An old scenario, names removed. A furniture seller moved one 40HQ from Shenzhen to Los Angeles. The DDP quote came back at USD 9,600, all-in, door delivery. The final invoice was USD 12,400. Nothing illegal happened; every extra line was legitimate. None of them had been on the quote.
If you have shipped long enough, you have seen this movie. The lesson is not “DDP is a trap”. It is that a DDP number is a summary, and a summary hides the parts that vary. Here are the six lines that most often go missing.
1. Destination accessorials
The ocean ends at the port; the container still has to move. In the US that means chassis, terminal and pier-pass charges, appointment fees, and — depending on the address — liftgate, residential delivery or inside delivery. A quote that says “door delivery” without naming these is quoting the easy half.
2. Exams, storage and per diem
A CBP exam is not a fine, but it costs like one: X-ray or intensive exam, devanning, storage while the entry is reviewed, and per diem if the container sits. In the case above, one exam plus three days of storage added USD 950. Ask who pays for an exam before you book, not after.
3. The duty that was assumed, not calculated
DDP quotes are often built on a “usual” duty rate for the product category. If the HS code lands somewhere else — or if the goods sit on a Section 301 list — the difference is a true-up. In the same file, a classification correction added USD 670. A DDP price without the HS code and the rate in writing is an estimate wearing a suit.
4. The broker, the bond and the ISF
Someone has to be the importer of record. That means a customs broker, a bond (single entry or continuous), an ISF filing, and a power of attorney. Some quotes fold these into the rate; some do not. Ask which, and ask whether the bond is annual — a continuous bond is usually cheaper per shipment once you ship more than a few times a year.
5. Compliance work
FDA prior notice, FCC, CPSC, labelling and country-of-origin marking are not freight charges, but they stop cargo. If the product needs a registration the seller cannot hold, DDP stops being expensive and starts being impossible. Check the category before comparing rates.
6. Money and time
Under DDP the forwarder pays duty and freight before you settle. That financing sits inside the rate, and so does the exchange rate. A quote built at one FX rate and settled at another is a hidden cost of its own, especially on Shenzhen to USA lanes priced in USD.
Landed cost, not quote price
The only number worth comparing is landed cost: goods value + origin charges + freight + insurance + duty and import taxes + broker, bond and filing + destination charges + last mile + a reserve for exam and storage.
| Line | In the DDP quote | In the final invoice |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean freight and origin | Yes | Yes |
| Duty at the quoted rate | Yes | Yes, plus a true-up if the HS code changed |
| Broker, bond, ISF | Sometimes | Yes |
| Destination accessorials | Rarely itemised | Yes |
| Exam, storage, per diem | Almost never | Yes, when they happen |
| Liftgate and residential delivery | Often excluded | Yes |
For the furniture file, the base DDP was 9,600; accessorials 430; exam and storage 950; liftgate 250; redelivery 300; duty true-up 670. Total 12,400. The 2,800 difference was not a scam — it was scope.
Eight questions before you sign a DDP price
- Which HS code and duty rate is this price built on, and does it include Section 301?
- Which destination charges are included: chassis, pier pass, appointment, documentation?
- Who pays if CBP examines the container, and what is the estimated cost?
- How many free days of storage and detention are included?
- Is the bond single-entry or continuous, and whose name is on it?
- Does delivery include liftgate, residential or inside delivery?
- Which exchange rate and which date is the price fixed at?
- How are overages settled — per invoice, per kilo, or per container?
A good DDP quote is not the cheapest one. It is the one where the scope is written down, so the final invoice looks like the quote. Ask for the six lines above in writing; a supplier who can list them is usually also able to control them.
If you want a landed-cost sheet for a specific Shenzhen to USA shipment — DDP, FOB and CIF side by side — send the cargo details on WhatsApp and we will build the comparison in writing.