquiry. A firm quotation replaces the freight range with an exact figure for your postcode and pallet count, confirmed within 24 hours on a working day. Nothing else in the calculation changes between the estimate and the quotation.
Frames plus freight
The frame price is fixed. Freight depends on how many pallets you take and where they go, so it is shown as a range here and confirmed exactly with your quotation.
| Shipment | Frames | Freight, EUR | Freight, GBP | Per frame |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 pallet | 30 | €650.00–€800.00 | £572.00–£704.00 | £100.91–£105.31 |
| 2 pallets | 60 | €1,150.00–€1,400.00 | £1,012.00–£1,232.00 | £98.71–£102.37 |
| 3 pallets | 90 | €1,450.00–€1,700.00 | £1,276.00–£1,496.00 | £96.02–£98.46 |
| 4+ pallets | 120+ | On request | ||
Mixing sizes lowers the freight cost per frame, because the rate follows the total number of pallets rather than the size. Ask for a mixed load in your enquiry.
Freight estimates cover England and Wales mainland and include Polish export clearance, UK import clearance and delivery booking-in. The exact figure depends on quantity and delivery postcode and is confirmed with your quotation. Scotland, Northern Ireland, the islands and central London are priced separately. Prices exclude VAT. Invoiced in EUR; GBP is for guidance only, converted at €1 = £0.88 and reviewed quarterly (last reviewed 2026-08-26).
Price it delivered
See these sizes
Before you order
Does the landed cost include VAT?
No. Prices are quoted ex works and exclude VAT. Import VAT is accounted for separately, normally through postponed VAT accounting, so it isn't part of your cost of goods — see the duty and VAT section below.
Why does the freight estimate show a range rather than one figure?
The exact freight cost depends on your delivery postcode and the pallet count. The range gives you a reliable figure to plan with; the firm number comes with your quotation.
Does mixing sizes across pallets change the calculation?
The freight side stays the same — it follows the total number of pallets, not the sizes on them. You'd simply use each size's own ex works price for the goods-value part of the sum.
Tell us your sizes and postcode
A firm quotation comes back within 24 hours on a working day.