Duties & Taxes: DDP vs DDU
As long as the value of your shipment exceeds the destination country’s tax/duty threshold, customs charges will apply. This includes personal effects, gifts & returning shipments.
With JustShip, you get to choose:
Delivered Duty Paid (DDP): To prepay duties and taxes as the sender, or
Delivered Duty Unpaid (DDU): Let the recipient settle the charges later.
We introduced DDP to address one of the biggest pain points for international shippers — unpredictable customs charges.
Many recipients are caught off guard by additional fees when their parcel arrives. This leads to:
Delivery delays
Poor customer experience
Rejected shipments and costly returns
With DDP, senders take control. We quote duties & taxes upfront, and your recipient never has to worry about surprise charges or stalled deliveries. (read more here)
When you opt for DDP at checkout, you'll be quoted a prepaid charge for duties and taxes based on your declared item value and estimated shipping cost (depending on destination country's calculation method)
If your verified shipping cost increases later, your shipment value may rise — which means duties and taxes may also increase.
Once DDP is paid, your recipient should not be contacted or delayed due to unpaid customs charges.
📌 Important notes:
DDP charges are non-refundable - Even if customs waives duties or charges less, no refund will be issued.
If customs charges more than quoted, JustShip will cover the difference, as long as the shipment was accurately declared.
Misdeclared or under-declared shipments are not covered — any shortfall will be the sender’s responsibility.
If you believe your items won't incur duties, or you’ve arranged for the recipient to handle any applicable charges, you can opt for DDU. This means no upfront payment is required from you for duties and taxes — the recipient will be contacted by customs (or the courier) to settle any fees before the shipment is delivered.
If there are any duties and taxes incurred for your shipment, it will be billed to your recipient directly after parcel arrives at the destination country. Package will be released for delivery after payment of the charges.
❗Please note that JustShip will not manage this process. We:
Don’t know in advance how much the duties will be
Cannot assist with payment or resolution if the recipient refuses to pay
Are not liable for any delays, rejections, or return charges that result
With JustShip, you get to choose:
Delivered Duty Paid (DDP): To prepay duties and taxes as the sender, or
Delivered Duty Unpaid (DDU): Let the recipient settle the charges later.
| Option | Who pays duties & taxes | What the recipient experiences |
|---|---|---|
| DDP | Shipper (the sender) | No surprise charges at delivery. Customs clearance is faster. |
| DDU | Recipient | May receive a customs payment request, delaying delivery until it’s paid. |
Why did JustShip launch DDP?
We introduced DDP to address one of the biggest pain points for international shippers — unpredictable customs charges.
Many recipients are caught off guard by additional fees when their parcel arrives. This leads to:
Delivery delays
Poor customer experience
Rejected shipments and costly returns
With DDP, senders take control. We quote duties & taxes upfront, and your recipient never has to worry about surprise charges or stalled deliveries. (read more here)
What happens after I select DDP?
When you opt for DDP at checkout, you'll be quoted a prepaid charge for duties and taxes based on your declared item value and estimated shipping cost (depending on destination country's calculation method)
If your verified shipping cost increases later, your shipment value may rise — which means duties and taxes may also increase.
Once DDP is paid, your recipient should not be contacted or delayed due to unpaid customs charges.
📌 Important notes:
DDP charges are non-refundable - Even if customs waives duties or charges less, no refund will be issued.
If customs charges more than quoted, JustShip will cover the difference, as long as the shipment was accurately declared.
Misdeclared or under-declared shipments are not covered — any shortfall will be the sender’s responsibility.
Delivered Duty Unpaid (DDU):
If you believe your items won't incur duties, or you’ve arranged for the recipient to handle any applicable charges, you can opt for DDU. This means no upfront payment is required from you for duties and taxes — the recipient will be contacted by customs (or the courier) to settle any fees before the shipment is delivered.
If there are any duties and taxes incurred for your shipment, it will be billed to your recipient directly after parcel arrives at the destination country. Package will be released for delivery after payment of the charges.
❗Please note that JustShip will not manage this process. We:
Don’t know in advance how much the duties will be
Cannot assist with payment or resolution if the recipient refuses to pay
Are not liable for any delays, rejections, or return charges that result
Updated on: 28/05/2025
Thank you!