The Price Gap Is Usually Design, Not Margin
When two quotations for the same class of remote differ by forty percent, the instinct is to assume the cheaper one is a trading company taking a margin. Sometimes it is. More often, the difference is in the design, and the cheaper unit is genuinely a less capable product rather than a bad copy of the same thing.
Where the Cost Actually Sits
| Cost element | What it covers | Character | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCB and components | Board, code IC, transmit device, oscillator, reference | Largest single material cost | Where substitution savings are made, and where field risk is created |
| Housing tooling | One-off, amortised over the run | Largest one-off cost | A new tool is a project, not a purchase order |
| Assembly and test | SMT, assembly, 100% functional test | Per-unit cost | A test station is a fixed cost with a running cost |
| Certification | Test reports, per model and per band | One-off per variant | A change of variant can trigger a new assessment |
| Packaging | Carton, label, insert | Per-unit, and per-SKU | Where private label costs live |
| Logistics | Freight, duty, clearance | Landed cost, not unit cost | Frequently larger than the unit price difference |
Five Questions That Reveal What a Price Contains
- Who designed the PCBA? A manufacturer answers with a revision history. A trading company changes supplier and cannot.
- Do you own the housing tooling? If not, the unit is a shell someone else made, and private label is not available to you either.
- What is the reference oscillator specification? A cheap reference is the first thing to be cut, and it produces intermittent range faults that appear in year two.
- What is the test coverage? 100% functional test on every unit costs real money. A sample-test policy costs less and shows up as a higher return rate later.
- What documentation ships with the batch? A test report that ships is worth a lot more than a certificate you have to request.
Where You Should Not Pay More
Not every price difference reflects quality. Private label artwork, a custom barcode, and a bespoke packaging design cost money without changing the product. If you are buying the same reference with your brand on it, that is a legitimate commercial decision and it should be priced as one — not disguised as a quality difference.
Separate the price you pay for the product from the price you pay for the branding. Only one of them affects the return rate.
The Honest Cost Comparison
The number that matters is not the unit price. It is the landed cost of a unit that reaches a working installer without a return: unit price plus freight plus duty, divided by the fraction that works. A unit forty percent cheaper that produces one return in fifty can be the more expensive product by a wide margin, and the return cost lands on your customer rather than on the supplier.
Request a Quotation — Remote Control Pricing
Send the band, the code system and the quantity you need. We reply with the exact part number, EXW price, MOQ and lead time. MOQ 100 pcs per SKU.
Send Inquiry on WhatsAppEmail: Joanna@rfmando.com · MOQ 100 pcs per SKU · 1 free sample per SKU ($30 DHL, buyer pays) · Lead time 7-15 days · T/T 30/70 · EXW Xiamen
Catalogue references for the specification above: TY200 4-band 280-868 MHz multi-frequency cloner and 280-868MHz multi-frequency garage remote duplicator. All are MOQ 100 pcs per SKU, with a 7-15 day lead time and one free sample per SKU ($30 DHL, buyer pays). They are supplied on our own PCBA and housing tooling.
Where to Order
Terms
MOQ 100 pcs per SKU. One free sample per SKU ($30 DHL, buyer pays). Lead time 7-15 days. Payment T/T 30/70. Prices EXW Xiamen. 100% functional test on every unit; a third-party QC report at AQL 5% is available on request. CE-RED, RoHS and FCC Part 15 documentation; RCM available.