Savings Calculator

Your current importer bleeds you by a thousand cuts. We show you every blade.

Move the sliders to see your approximate annual number against your current importer model. Same compliance, same warehousing, a fraction of the rate card. The full ledger takes a 20-minute call.

Your Numbers

Two questions. Nothing saved. Move the slider, pick your current importer, click Calculate.

10,000
1 case 200,000 cases
Read the tier descriptions below if you are unsure. The math draws straight from Helmsman's published April 2026 rate card vs each model's published rates.

Approximate Annual Savings

Set your annual case volume and pick your current importer model. Click Calculate.

Switching to Helmsman vs The Institution
~$0
approximate annual savings. Real number requires a quote.
Service Fee Savings Helmsman's per-case rate vs your importer's published rate, applied across your volume. ~$0
Platform & Setup Onboarding fees and recurring platform subscriptions you pay your current importer. Zero at Helmsman. ~$0
Compliance & Admin CBMA filings, COLA, chargeback admin, wire fees, late penalties. Bundled at Helmsman. ~$0
APPROXIMATE TOTAL ~$0
Get Your Real Number →

Approximation, not a quote. Built from Helmsman's April 2026 published rate card vs each model's published rates. Warehouse fees (storage, in-out, picking, BOL) sit at industry par. Multi-year totals hold volume constant. Growth and contract specifics move the number. The fastest way to a real one is a 20-minute call.

Get Your Real Number

Approximations are a starting point. Real numbers take 20 minutes.

Give us a few details on your brand and we will run your exact savings against your category, volume, distributor footprint, and CBMA status. You will get a written quote, not a sales pitch.

  • Same-day response on every inbound. Real human, not a queue.
  • Written quote with your line-item rate card, no marketing fluff.
  • No commitment. We share the math, you decide.
  • Reviewed and answered by Helmsman's founder personally.

Tell us about your brand

All fields with * are required. Nothing shared, nothing sold.

By submitting, you agree to receive a response from Helmsman Imports about your inquiry. We do not sell or share your information. Replies typically arrive within one business day.

How the math works

Three buckets drive the headline savings. Helmsman matches or beats every warehouse line item too (storage, pick, palletizing, stretch wrap, inbound), but we leave those out of the headline math to keep the comparison conservative. The real number on a call only goes up from here.

Helmsman Win
Service Fee Savings
Tier-by-tier delta
Graduated per-case rate from $2.50 down to $0.85 as volume scales. Every competitor sits above us at every tier. Per-case delta times your annual volume.
Helmsman Win
Platform & Setup
$0 vs $1,500 to $3,800
No onboarding fee. No platform subscription. THE HELM business intelligence included. Competitors charge a Year 1 setup plus a recurring portal on top of the per-case rate.
Helmsman Win
Compliance & Admin
Bundled
CBMA filing, TTB COLA, chargeback admin, state price posting. All in our service fee. Competitors charge per filing, per amendment, per event.
Helmsman Win
Ghost Charges
$0
$650 late-inventory penalty. $50 expedited wire fee. $17 domestic wire admin. $5 inbound photo. $50 distributor LOA. The line items that should never exist. Helmsman charges zero.

Which importer are you with?

Three legacy archetypes dominate the industry. Use the signals below to find yours, then pick the matching model in the calculator above.

The Institution
You are with The Institution if…
Your importer is the longest-tenured in the country, carries celebrity-backed brands, and bills itself as a "leading US and EU beverage alcohol importer and wholesaler." Charged you ~$3,800 to onboard. Flat per-case rate, no graduated discount. $150 per TTB COLA filing or amendment. $25 per chargeback event. Sells tenure.
The Platform
You are with The Platform if…
Your importer markets itself as the founder's importer and was started by management consultants. You log into something called "Nav" or "Navigator" and they bill you $200 per month for the privilege. $125 per CBMA quarterly filing. $650 penalty the time your inventory breakdown was late. Heavy at trade events. Sells scale.
The Academy
You are with The Academy if…
Your importer is a small boutique book with a credentialed founder. Ala carte pricing. Every report request becomes an admin charge. Reporting is not bundled. Workable while you sit in one state, painful the moment you grow. Sells credentials.