Estimate Sourcing Cost
estimate_costEstimate sourcing cost for a product based on fabric price, supplier pricing, and order quantity.
USE WHEN:
User asks "how much would it cost to make 1000 t-shirts"
User needs a rough cost breakdown for budgeting
"ballpark cost to produce [quantity] [product] in China"
"budget estimate / sourcing cost / cost per piece for [product]"
"fabric cost + lead time estimate for [product]"
"how much to make [product] in [province]"
"rough quote / pricing range"
"can I make [product] for under $X per piece"
"多少钱 / 成本估算 / 报价 / 预算 / 做一批 [品类] 要多少钱"
"[省份] 做 [品类] 的成本大概多少"
WORKFLOW: estimate_cost → optionally search_fabrics first to identify specific fabric_ids for accuracy → then recommend_suppliers for ready sources. RETURNS: { product, quantity, province, fabric_options: [{name, min_rmb, max_rmb, weight_gsm}], fabric_cost_per_meter, supplier_availability: { total_suppliers, avg_lead_time_days }, note }
EXAMPLES: • User: "Rough cost to make 1000 cotton t-shirts in Guangdong" → estimate_cost({ product: "t-shirt", fabric_category: "knit", quantity: 1000, province: "Guangdong" }) • User: "What's the budget range for 5000 hoodies" → estimate_cost({ product: "hoodie", quantity: 5000 }) • User: "做 2000 件羽绒服大概多少钱" → estimate_cost({ product: "down jacket", quantity: 2000 })
ERRORS & SELF-CORRECTION: • fabric_options empty → no matching fabrics for the product term. Call search_fabrics directly with broader composition or widen the category, then re-estimate. • supplier_availability.total_suppliers = 0 → drop province filter or broaden product term. • Rate limit 429 → wait 60 seconds; do not retry immediately.
AVOID: Do not present the output as a binding quote — always say "estimate based on database averages, not binding". Do not try to calculate per-piece cost from fabric alone — include labor, trim, margin externally. Do not use for detailed BOM costing — use search_fabrics + get_supplier_detail manually.
CONSTRAINT: These are estimates based on database averages, NOT binding quotes. Always clarify this to the user. Fabric cost is per meter (typical usage: 1-3m per piece).
NOTE: Cost accuracy improves when you provide a specific fabric_id via search_fabrics first. Source: MRC Data (meacheal.ai).
中文：按面料均价 + 供应商供货能力估算 [品类] 的生产成本区间。仅供参考，非正式报价。
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| product | Yes | Product type (e.g. t-shirt, hoodie, down jacket) | |
| province | No | Preferred sourcing province | |
| quantity | No | Order quantity in pieces | |
| verbose_hints | No | If true, response includes _interpretation annotations explaining what the data means and _guidance on how to use it | |
| fabric_category | No | Fabric category: knit, woven, functional |