Back in early November of 2024, we had a client – a small shop in California that sells home décor stuff – freaking out trying to get ready for Black Friday. They'd just ordered 800 ceramic lamps all the way from a supplier in Foshan, China.

The supplier was super confident, pushing DDP (Delivered Duty Paid): Don't sweat the customs stuff or taxes, they said. We'll handle it all. Just chill and wait for the delivery.

Sounds ideal, doesn't it?

Well, things went south when the shipment landed in Long Beach. A customs person stopped the lamps because the HS code was wrong for what they were. It was up to the supplier to fix it, but the containers sat at the port for four extra days. The lamps got to the stores just in the nick of time, but the shop had to pay extra to get them distributed super fast.

That's what DDP is like in the real world – easy to use, but it's not a miracle trick. You still need to do things the correct way with the right paperwork, so things don't get held up.

Delivered Duty Paid is one of the Incoterms® 2025 rules. In plain English, it means the seller handles everything—from export clearance in their own country to import clearance and delivery at your doorstep.

If you’re the buyer, you receive goods ready to sell. If you’re the seller, you’re shouldering almost all of the risk and responsibility.

For small businesses and e-commerce sellers, DDP is attractive because it eliminates surprise costs and customs headaches. It’s the closest thing to “door-to-door” in international trade.

Let's break down how DDP customs clearance works for importers, using a shipment from China to the USA as our example.

Before anything ships, make sure both you and the seller agree on a signed contract that:

Without these, your stuff is stuck.

With DDP, the seller takes care of these payments before your shipment gets released.

From the port or airport, your goods are transferred to local trucking companies or delivery services, who bring them to your warehouse or fulfillment center.

To keep customs officers happy and shipments moving:

💡 Pro tip: At Dafey, we run through a DDP customs clearance checklist with every client before goods leave the factory. It’s much cheaper to fix an issue on paper than in port.

If you want zero customs headaches and a single predictable bill, DDP is usually the better choice—ideal for first-time importers or busy Amazon FBA sellers. DDU, on the other hand, makes the buyer take care of import duties and clearance. This can be good if you already have a customs broker you trust.

Like Maersk's guide says, DDP covers everything until the package is done being delivered. DDU (now DAP in Incoterms® 2020) means you pay the duties and taxes when it gets to you. For small online shops, DDP's reliability is often better than any savings you might get with DDU.

One of our kitchenware clients shipped 1,500 units from Yiwu to a Texas Amazon FBA center under Dafey’s DDP service.

They didn’t get a single surprise bill, and their in-house team didn’t lift a finger on the logistics side.

The seller. That’s the defining difference from DDU.

Most of the time, yeah. But keep in mind that it covers all those clearance costs, taxes, and duties, so you won't get hit with unexpected charges later.

The seller's got to sort it out. Just know that this might cause things to slow down. Getting the paperwork right is super important.

No. Some countries have rules about what you can and can't bring in. Think booze or hazardous materials.

With DAP, the seller gets the stuff to you, but you have to pay any import taxes.

Work with a provider experienced in DDP shipping customs duties and taxes explained and review all paperwork before the goods leave.

Yes—especially from China to the U.S.—because it streamlines delivery and clearance.

DDP is liked because it saves buyers from dealing with customs headaches. But just because something is Delivered Duty Paid doesn't mean there's no risk involved. To really make DDP easy, you need clear agreements, complete paperwork, and a trustworthy logistics partner like Dafey.

➡️ Talk to Dafey today for a DDP shipping quote that fits your business needs.