Which markets do you serve?
Apex Home Export currently ships to six focus markets: Nigeria (Lagos), Ghana (Tema), Kenya and the wider EAC region (Mombasa), Iraq (Umm Qasr, via the UAE payment corridor), Egypt, and the Philippines (Manila). We work with 184 pre-scanned Chinese factories across 8 appliance categories, and every route has its own tested freight band and container history.
Why this concern is real
Buyers get burned when a supplier claims to "ship anywhere" but has no actual port history, no freight rate reference, and no idea how customs at Umm Qasr or Tema actually clears mixed-appliance containers. You end up with a container stuck for weeks, demurrage fees eating your margin, or a factory that quietly re-routes your order through a market it has never actually served. A supplier that cannot quote you a real 40'HQ freight number for your port, on request, has probably never shipped there.
How it actually works
Each of our six markets has a documented 40'HQ freight band we quote on every proforma invoice: Lagos $3,000-4,000, Tema $2,800-3,500, Mombasa $2,500-3,500, Umm Qasr $2,500-4,500, and Manila $1,000-1,800 (Egypt varies by port and is quoted per shipment). FOB pricing per unit stays constant across markets - for example a new twin tub 8-10kg runs $30-45 FOB, used grade B $48-68, a new microwave $14-25, a new portable AC $105-140 - so your landed cost calculation only changes on the freight line, not the product line. This lets you compare Lagos vs. Tema vs. Mombasa math in minutes instead of chasing separate quotes from separate brokers.
How we handle it at Apex Home Export
We only quote a market once we have an actual freight band and clearing pattern for it - that is why our list is six markets, not sixty. For every order we: (1) confirm your discharge port and container type, (2) quote FOB per SKU plus the applicable freight band above, (3) log every used unit's serial number after its 27-point bench test and assign grade A, B, or C, and (4) send you a loading and run-test video before requesting the 70% balance against the Bill of Lading copy. Payment structure is fixed: 30% USD T/T deposit to start production or sourcing, 70% released only after you have seen and approved the video - never before. All funds go to a corporate trade account matching the exact entity name on your signed PI, with bank details confirmed on that PI plus a recorded verification video. If your port is not on this list, tell us before you sign anything - we will say so directly rather than quote blind.
What you should do before you pay
- Confirm your discharge port is one of: Lagos, Tema, Mombasa, Umm Qasr, Egypt, or Manila.
- Ask for the current 40'HQ freight band for your specific port in writing, not a verbal estimate.
- Request the serial-number log and grade (A/B/C) for any used units before deposit.
- Check that the corporate bank account name matches your contract entity exactly.
- Book third-party inspection (SGS, Bureau Veritas, or Intertek) at your cost if the order value justifies it.
- Get the loading and run-test video in hand before you release the 70% balance.
Bottom line: we ship where we can actually verify freight, customs, and grading - six markets, not a vague promise. Message us on WhatsApp with your port and container size and we will quote the real numbers same day.