// True Cost of Importing

What Does Importing
Actually Cost You?

Lower unit pricing from overseas factories sounds appealing — until you factor in the warehousing, logistics, staffing, claims risk, and lost revenue that come with it. This tool shows you the full picture.

All orange fields are editable — adjust to your situation
Results update in real time
All figures are monthly
Step 1 — Set Your Scale

Your Monthly Turf Volume

Drag the slider to match your monthly purchase volume. All calculations below update instantly.

120,000
sq ft / month
10,000 sq ft500,000 sq ft
Step 2 — Adjust Key Assumptions
Your Cost Assumptions
🟠 All orange fields are editable — change them to match your real-world numbers. Only the warehouse sq ft ratio is fixed. Pre-loaded defaults are based on industry benchmarks and Turf Distributors data.
💲
Turf Distributors Pricing
Your cost & sell price with TD
Avg Cost — TD Products (PSF)Your average buy price from Turf Distributors
$
Your Sell Price — TD Products (PSF)What you charge your customers
$
TD Gross MarginAuto-calculated from cost & sell price above
%
💲
Factory Direct Pricing
Comparable factory cost & your sell price
Avg Cost — Factory Direct (PSF)Factory quoted price for comparable product
$
Your Sell Price — Factory Direct (PSF)What you'd charge customers (same market, same price)
$
Factory Direct Gross MarginAuto-calculated from cost & sell price above
%
🏭
Warehousing
Storage & inventory carrying costs
TD Inventory Stock Required (months)With 0–1 week lead time, minimal stock needed
mo
Factory Direct Inventory Stock Required (months)Longer lead times force higher safety stock
mo
Warehouse Rent (PSF/mo)Your local warehouse lease rate
$
Sq Ft per Turf UnitEach sq ft of turf = ~0.1 sq ft of warehouse space
👤
Staffing & Operations
Admin needed to manage imports
TD Logistics Admin Cost (mo)TD manages most logistics — enter any internal overhead you carry
$
Factory Direct Admin Cost (mo)Container tracking, forecasting, shipping delays, supplier comms
$
⚠️
Claims & Labor Credit
Defect rates and TD's exclusive labor credit
TD Claims RateResolved within 48 hours — replacement product at $0 cost
%
Factory Direct Claims RateReplacement ships in ~9 weeks — replacement at $0 cost
%
TD Labor Credit (PSF) 🟢 TD Exclusive$1.50/sq ft on all claimed turf — keep it or pass it to your customer
$
📦
Out-of-Stock Risk
Revenue lost when you can't fulfill
TD Out-of-Stock Rate15M+ sq ft in stock nationwide — adjust if needed
%
Factory Direct OOS RateCannot quickly react to market shifts or delays
%
📍
Turf Finder™ Leads
New business from TD's lead network
Monthly Leads from TD~1 lead per 10K sq ft purchased
leads
Lead Conversion RateYour team's close rate
%
Average Lead RevenueRevenue per converted lead
$
😰
Debt Exposure & Business Risk
The number that keeps importers up at night — calculated from your volume, COGS, and inventory on hand
Turf Distributors
Total inventory obligation on terms
$60,000
Stock on hand (sq ft) 60,000
COGS on that inventory $60,000
Payment terms 30 days

With TD, you carry minimal stock. Your obligation resets quickly. If business slows, you simply order less — your exposure shrinks with you.

Factory Direct Import
Total inventory obligation on terms
$127,500
Stock on hand (sq ft) 150,000
COGS on that inventory $127,500
Payment terms 30 days

Importing forces you to hold months of stock before you sell it. That's your money, sitting in a warehouse, already owed. A slow month, a shipping delay, or a product issue doesn't just hurt revenue — it threatens your ability to pay.

// What Keeps Importers Up At Night
📦 Containers get delayed

Ocean freight delays of 2–6 weeks are common. Your customers can't wait — but your next container is sitting offshore. You lose the job and still owe for the product on order.

📉 Demand drops unexpectedly

You forecasted 3 months of volume. Sales slow down. Now you're sitting on $127,500 of product you can't move, and the invoice is coming due regardless.

🚢 Tariffs change overnight

A tariff hike reprices your entire inventory while it's in transit. The product you ordered at one cost lands at a higher one — margin you planned on is gone before you've sold a single roll.

🔄 Product quality misses

A dye lot issue, backing defect, or spec change shows up after the container arrives. You're on the hook for replacement — and the next shipment is 9–10 weeks away. Your customers aren't waiting.

With Turf Distributors, none of this risk is yours to carry. We hold the inventory. We manage the supply chain. You order what you need, when you need it — your capital stays free, your exposure stays low, and you sleep at night.

Adjust Terms:
days
days
% / yr

Lead Time Comparison

Turf Distributors 0–1 week · Stock on hand in the U.S.
0–1 wk
Factory Direct (Import) 9–10 weeks · Customs, tariffs, ocean freight
9–10 wks
Step 3 — See the Full Picture
Monthly Cost Comparison

Side-by-Side Monthly Breakdown

All figures are per month based on your volume and inputs above

Turf Distributors Your TD Cost
Gross MarginAuto-calculated from your cost & sell price
33.3%
Product CostMonthly inventory spend
$120,000
Warehouse RentBased on inventory stock required
$8,700
Logistics AdminStaff to manage supply chain
$0
Claims Replacement Cost$0 — TD covers replacement product
$0
TD Labor Credit 🟢$1.50/sq ft on claims — money in your pocket
+$1,800
OOS Revenue LossGross profit lost when out of stock
$0
Total Monthly Cost $128,700
Factory Direct True Factory Cost
Gross MarginAuto-calculated from your cost & sell price
43.3%
Product CostMonthly inventory spend
$102,000
Warehouse RentBased on inventory stock required
$21,750
Logistics AdminDedicated import management staff
$3,333
Claims Replacement Cost$0 — but 9-week wait for replacement
$0
TD Labor CreditNot available with factory direct
$0
OOS Revenue LossGross profit lost when out of stock
$9,000
Total Monthly Cost $136,083
Debt Comparison
Working With TD vs. Importing Direct
Metric
Turf Distributors
Factory Direct Import
Inventory Obligation
Total COGS sitting on your balance sheet at any given time
$60,000
0.5 months of stock
$127,500
1.25 months of stock
Monthly Carrying Cost
Real cost of capital tied up in inventory each month
$400
Low exposure, resets monthly
$850
Compounds with every reorder
Weeks to Clear Inventory
How long before you can reduce exposure if demand drops
2 weeks
Stop ordering — exposure gone fast
5 weeks
Still owe on product already ordered
Worst-Case Exposure
What you owe if business stops tomorrow — stock on hand + in-transit orders
$60,000
Only what's on hand. No containers en route. No factory commitments. Full stop possible in days.
$255,000
Stock on hand plus 2 containers already in transit and a factory deposit already paid. You can't stop — you're committed.
✅
TD: Debt That Scales With You

Your obligation is tied directly to what you ordered this month. Grow and it grows. Pull back and it shrinks. You're never locked into product you don't need yet — because we hold it for you.

⚠️
Import: Debt That Leads You

You commit to a container 10 weeks before it arrives. By the time it lands, market conditions may have shifted. The debt came first — the revenue has to catch up. That's not a supply chain. That's a bet.

Turf Distributors Delivers $0.23/sq ft
More Value Than Factory Direct

Even with a lower unit price, factory direct importing costs more when you account for warehousing, staffing, claims risk, out-of-stock exposure — and the leads you'd never receive. This is the true picture.

$28,023
TD Monthly Advantage
$336,276
Annual Advantage
Total Monthly Cost (lower is better)
TD: $128,700 MFG: $136,083
Gross Profit Recovered via TD
Leads + OOS Recovery $9,840
Why It Adds Up
The 6 Hidden Costs of Factory Direct
🏭

Warehousing

Factory direct requires significantly more inventory stock on hand to cover 9–10 week lead times, meaning a much larger and costlier facility.

+$13,050/mo
👤

Logistics Staff

Managing containers, customs, rolling forecasts, and shipping delays requires dedicated headcount — a cost that doesn't exist with TD.

+$3,333/mo
⚠️

Labor Credit

Both TD and factory direct replace defective product at $0 cost — but only TD pays you a $1.50/sq ft labor credit on every claim. Keep it as profit or pass it to your customer.

+$1,800/mo
📦

Out-of-Stock Loss

Perfect inventory forecasting is impossible. When you're out of stock, you lose revenue — and often the customer. TD keeps 15M+ sq ft on hand.

+$9,000/mo
😰

Debt Exposure

Importing means carrying months of COGS in inventory before a single roll sells. A slow month, a shipping delay, or a tariff change doesn't just hurt margin — it threatens your ability to pay your invoices.

See exposure above ↑
📍

Turf Finder™ Leads

TD's Turf Finder™ connects you with homeowners and contractors looking for suppliers — a lead engine you give up entirely with factory direct.

+$840/mo