Corded or cordless first? Choosing a stick-vacuum programme that reorders

Start from habit, not from margin

Corded 500 W models win where price-per-watt drives the decision; 100–150 W cordless models win where convenience does. The mistake most first-time importers make is choosing on margin. The reliable input is how the households in your market actually clean — whether they vacuum daily and briefly, or weekly and thoroughly, and whether mopping is part of the same routine. A quick-clean market rewards cordless; a thorough-clean market rewards corded suction and runtime that never ends.

Then let the container maths break the tie

Folding-tube models load 2,412 units in a 40-foot container against 1,904 for the same machine class in a straight-tube carton — 508 extra units on identical freight, because the carton drops from four pieces to three (430 × 345 × 590 mm, 9.7 kg). If two models are commercially close, the folding one is usually the better first order. A mixed container of two corded plus two cordless models spreads the risk across two price bands for one freight bill.

Decide the document route before you decide the models

The wired series carries the deepest file — CE, GS, EMC, EMF, RoHS, CB, and ETL for the US and Canada — so it clears the EU, the Gulf, Latin America and ASEAN fastest. Every lithium model adds a UN 38.3 test summary and an SDS pack for the battery. Ask for the compliance pack on your shortlist before you compare prices: a two-dollar unit-price advantage is irrelevant if the document route adds six weeks.