A quotation you cannot compare is not a quotation; it is a number. Buyers who get three quotes and still cannot decide are usually comparing documents that describe different things — different finishes, different packing, one FOB and one CIF, one counting a finished dining table and another counting a bare table base. Here is how to make quotes comparable, with the UK market as the worked example.
What a UK buyer is looking at in 2026
The UK remains Europe's most liquid hotel investment market, and the 2026 hospitality outlook is one of resilient demand with constrained new supply — the kind of backdrop that keeps refurbishment and furnishing budgets active even when new-build slows. That is good news for anyone importing statement pieces: a teak root console in a boutique lobby or a live-edge root coffee table in a members' club is the sort of object that reads as both durable and designed.
On the cost side, two numbers matter. Customs duty on wooden furniture under HS 9403 is typically low under the UK Global Tariff — often zero to around 2.7%, depending on the exact commodity code — while import VAT is 20% of the total landed value. If you are VAT-registered you can usually use Postponed VAT Accounting (PVA), which lets you account for import VAT on your VAT return instead of paying it at the border. Both figures are governed by the commodity code, which is why the code belongs in the quotation conversation, not in a footnote a week before the ship sails.
Fix the specification first
Ask every supplier to quote the same list: same items, same sizes, same finish, same packing, same container type. Only then does the price mean anything. If one quote is for a teak root dining table with a glass top and another is for the base alone, you are not comparing suppliers — you are comparing two different products.
Ask for the same trade term from everyone
FOB and CIF are not the same number wearing different hats. FOB is the price at the port of loading, in our case Semarang; CIF adds freight and insurance to your destination port. Ask for both, from everyone, and compare FOB against FOB. When the FOB numbers are on one line and the CIF numbers on another, the supplier whose freight estimate is out of line stands out immediately.
Break the quotation into parts
- Unit price per item and per size
- Finish specified, not “standard”
- Packing type and what is included
- Loading quantity — how many pieces actually fit
- Lead time and payment structure
- Documents included and charged separately
- Commodity code assumed, so duty and VAT can be estimated
The comparison trap: price per piece landed
A cheaper unit price with fewer pieces per container can cost more per piece landed. A root stool that stacks efficiently and a bulky root bench that does not are not priced on the same basis once space is involved. Always divide the total container value by the pieces that actually fit, and compare that number. Where the mix matters — a container combining a dining table, a coffee table with a glass top, a console, stools, a bench and a table base — ask the supplier to quote the mix as a whole, not as loose items, so the container economics are visible.
Six questions that separate real quotes from guesses
- Can you confirm the finish and the packing in writing?
- How many pieces of this list fit in one 20-foot container?
- What is the deposit, and when is the balance due?
- Which certificates are included, and which cost extra?
- What is the realistic production window, not the ideal one?
- Can you send container photographs before dispatch?
Turning a quote into a landed cost
The comparison only becomes decision-grade when you convert it. Take the FOB price, add ocean freight and insurance, add duty for your commodity code, add port and brokerage charges, and add inland delivery to your warehouse. Then apply VAT — remembering that if you use PVA, the 20% is a timing matter on your return rather than cash out of the bank at the border. The result, divided by pieces, is the number your retail or project budget should actually face.
What a quotation should actually contain
A useful quotation is a document you can file, not three lines in an email. Before you compare, check that each quote shows the item and size, the finish (named, not “standard”), the packing type, the number of pieces per 20-foot container, the deposit and balance terms, the lead time, the documents included and any charged separately, and the commodity code assumed. If a quotation is missing two or more of those, it is not cheaper than a complete one — it is simply less finished, and the missing parts will reappear as costs later.
It also helps to quote a mix as a mix. A container combining a teak root dining table, a coffee table with a glass top, a plank console, a bench and a set of stools has one total value and one loading plan; if you ask for each item separately, you will never see whether the combination cubes out well or wastes space.
Inside Jepara: how a quotation is really built
Behind every number on a quotation is a workshop decision. In Jepara, teak root is shaped by hand, and a quotation reflects how long that work takes for a given finish, how much material a size consumes, and how efficiently a mix can be loaded. When you ask for a root table base in a particular height, or a console with a specific overhang, the factory is quietly recalculating which pieces fit and which root blanks can carry the job. A supplier who quotes without that reckoning is guessing.
The quotation also carries the weather. Teak roots must be dried and seasoned before they are stable enough to ship; in the rainy season, drying and sanding slow down, and a realistic production window stretches. We quote around twelve weeks on a first order because that is what the workshop and the drying shed can honestly promise — not because a shorter number would fail to win the order. Our four containers a month, and more than 300 containers since 2016, are the reason our loading estimates are close to reality.
Working with us
CV. Nusantara Sourcing Agent manufactures and exports handcrafted teak root furniture from Jepara, Central Java, Indonesia. Minimum order is one 20-foot container, mixed items and pieces are welcome, prices are quoted FOB Semarang, capacity is four 40-foot containers per month, and we have shipped over 300 containers since 2016.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is UK duty different from EU duty on the same furniture?
Yes. Since Brexit the UK applies the UK Global Tariff, so a commodity code that clears at one rate in the EU may differ in the UK. Ask your broker for the current UK rate against your exact HS code rather than assuming the EU figure applies.
How do I compare FOB and CIF quotes fairly?
Ask every supplier for both terms on the same specification, then compare FOB against FOB and CIF against CIF. Mixing the two, or comparing across different finishes or packing, is where bad decisions come from.
Can I use Postponed VAT Accounting?
If you are VAT-registered, PVA usually lets you account for import VAT on your VAT return instead of paying it at the border, which helps cash flow. Your accountant confirms eligibility; the 20% is still the number to budget.
How fast can you quote a mixed container?
Usually within 24 hours on working days once your item list, sizes, quantities and finish are clear. A vague list takes longer, because we would only be guessing.
What does “per container” mean when pieces vary in size?
It means the loading plan, not just the unit price. We quote how many of each piece realistically fit in a 20-foot container and show the mix, so you can see the container's true value before you commit.
Talk to us about your first order
Send your target items and quantities — we will tell you what fits in a container, what it costs FOB Semarang, and how long it takes.
Or write directly to export@teakrootfurniture.com · WhatsApp +62 812 283 3040 · Mr. August Praymunor (10:00–16:00 Jakarta time, GMT+7)
Email: export@teakrootfurniture.com | Office & Factory: Jl. RA Rukmini KM.02 Pekalongan RT.02/V, Tahunan, Jepara 59428, Central Java, Indonesia.
See also
- Teak Root Furniture Export from Indonesia: A Practical Buyer Guide
- Teak Root Furniture Manufacturer in Indonesia: How to Choose the Right Partner
- Wholesale Teak Root Furniture for Importers and Distributors
- Our teak root furniture range
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WRITTEN BY
Mr. August Praymunor · Overseas Marketing Director
CV. Nusantara Sourcing Agent — manufacturer and exporter of teak root furniture in Jepara, Central Java, Indonesia. Over 300 containers shipped since 2016, loading 4 x 40 FCL per month.
export@teakrootfurniture.com · WhatsApp +62 812 283 3040 · LinkedIn · Jl. RA Rukmini KM.02 Pekalongan RT.02/V, Tahunan, Jepara 59428, Central Java, Indonesia