Short answer: Compare quotes using the same usable media spend, currency, service scope and time period. Separate money spent on ads from supplier fees, transfer costs, foreign exchange and conditional rebates. A deposit is cash committed to an account, not automatically a fee.
One supplier says “low fees.” Another leads with a rebate. Neither tells you the final economics until you know the calculation basis. Before choosing an agency-supported account, put both offers into one comparison.
Ask each supplier to quote for the same amount of actual platform media spend over the same period. Specify the currency and whether creative, campaign management or reporting services are included. A service-only quote and a managed-campaign quote are not directly comparable.
Then ask whether the service fee is added to the media budget or deducted from the money you transfer. If you send 10,000 and a fee is deducted, the usable advertising balance may be lower. Ask for both numbers in writing.
Total economic cost = consumed media spend + non-duplicated fees, funding costs and applicable taxes − rebates actually earned. Show unused funds separately as a balance subject to the agreed terms. Do not count the same FX charge in both the exchange rate and a separate fee line.
This is a calculation example, not YC pricing or a market benchmark. Both fictional offers provide 10,000 units of media spend. Offer A adds a 300-unit service charge and 100 units of funding costs: total cost 10,400. Offer B adds a 450-unit service charge and 50 units of funding costs. It also advertises a possible 200-unit rebate.
If B's rebate is earned, its total cost is 10,300. If the eligibility condition is not met, the cost is 10,500. With everything else equal, the result changes according to the rebate condition. That is why a headline percentage is not enough. In a real quote, use your billing currency and verified terms.
An offer can have a lower final cost but require more cash upfront. Ask how much must be transferred initially, what is credited to the account, when charges are collected and when any rebate becomes usable. A future rebate may not be available to fund this month's campaigns.
Request the unused-balance terms too. Record refund eligibility, processing steps, fees and any contractual or platform restrictions. Do not assume money credited to an advertising account behaves like cash in your bank account.
No. Build a no-rebate case until eligibility and settlement are confirmed. Use an earned-rebate case as a separate comparison.
No. Check access rights, support scope and balance terms alongside cost. A quote with important unanswered questions is not ready for approval.
Send YC the platform, target countries, advertising website, planned monthly media spend, billing currency and support scope you require. Discuss a media-access inquiry. Availability, fees and any rebate must be verified for your advertiser and confirmed in writing; no figures in this article represent YC's commercial terms.
Before shortlisting providers, use the Chinese supplier evidence checklist. To keep quotes on the same basis, send the account RFQ brief.
Prepared by YC Global Tech. Last reviewed: 4 October 2026. Procurement guidance; confirm platform rules and supplier terms for your own arrangement.