A furniture importer in Rotterdam ordered under DAP, and the delivery note said "to the warehouse". The truck arrived at 14:10. The warehouse had no forklift free until 16:30, the driver had a 45-minute free window, and the wait went onto an invoice that nobody had budgeted for. The term had been read as "delivered, so it is their problem now". It was not. Delivered, in DAP, means the goods are on the arriving vehicle, ready to be unloaded — and the unloading is the buyer's job.
Q1. What separates DAP from DPU?
One verb. Under DAP the seller delivers when the goods are placed at the buyer's disposal on the arriving means of transport, ready for unloading. Under DPU the seller delivers when the goods are unloaded from that transport at the named place. DPU replaced the old DAT in the 2020 revision and is the only term that puts the unloading obligation on the seller.
Q2. Then how is DAP different from DDP?
Customs and tax. Under DAP the buyer clears import and pays duty and import VAT; under DDP the seller does. Neither term includes unloading. So a shipment can be "DDP, unloaded" only if a contract clause says so — the term alone will not do it.
Q3. Who pays the forklift, the tail lift and the labour?
Under DAP, the buyer. Under DPU, the seller — including the equipment and the people. What sellers often miss is that the carrier charges for the equipment and for the waiting either way; under DAP that cost lands on the buyer's invoice, which is where the argument starts if the order said "delivered to our warehouse" and the buyer read that as "unloaded into our racks".
Q4. Who carries the risk while it is being unloaded?
Under DPU, the seller, until the goods are off the vehicle. Under DAP, the buyer, from the moment the goods are at its disposal. If a pallet is dropped during unloading under DPU, it is the seller's loss. If it is dropped under DAP with the buyer's own team, the buyer's — but the carrier may still bill the seller for the delay, which is why the appointment matters more than the wording.
Q5. How does the appointment fit in?
A warehouse booking is a time slot, not a promise. Under both terms the seller is expected to deliver within the agreed window; waiting time beyond the free period is charged to whoever booked the transport, and that is usually the seller even under DAP. Two sentences in the contract fix it: the booking is made by the buyer, and free waiting time is stated in hours.
Q6. Can DAP and DPU be used for air and rail?
Yes. Both terms work for any mode, unlike CIF or CFR, which are port terms. For an air shipment to a bonded warehouse, DAP is the common choice; if the seller is expected to unload into the racking, DPU is the honest description.
The four delivery terms side by side
| Term | Delivery point | Unloading | Import clearance and duty |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAP | At the named place, on the vehicle | Buyer | Buyer |
| DPU | At the named place, off the vehicle | Seller | Buyer |
| DDP | At the named place, on the vehicle | Buyer | Seller |
| CPT | Handed to the first carrier | Buyer | Buyer |
A plain note from the desk: the difference between these terms is not the destination, it is the moment the goods stop being somebody's risk. Write the place, the unloading and the waiting time into the contract, and the invoice stops being a surprise.
Before the next delivery to a warehouse, send us the draft contract clause, the address and the booking window on WhatsApp. We will tell you which term matches the operation, and where the free waiting time should sit.