Choose the product with data, not by gut feeling: check demand, competition, restrictions and the possible margin before you ask the supplier for a single quote.
Goal: Calculate the maximum landed cost at your warehouse and the maximum FOB you can pay, starting from a selling price and a target margin.
Importing well starts before you talk to a supplier. The question is not “what is cheap in China?” but “what do people here buy, at what price, and who sells it to them today?”. A product that is cheap at origin can be a bad business if the Peruvian market is already saturated or if the final cost eats up the margin. Your first task is to choose with data, not with gut feeling.
Measure demand with more than one source. See how many offers of the product exist in stores, wholesalers and marketplaces, and how fast it sells. Also check the official foreign trade statistics, such as those of SUNAT and the ITC Trade Map database. They tell you how much Peru imports under a tariff heading (the code that classifies each good in the Customs Tariff), from which countries and at what value. If volume grows year after year, there is a market. If it falls, find out why.
Then study the competition. Direct competition sells the same product. Indirect competition meets the same need with a different product. Compare price, quality, warranty, delivery time and sales channel. Read customer reviews: that is where the complaints nobody addresses usually show up. Your goal is to find a clear gap: a price others cannot match, a variant that is missing, or better after-sales service.
Before you ask for quotes, run the product through three filters. First, it must not be a prohibited good or need permits that are hard to meet (see topic 1-2). Second, the origin you chose must not have anti-dumping or countervailing duties in force. Third, the tariff must not put you at a disadvantage: the Ad Valorem duty in the Peruvian tariff is 0%, 6% or 11% depending on the heading, and a trade agreement can reduce it. Tariff classification is covered in depth in the course on Tariff Classification and Customs Valuation.
Finish with a backward calculation. Start from the price at which you could sell, subtract the margin you need, and you get the maximum landed cost in your warehouse. From there, work out how much you can pay the supplier on FOB terms. If the quote is above that ceiling, you negotiate or change product. The full cost of an import is developed in module 4 of this course.
| Source | What it tells you | Limit to keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Official statistics (SUNAT, Trade Map) | How much Peru imports under a heading, from which countries and at what value | They are past, aggregated data; they do not show retail prices |
| Marketplaces and stores | Prices, variety and reviews of the product today | They show supply, not how much is actually sold |
| Wholesalers and distributors | Resale prices, minimum orders and turnover | You have to visit or call them; the information is partial |
| Customer reviews and complaints | What flaws current products have | They are individual opinions; look for patterns, not isolated cases |
Result: The best product was not the cheapest at origin, but the only one that left real headroom against the calculated ceiling. The cost factors and the exchange rate are assumptions: replace them with real quotes (module 4).
27/10/2025
On 27/10/2025, the INDECOPI Commission on Dumping, Subsidies and Elimination of Non-Tariff Trade Barriers approved Resolution No. 199-2025/CDB-INDECOPI. It ordered the removal, from 10/11/2025, of the provisional anti-dumping duties of US$ 64.6 per ton that applied to steel wire rod originating in China. It matters because these surcharges can appear, change or disappear while a product is under investigation, and that moves your cost and your competitor's.
Before you set your price, check whether the product and origin have anti-dumping or countervailing duties in force, and check again when you close the purchase.
01/03/2010
The Peru–China Free Trade Agreement entered into force on 01/03/2010, according to the official trade agreements page of MINCETUR. Since then, products that meet the rules of origin can enter with a tariff preference, following the schedule for each heading. For anyone analyzing what to import, the same product can face a different duty depending on the country you buy it from.
When you compare markets, check whether your heading has a tariff preference and what proof of origin you will be asked for.
Practise with the calculators, the COMEX Simulator and the review questions on the main page.
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