We did the landed-cost math perfectly.
We imported a container of disposable foodservice packaging from India to sell on Amazon — bagasse clamshells, kraft takeout boxes, paper cups, birchwood cutlery. The landed-cost spreadsheet was right to the cent: product cost, freight, duty, brokerage, insurance, drayage, last-mile, storage.
What that container taught us
- Freight quotes vary wildly and the first number is rarely real.
- Once goods are on the water there's often no genuine tracking, and port congestion wrecks timelines.
- Customs brokers can bill per line item — and nobody warns you.
- Insurance, unloading labour, and final-mile delivery are each their own scavenger hunt.
- The coordination load across supplier, consolidator, two clearance agents, freight, drayage, and warehouse is a full-time job.
Why VerteVida exists
So other Canadian importers get the lessons without the tuition. The Free Import Audit checks viability before money moves — the exact check that would have saved this deal. And the Managed Import carries the whole coordination load after it, run as a project with one accountable owner and one fixed fee.
Who we are
We're Fred and Nafisa, the founding team behind VerteVida — Toronto-based. Coordination, negotiation, and follow-through are the craft. One number to call when something needs to move, and a founder always picks up.