Buyer comparison
| Term | Useful when | Buyer still needs to expose |
|---|---|---|
| FOB | The buyer wants control of main freight and has a forwarder. | Freight, insurance, destination, clearance, duty, delivery, and equipment constraints. |
| CIF | The seller has a usable sea-freight routine to the named destination port. | Destination charges, risk transfer, minimum insurance, clearance, duty, and final delivery. |
| DAP | The buyer wants a seller-managed route to a precise destination. | Import clearance, duty/tax, unloading, access, waiting time, and who is accountable for exceptions. |
Normalize all three to one internal model
Use the same product scope, route, customs assumptions, delivery point, and unloading basis. Ask for exclusions explicitly. A DAP quotation can be operationally better even when it is not the lowest number; an FOB quotation can be cheaper only if the buyer can execute every downstream leg reliably.
Continue the comparison
Read the detailed article How to Compare FOB, CIF, and DAP Quotes, then test the cost legs in the landed-cost calculator.
Make the next decision explicit
Compare your real specification and destination
Use a transparent cost model, or request a source-backed supplier and route comparison for one construction product.