Delivered duty paid, explained in plain words

Why parcels from abroad usually carry charges

Most countries charge import taxes, and sometimes customs duty, on goods arriving from another country, and the courier that clears the parcel often adds a handling fee. Which charges apply depends on the destination’s own rules. Two examples from official sources:

• The UK: the government says VAT is charged on goods sent from outside the UK, and that the delivery company contacts the recipient to collect any VAT, duty or fees (GOV.UK).
• The USA: US Customs and Border Protection says duty-free de minimis treatment has been suspended for shipments from all countries, so imports of any value can be subject to duties, taxes and fees (CBP).

Duty paid vs duty unpaid

The alternative to DDP is often called delivered at place, or simply duties unpaid. The sender pays for the journey, but the import charges are left for the recipient. In practice, that is the parcel that arrives with a card through the door or a text from the courier asking you to pay before they will deliver. The amount is often a surprise, and the outfit sits in a depot until it is paid.

With DDP, that step is taken care of before the parcel reaches you. The charges are worked into your quote, in the same currency as everything else, so you see the total before you approve anything.

What it means for you

• One total: the outfit, delivery and any import charges appear in one written quote.
• Nothing at the door: you should not be asked to pay anything when the parcel arrives.
• A clear rule if you are asked: if a courier ever asks you for payment, contact us before paying anything, so we can sort it out with them.
• The same everywhere: whether you are in the UK, the USA or elsewhere, the policy is the same, even though each country’s rules differ.

What it does not mean

DDP is about who pays, not about cost or speed, so a few things stay as they are.

• It does not mean delivery costs nothing. You pay for delivery and import charges; they are simply included in your quote rather than billed later.
• It does not skip customs. Your parcel is still cleared at the border and can occasionally be held there, so leave some slack before a date that matters.
• It does not change shipping time, which varies by destination and comes on top of the 5 to 7 working days of making.
• It covers the finished outfit coming to you. On Stitching Only, the first journey, your fabric travelling to us in Pakistan, is yours to arrange unless your quote says otherwise, so check your own courier’s terms for that leg.

Checking it in your quote

Before you approve, look for delivery and import charges in your quote, check the currency, and make sure the delivery country matches where you live. Our page on worldwide delivery explains shipping in general, and the guide to ordering from Europe covers the EU and Norway in more depth.

To see it for yourself, ask for a Fabric + Stitching quote for UK delivery, or read about our Fabric + Stitching service first.