Quick answer: Ask for a DDP quote — Delivered Duty Paid. The factory or freight forwarder handles freight, customs and duties, and your goods arrive at your door with no surprise bills. Air freight: 3–7 days. Sea: 25–40 days.
What is DDP?
DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) is an Incoterm where the seller delivers the goods to your address with all freight, export and import customs, and duties already paid. For a new brand it's the simplest, lowest-stress option: one price, door to door, no customs paperwork on your end.
DDP vs other terms
- EXW (Ex-Works): you arrange everything from the factory door — cheapest on paper, most work and risk.
- FOB: seller gets goods onto the ship; you handle ocean freight and import.
- DDP: seller handles it all to your door. Best for beginners.
Air vs sea freight
- Air: ~3–7 days, best for samples and first small runs or urgent restocks. Higher per-kg cost.
- Sea: ~25–40 days door to door, far cheaper per unit — best for larger bulk once you can plan ahead.
- Express (DHL/FedEx): 3–5 days for samples and tiny parcels.
Duties & taxes (what to expect)
Apparel duty rates vary by country (often roughly 10–20% of declared value, plus local VAT/sales tax where applicable). With DDP these are built into your quote, so there's no surprise invoice. Always confirm whether your DDP quote includes destination taxes like VAT.
How to avoid problems
- Get a DDP all-in quote in writing (freight + duties + any taxes).
- Confirm HS codes and declared values are correct.
- For first orders, ship by air — speed and simplicity beat saving a little.
DDP vs FOB vs EXW, in one table
| Term | Factory covers | You cover | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXW | Goods at factory door | Everything after | Buyers with own forwarders |
| FOB | To port, export cleared, loaded | Freight, insurance, import, delivery | Container-scale importers |
| DDP | Door-to-door incl. duty | Receiving the boxes | First-time and small importers |
Under DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) the seller runs the entire chain — export clearance, freight, import clearance, duties, last-mile — and quotes you one landed number per shipment. For a founder without a customs broker, that single number is the entire appeal: no surprise duty invoice, no carrier ransom notes.
What a DDP quote includes — and the two things it usually doesn't
Included: pickup, export docs, main freight (air or sea), import customs, duties and taxes at destination, delivery to your address. Commonly excluded, so ask: destination warehouse appointments (Amazon FBA delivery windows can carry fees) and cargo insurance beyond carrier liability — cheap to add, ask for it explicitly. Also confirm whose import tax ID is used at destination; reputable DDP uses proper channels, and a quote dramatically below market usually means a grey-channel clearance that can strand your goods.
Modes and honest transit times
Air express (DHL/UPS/FedEx door-to-door): 5–8 days, priced per kilo — right for samples and launches under ~100 kg. Air freight: 8–12 days door-to-door, cheaper per kilo above ~100 kg. Sea (LCL): 30–40 days to US/EU doors, unbeatable per-unit at scale; sea + rail hybrids to Europe land between. Peak seasons (pre-Black-Friday, pre-CNY) stretch everything by a week and raise rates — plan reorders around the calendar, not the brochure times. Full timeline planning sits in the lead-times guide.
Protecting yourself in either mode
Whatever the incoterm: get the quote in writing per shipment (rates move), insure above carrier minimums, and photograph carton counts at handover. With DDP specifically, the seller's forwarder is your single point of accountability — one WhatsApp thread instead of four vendors pointing at each other, which is precisely why we default new brands to it.
Duties and HS codes, without the mystery
Knitted activewear clears customs under Chapter 61 HS codes, and the duty rate hangs on classification details buyers rarely see: fiber content, garment type, sometimes gender. Rates differ sharply by destination — the US runs among the higher tariff regimes for synthetic knits, the EU sits lower, and trade-agreement countries lower still. Two practical takeaways: ask your quote to state the HS code being used (a serious DDP partner answers instantly), and never compare a DDP quote against a bare FOB quote as if duty were optional — the duty exists either way; DDP just makes it visible up front instead of a surprise invoice at the port.
The split-shipment play: air to launch, sea to stock
The smartest freight pattern for a launch: pull 15–20% of the order by air (7–10 days) so your go-live date is safe, and let the balance follow by sea (30–40 days) at a fraction of the per-unit cost. You start selling weeks earlier, the replenishment lands as demand data arrives, and blended freight cost stays sane. The same play works for restocks before peak season. Any factory running DDP regularly can quote the split as one combined plan — ask for "air launch + sea balance" and compare the blended number, not the scary air-only one.
FAQ
What does DDP shipping mean?
Delivered Duty Paid: the seller delivers to your door with freight, customs and duties already paid — no surprise bills.
How long does shipping from China take?
Air freight about 3–7 days; sea freight about 25–40 days door to door.