The CBR yuan exchange rate today is 12,57 ₽. Calculating procurement costs directly using this rate is a mistake: actual conversion, including fees and fluctuations, is significantly higher. Standard practice is to include a buffer; for example, the MarketBridge platform uses the CBR rate + 15%, which is 14,45 ₽ per yuan today.
Price breakdown
- Procurement — product price on 1688/at the factory (¥)
- Domestic logistics — delivery from the factory to the platform's warehouse in China (usually a few yuan)
- Cross-border logistics — based on WB or Ozon tariffs (see tariff guides)
- Platform commission — a percentage of the selling price, depending on the category
- Tax — ~5% under the preferential export trade regime
- Acquiring — 1.5–3% of the selling price
- for Ozon, an additional 2% fee on logistics costs
Formula
Price = (Procurement + Logistics + Fees) ÷ (1 − Commission% − Tax% − Acquiring%) × (1 + Markup%).
The key point is dividing by (1 − percentages). Commission and tax are calculated based on the selling price, not the cost price. Those who add percentages "on top" consistently earn less than their target profit—this is the most common mistake in unit economics.
Why a ~15% buffer?
The buffer covers three things at once: the spread between the actual conversion rate and the official rate, exchange rate fluctuations between price setting and payout, and minor unforeseen expenses. Experience shows that a smaller buffer is regularly eroded, while a larger one makes the price uncompetitive.
When to recalculate prices
Once a month on a calendar basis, and unscheduled if the exchange rate moves by 3–5%. Recalculating with live data takes minutes, whereas working with an outdated rate leads to a constant margin leak that is easy to miss in daily routines.
- Generating listings from 1688
- WB and Ozon price calculator
- Publishing to marketplaces