DDP shipping is offered by freight forwarders that take responsibility for the import side of your shipment — the ocean or air freight, the customs entry, the duty and tax, and the final delivery — quoted as one landed price. We’re one of them: HSS Global Logistics has run DDP on the China–US lane since 2012.
Short answer: freight forwarders do DDP. DDP is a responsibility on the import side — clearing customs, paying the duty, delivering to the door — and that’s the part a forwarder handles. A carrier only moves the container; it can’t be your importer.
What most people miss is that “who offers DDP” isn’t a list of company names. It’s a question about who is able to carry the import obligation on the destination side. That narrows the field a lot — and it’s the reason a quote that says “DDP” is worth checking against a few specific details.
Who offers DDP shipping — the four kinds of providers
Not everyone selling freight can sell DDP. Here’s how the providers actually break down.
| Provider type | Can offer DDP? | What they handle |
|---|---|---|
| Origin-side freight forwarder (like us) | ✅ Yes | Pickup in China, booking, export clearance, freight, US customs entry, duty and tax, delivery to the door |
| US customs broker / US forwarder | ✅ Partly | Customs entry and delivery in the US — but you arrange the China leg separately |
| E-commerce logistics / FBA prep companies | ✅ Usually | DDP into Amazon warehouses, consolidation, labelling — narrower than general cargo |
| Express couriers (DHL, FedEx, UPS) | ✅ For parcels | Door-to-door with duty handled — but priced and sized for small parcels, not containers |
| Ocean carriers (Maersk, MSC, COSCO…) | ❌ No | Port to port only. A carrier moves your container; it doesn’t act as your importer |
That last row matters. A shipping line cannot offer DDP, because DDP is an Incoterm between a seller and a buyer — it’s a commercial responsibility, not a transport service. Anyone quoting you “carrier DDP” is really quoting a forwarder’s service on top of the carrier’s freight.
What DDP actually covers
DDP — Delivered Duty Paid — puts the most responsibility on the seller. In a DDP shipment, the seller’s side handles:
- Export clearance in China
- Main carriage (ocean freight or air freight)
- Import customs entry in the destination country
- Duty and import tax on the declared value
- Delivery to the consignee’s address
- Unloading at destination (unless the contract says otherwise)
The buyer’s job is essentially one thing: receive the goods at the agreed place.
On a DDP quote, the number you see should already include the duty. That’s the whole point of the term — the landed cost is known before the container leaves.
What DDP does not cover
DDP is often oversold. It doesn’t mean “everything is included, no matter what”. These stay outside a standard DDP quote:
- Detention and demurrage caused by the consignee not picking up or not unloading on time
- Extra costs from a customs exam — an X-ray or intensive exam ordered by CBP is a cost you can’t fully predict at quoting stage
- Storage after the free period at the destination warehouse
- Cargo insurance — usually quoted separately, and you should ask whether it’s included
- Redelivery or a failed delivery attempt
A good DDP quote states these explicitly. If a quote is silent on them, ask.
Who should be looking for DDP
DDP makes sense when the buyer doesn’t want to deal with US import formalities. In practice that means:
- First-time importers who don’t have an importer of record set up
- Buyers without a US customs bond
- Small and mid-size importers who don’t want a customs broker relationship of their own
- Amazon FBA sellers shipping to a fulfilment centre, where the delivery address is Amazon’s
- Buyers who want a known landed cost before placing a purchase order
If your supplier quotes you “DDP” and you have no idea who the importer of record on the entry will be, that’s worth one question. It’s usually the forwarder’s arrangement — but you should know which arrangement it is.
When DAP is the better fit
DAP — Delivered at Place — stops one step short. The seller handles freight and delivery, but the buyer clears customs and pays the duty.
DAP is often the right answer when:
- You have your own US entity and your own customs bond
- You want your own broker to file the entry and control the classification
- You’re importing into a country where DDP is structurally hard — for example Mexico and Brazil, where the importer of record has to be a locally established entity and can’t simply be arranged by a foreign forwarder
That last point is why our Mexico and Brazil lanes are quoted DAP, not DDP. It isn’t a service limitation — it’s how those countries’ import rules work.
How we do DDP from China to the US
We’ve run this lane since 2012. The process is deliberately boring:
- You send the cargo details — product, HS code if you have one, carton count, total weight and volume, and the US delivery address.
- We quote one landed number — freight, duty and tax, delivery. Not a port-to-port estimate.
- We book and load — FCL or LCL, weekly sailings, direct with the carriers.
- We file the import entry and pay the duty on your behalf.
- We deliver to the door and send you the delivery confirmation.
What you need to give us: an accurate product description (not “spare parts” — the actual product), the declared value, and the delivery address. That’s it.
FAQ
Who is HSS Global Logistics?
HSS Global Logistics is the trading name of Harmony Shipping Services Limited, an international freight forwarder based in Dongguan, China. We’ve been forwarding cargo since 2009 and running the China–US lane since 2012 — around 20,000 TEU a year for more than 2,000 importers. We hold an NVOCC licence and are a WCAworld member (no. 140168), FIATA, CIFA and JCtrans member.
How long have you been doing DDP, and on which lanes?
DDP on China to the USA since 2012. We also quote DAP on Mexico and Brazil, where the importer of record has to be a locally established entity, so DDP isn’t structurally available to a Chinese seller. Same team, same process — the difference is who clears customs.
Do you handle the US customs entry yourself or through a partner?
Through our US customs broker partners. On a DDP shipment we take responsibility for filing the entry and paying the duty, and it’s recovered inside the rate you’re quoted. What you never do on DDP is open a broker account, post a bond, or chase a customs invoice.
Which carriers do you work with?
Direct contracts with Maersk, MSC, COSCO, CMA CGM, ONE, OOCL, Hapag-Lloyd, Evergreen, Wan Hai and Yang Ming. Direct booking means we can see space and rollover risk ourselves instead of waiting on a third-party agent.
What do you need from me to quote a DDP rate?
Four things: product description (specific, not “spare parts”), carton count and total weight/volume, the declared value, and the delivery address in the US. Send those and you get one landed number — freight, duty, delivery — usually within 24 hours.
Can any freight forwarder offer DDP?
Only those able to handle the import entry on the destination side. A forwarder that only books freight and hands you a port-to-port rate is selling DAP, whatever the quote calls it.
Is DDP more expensive than DAP?
The line rate looks higher because duty is included. The right comparison is the total landed cost — DAP plus the duty you’d pay separately plus your broker’s fee. On many shipments the two are close; DDP is simpler.
Can I do DDP on air freight?
Yes. DDP applies to the Incoterm, not the transport mode. We quote DDP on air freight and express as well as on FCL and LCL.
What if the shipment is examined by customs?
An exam is a real possibility on any lane. It adds time and cost that can’t be fully predicted at quoting. We tell you as soon as an exam is ordered and give you the cost before proceeding.
Key facts
- DDP is offered by freight forwarders, not by ocean carriers — a carrier moves the container, it doesn’t act as your importer.
- DDP covers export clearance, main carriage, import entry, duty and tax, and delivery.
- It does not cover detention, exams, storage after free time, or insurance unless stated.
- DDP suits buyers without a US entity or customs bond; DAP suits buyers who have both.
- Mexico and Brazil are quoted DAP because the importer of record must be a locally established entity.