Cross-Border Customs & DDP Setup
Promise duties-paid delivery and make it work behind the scenes
I design the customs and parcel operating model behind a DDP promise to the UK, Switzerland, Norway or into the EU, and I can lead the launch with your team, broker and carrier.
When to use it
DDP is a customer promise. Customs, data and partners have to keep it.
Customers in the UK, Switzerland and Norway, and EU customers buying from non-EU brands, don't want a duty bill at the door. Offering duties-paid delivery fixes that, but it moves the work to you: who is the importer, who pays and advances VAT and duty, which data goes to the broker, how parcels cross the border and how returns come back without paying twice.
Most problems I see aren't legal ones. They're operating-model gaps: missing HS codes or origin in the order data, no clear owner for the import, a carrier that offers "DDP" on one lane but not another, or returns that can't be linked to the original export.
Two ways to work
A blueprint, or a blueprint plus a launch
Single-lane blueprint, from €2,950
One origin-to-destination lane. I review your current setup and data, map the customs and landed-cost decisions, define who does what across you, your broker, your 3PL and your carrier, specify the item-level data, design the returns approach and give you a written readiness and implementation plan. Typically 2–3 weeks, depending on data access.
Implementation leadership, from €6,500
The blueprint, then I lead the launch with your operations, broker and technical teams: test plan, test labels and manifests, cutover checklist and handover. It assumes one lane, providers you have already chosen or are about to choose, and people on your side who can do the work. Payment is split into milestones.
Free: Customs & DDP Readiness Checklist. Check your data, registrations, partners and returns before you promise duties-paid delivery. Updated for the 2026 EU low-value import rules.
Get the checklistDeliverables
What you get
- Market and regime options for the lane, with a risk register.
- DDP vs DAP decision, including the customer experience at checkout and delivery.
- B2C per-parcel clearance vs B2B inventory import comparison where relevant.
- Item-data specification: SKU, description, HS/tariff code, origin, value, weight, and EU product identifiers where you import into the EU.
- Registration and ID checklist (EORI, VAT, IOSS, VOEC, ZAZ and importer-of-record arrangements) to confirm with your adviser.
- Who-does-what across merchant, broker, 3PL and carrier, plus manifest and data interfaces.
- Returns and re-import options linked back to the original shipment.
- Test, launch and onboarding checklist.
Not included
Where my work stops
I am not a customs broker or a tax adviser. I don't file declarations, register you for VAT or give formal legal opinions. I design the process and coordinate with the licensed people who do. System development, physical shipping and broker or carrier fees aren't included. Prices exclude VAT, travel and third-party costs.
Why me
I have built this before, end to end
As an external consultant leading international product development at Hermes, I took a DDP B2C customs product for Germany → Great Britain, Switzerland and Liechtenstein from the first idea through supplier selection, architecture, testing and live production with merchants. Before that I ran cross-border e-commerce operations at BorderGuru, shipping US-origin parcels into Europe, Canada and Australia with landed-cost and duty processes at checkout.
Related answers: DDP from the EU to the UK · DDP to Switzerland and ZAZ · Non-EU brands shipping into the EU · Shipping worldwide from the EU
Questions
Before we start
Can you clear our parcels or register our VAT?
No. Licensed brokers file declarations and tax advisers handle registrations. I design the process, define the data and partner responsibilities, and coordinate with them.
Do you work with our existing carrier or broker?
Yes. Often the providers are fine and the gaps are in data, responsibilities or returns. If a provider can't support the lane you need, I will tell you and help you find alternatives.
We are a carrier or consolidator, not a brand. Is this for us?
Yes. The same work applies when you build a duties-paid product for your merchants, with more weight on manifests, broker interfaces and merchant onboarding.
Can you guarantee clearance times or tax savings?
No. Customs decisions, data quality, legal rules and carrier performance all play a part. What I can promise is a clear operating model, defined responsibilities and a tested launch.