DDP or DAP? What You Really Need to Know Before Shipping Internationally
DDP or DAP? What You Really Need to Know Before Shipping Internationally
One of the most common questions we get from clients is:
Should I go with DDP or DAP？
If I ship DDP, does that mean you take care of customs and taxes too?
The short answer is:
DDP (Delivered Duty Paid): We handle everything — customs, taxes, delivery.
DAP (Delivered at Place): You (or your customer) are responsible for clearance and import duties.
But in reality, it depends on your buyer, destination country, and whether they’re set up to clear customs.
When We Recommend DDP vs DAP
If you're shipping to Amazon FBA, a third-party warehouse, or even your own overseas warehouse“DDP is the way to go”.
No surprise fees on the receiving end Customs, duties, importer requirements — all taken care of Your goods arrive ready for delivery or warehousing
If your customer is an established importer and prefers to manage clearance, then DAP might be more cost-effective.
What If You Don't Have an Importer in the Destination Country?
This comes up a lot — especially with new exporters:
“My customer doesn't want to handle clearance — but I’m not registered as an importer either. What now?”
Here’s how we handle it:
1. Custom Clearance Completed
We manage the full customs clearance process through our local agents. All documents, tariffs, and compliance issues handled — no stress for you or your customer.
2. Importer of Record (IOR) Services
If you don’t have an importer entity in the destination country, we can act as your “Importer of Record”. This is especially important when shipping to the US, UK, or Europe. It’s a clean solution that keeps everything compliant.
Freight vs Receiving — Who’s Responsible?
A lot of confusion comes from unclear division of responsibilities.
Freight: Transportation — getting your cargo from China to the destination country.
Receiving: Customs clearance, import duties, final delivery.
When you ship DDP, we handle both freight and receiving. You just prepare the shipment — we’ll get it all the way to the buyer.
Quick Explainers: NVOCC, DPD, Freight Forwarders
What’s an NVOCC？
We’re a certified Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier. That means we can issue our own bills of lading, handle bookings, and consolidate shipments directly. It gives you flexibility, competitive rates, and direct access to space — especially valuable for LCL shipments.
What is DPD shipping?
DPD is one of the leading last-mile delivery providers in Europe — especially in Germany, France, and the UK. If you’re shipping to customers there, we can route your goods DDP with DPD handling the final delivery. It’s reliable, fast, and widely recognized by European buyers.
Why Our Clients Work With Us
Whether you're just starting with cross-border shipping or already have regular exports, we offer:
*DDP / DAP / FOB / EXW terms — tailored to your needs
* Full customs clearance support
* Importer of Record (IOR) solutions
* Freight + last-mile delivery (DPD, UPS, FedEx, local truckers)
* NVOCC services — more control over your shipments
* Direct lines to the US, EU, UK, Southeast Asia
If you're unsure which term is right, or how to structure your next shipment, feel free to reach out. We're not just quoting rates — we work with you to build the right solution, based on your business, not a one-size-fits-all package.
