Import cost is where first-time buyers lose margin they thought they had. A quote that looks competitive can arrive with a duty bill attached, and the courier will not release the parcel until someone pays it. This page explains how the terms work, what we cover, and what you still need to check in your own market.

The term that decides who pays

Every international quote carries an Incoterm. It is often buried in the small print, and it changes the real cost more than the unit price does.

Term	Who pays freight	Who pays duties and taxes	What you actually receive
EXW (ex works)	You	You	A price for the goods sitting in the supplier’s warehouse
FOB	You, from the port onward	You	Goods delivered to the port of origin only
DAP	Supplier	You, on delivery	A parcel at your door and a separate duty invoice
DDP	Supplier	Supplier	The landed cost. Nothing further to pay

We ship DDP. Import duties and taxes are paid by us and are already inside the price we quote. Nothing is billed to you when the parcel arrives.

When you compare our quote against another supplier, check their term first. A FOB price will always look lower than a DDP price for the same goods, because it is not the same offer. Ask any supplier quoting FOB or DAP what the duty rate is in your country and add it before comparing.

What DDP means in practice

Three things change when duties are prepaid.

Your cost is known before you order. You can price your retail from a fixed landed cost rather than an estimate plus a variable you find out later.
Nothing is held at customs waiting for payment. The most common cause of a delayed shipment is a duty invoice sitting unpaid in someone’s inbox.
You do not need a customs broker for a normal order. For larger commercial volumes you may still want one, for reasons below.

Which destinations cause customs problems?

Buyers ask this before a first order, and the honest answer is duller than the question deserves: no destination stands out. Shipments clear. The reason is the term rather than the country, because a parcel with duty already paid has nothing to sit and wait for.

It is worth noticing the shape of the opposite answer. A supplier who can list difficult countries is usually describing an arrangement where the buyer clears the goods, and the difficulty belongs to the arrangement rather than to the border.

Classification, and why it decides the rate

Human hair products are classified under the Harmonised System, the international tariff code used by nearly every customs authority. Human hair and articles made from it sit in Chapter 67, with unworked human hair separately classified in Chapter 05.

The exact subheading depends on whether the product is unworked hair, hair that has been prepared, or a finished article such as a wig. Rates differ between those, and they differ again by destination country and by any trade agreement in force between Vietnam and that country.

We handle classification for DDP shipments. It is described here because if you ever import from a supplier who does not, this is the number that determines your bill, and getting it wrong in your own declaration is your liability rather than theirs.

What you should still check locally

DDP covers duties and taxes. It does not make every local requirement disappear, and requirements vary more than most suppliers admit.

Importer registration. Some countries require a registered importer number for commercial shipments above a threshold, even when duty is prepaid.
Sales tax on resale. Import VAT and the tax you charge your own customers are different things. DDP handles the first.
Labelling rules. Country of origin, fibre content and language requirements apply to what you sell, not to what you import. Check before ordering branded packaging, not after.
Sanitary or health documentation. Rare for processed human hair, but a small number of markets ask for it.

One paid hour with a customs broker in your own country before a first commercial order is the cheapest insurance available in this trade. Ask them the classification, the duty rate, whether registration applies to your volume, and what labelling your market requires.

Documentation we provide

Every shipment includes a commercial invoice, a packing list and a certificate of origin. If your broker or your accounting needs anything in a particular format, tell us before dispatch rather than after, because amending documents once a shipment is in transit is slow.

Transit times

Transit is separate from production. In-stock items dispatch within 24 hours; made-to-order items take 5 to 7 days to produce first.

Asia: 2–4 days
USA and Canada: 3–5 days
Europe: 4–7 days
Africa: 5–8 days
South America: 5–10 days

Carrier rates by region are on our shipping page. If you are working to a fixed date, tell us the date rather than the order, and we will tell you the latest day production can start.

Before your first order

Confirm the Incoterm on every quote you are comparing, not just ours.
Ask a local broker about classification, registration and labelling for your market.
Order a paid sample and let it clear customs. A small shipment teaches you your own import process cheaply.
Place a first order once you know the landed cost and the timeline.

Full commercial terms, including minimum order and payment structure, are on our wholesale page. To start with a sample, see how sample orders work.