Buying chairs from a factory inside the EU: what you gain, what it costs, and what to compare

The problem

You order chairs from a factory far away. They travel by sea for weeks. One day the shipping route changes, the container is late, and the restaurant you sold them to opens without its chairs.

That is not a story from a textbook. In January 2024, when ships were rerouted away from the Red Sea, retailers in Europe and the US faced transport delays of two weeks or more (source 1). Flying the goods instead is rarely an answer: one logistics CEO put air freight at around 10 to 12 times the cost of sea freight (source 1).

The honest part

Many European suppliers will tell you that buying inside Europe is simply better. It is not that simple.

The same Reuters report says it plainly: buying from factories in the region is typically more costly than sourcing from China and other Asian countries (source 1). If you only compare the price per chair, Asia often wins.

So the real question is not "which is cheaper?" It is "which costs less in total, and which can I rely on?"

What changes when you buy inside the EU

• No customs duties between EU countries. Goods that move from one EU country to another pay no customs duties. Imports from outside the EU pay the EU's common tariffs (source 2).
• No ocean freight. Within mainland Europe, chairs can travel by road, so a re-order does not have to wait for the next container ship.
• No currency risk in the euro area. Bulgaria became the 21st member of the euro area on 1 January 2026 (source 3). If you buy and sell in euro, the price you agreed is the price you pay.
• You can visit. A factory inside the EU is a short flight away. You can see samples, finishes and production before you commit.
• The same rules. EU suppliers work under the same rules you do, including the new deforestation rules for wood that apply from 30 December 2026. Read our EUDR guide.

What to compare, line by line

Put two quotes side by side and ask each supplier the same questions:

1. The delivered price per chair, at your warehouse, with transport and any duties.
2. The lead time, from order to delivery, including transport.
3. The minimum order for a first order and for a re-order.
4. The cash tied up. A container every three months means more stock in your warehouse than smaller, faster re-orders.
5. The risk. What happens to your customer if the delivery is three weeks late?
6. The extras. Samples, finishes, spare parts, warranty and the data you need for the EUDR.

The supplier with the higher price per chair can still be the cheaper one once you add these up. Sometimes it is not. Either way, you will know.

Where RikoStyle fits

We are a solid-wood chair and table factory in Troyan, Bulgaria: inside the EU, and in the euro area since 2026. We make restaurant and hotel chairs, armchairs, bar stools, banquet and event chairs, care-home seating and tables, and all 228 models are in one Excel file with their dimensions, wood and finishes, ready for your own catalogue.

Ask us for a written quote and compare it with your current supplier, line by line, using the list above.

We are looking for long-term partners across Europe: furniture retailers and importers first of all, and also interior designers, restaurant and hotel owners, event rental companies and care homes.

Download the Excel product list or read how we work with distributors.

Sources

1. Reuters via Cyprus Mail, European, US retailers absorb Red Sea shock, wary of hiking prices (24 January 2024): https://cyprus-mail.com/2024/01/24/european-us-retailers-absorb-red-sea-shock-wary-of-hiking-prices
2. European Union, Customs: https://european-union.europa.eu/priorities-and-actions/actions-topic/customs_en
3. European Commission, Learning Corner, Bulgaria joins the euro: a new chapter begins (1 January 2026): https://learning-corner.learning.europa.eu/news-and-competitions/bulgaria-joins-euro-new-chapter-begins-2026-01-01_en
4. RikoStyle product data as published on rikostyle.com, November 2026.