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Picture this: You have found the perfect corporate gift for an international client or you are ready to send that welcome kit to an employee, but instead of thanks, they receive a demand for payment before claiming their "gift." Ouch. A gift sent DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid) is essentially a bill disguised as a present, forcing recipients to deal with confusing websites and pay unexpected fees.
This article explores the critical differences between DDP and DDU shipping, walks through international customs complexities, and presents solutions to ensure your gifts create delight, not frustration. (hint there is also an EVEN better way)
DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) means you—the sender—cover everything. All shipping costs, customs duties, taxes—the entire amount—before the package even reaches its destination. You absorb all charges at checkout, the carrier bills your account directly, and the package sails through customs without your recipient lifting a finger.
DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid)—often labeled as DAP (Delivered at Place) in modern shipping systems—places all the customs fees, taxes, and random handling charges on your recipient when the package reaches their country. The carrier essentially presents them with an invoice for import duties.
These shipping terms fall under Incoterms—internationally recognized trade rules that dictate who is responsible for what during shipping. The practical difference? Night and day.
With DDP, your recipient simply receives their gift. No hurdles, no surprise costs, and no headaches. With DDU, that package remains detained at customs until your recipient pays the required fees. Legally, customs will not release it until someone settles the debt.
Yes, services like EasyShip or ShipStation can help manage DDP payments (though billing methods vary). But the fundamental question remains: Who do you want handling this situation—your team or the person you are trying to impress?
Every international shipment crosses borders where customs officials essentially play "What is in the box?" and then decide what taxes to charge based on local rules. Documentation requirements are a nightmare patchwork—some countries demand specific IDs like CPF/CNPJ for Brazil, RFC for Mexico or DNI for Colombia. Without these country-specific recipient information, your package might as well be on vacation at a customs warehouse indefinitely.
To complicate matters further, customs agents have serious discretion in how they classify items. That branded notebook you sent might be "stationery" one month and "promotional material" the next—with completely different duty rates. Beyond classification issues, couriers often add their own administrative "brokerage fees" for processing paperwork.
International shipping is like weather forecasting—sometimes accurate, often not. A process that worked perfectly once may completely fall apart the next time, even when you replicate every single detail. Even with all your paperwork in order, correct HS codes, and some random country-specific regulations can throw a wrench in the works.
And let us be clear: Even with DDP, there is no absolute guarantee of smooth sailing. The international logistics system is too complex for certainties. Some countries do not even offer DDP as an option. What looks clean on paper often hits messy realities at border crossings.
Finally while DDP most of the time allows for smooth sailing, it still literally means that you are paying the customs and taxes but you're doing it up front. It's not un-common that the customs, taxes, and shipping costs are way higher sometimes 2-4x higher than the actual content that you're shipping
It's very clear that if you want to avoid surprises as much as humanly possible, DDP is the route to go. So the question remains: how do you ship with DDP?
If you are in the US or UK he most simplest and straightforward way I have found to ship by DDP is by registering an account with ShipStation or EasyShip. If you are in Europe I would recommend Sendify.
When you have opened your account and put in all the recipient details, you are shown shipping prices across multiple carriers like UPS, FedEx, DHL, and so forth. Please note that these prices are without DDP and that to get the DDP option you usually have to toggle it or add it as an additional service.
When shipping with DDP you must very carefully include a description of what you are shipping, quantities as well as its cost in your local currency. You will also need to figure out the HS codes for each item that you are shipping. HS codes are like a harmonized system to identify and classify goods internationally. My recommendation is to use ChatGPT or Claude to help you figure out the HS codes. Lastly you have to know what critical information is required by the customs in your recipient country. For example shipping DDP to Mexico requires the recipient's RFC number. Once you've filled out everything and paid for the shipment, all details are transferred electronically and you just need to print out and attach your shipping label.
Jaapi produce and ship swag and gifts locally to where your employees or clients are, meanin you avoid international shipping, customs, and duties altogether. Many of our clients cut their global swag cost by a third. But it doesn't stop there. Not only is it more cost-efficient but it's also more sustainable and domestic delivery is always faster than international.
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Book a demo to explore how local production can not only save you money, but improve the recipient experience. Also, don't forget to check out what regions and countries we do have local production.
Connect your worldwide employees and customers with quality branded items—made on demand and delivered locally. No warehousing headaches. No customs delay.
