DDP — Delivered Duty Paid — is an international shipping term meaning the seller pays every import duty, tax and customs clearance fee before the order reaches you. In practice, the price you see at checkout is the final price: no courier invoice at your door, no customs paperwork, nothing owed on delivery. Every sink that leaves our atelier in Antalya ships DDP, and this guide explains exactly what that covers and why we refuse to ship any other way.
DDP, defined properly
DDP is one of the eleven Incoterms® 2020 rules published by the International Chamber of Commerce, and it places the maximum obligation on the seller. Under DDP, the seller is responsible for export clearance in the origin country, the full international freight, import clearance in your country, and payment of all duties and import taxes such as VAT or sales tax. The buyer’s only job is to receive the goods.
Most cross-border parcels do not travel this way. The common alternative, DAP (Delivered At Place), moves the goods to your address but leaves import duties and taxes for you to settle — usually via a card reader at the door or a “pay before we deliver” email from the courier.
DDP vs DAP at a glance
| DDP (what we use) | DAP (the common default) | |
|---|---|---|
| Import duties & taxes | Paid by the seller, in advance | Paid by you, on or before delivery |
| Customs clearance | Arranged by the seller | Your responsibility, via the courier |
| Brokerage & handling fees | Included in the checkout price | Added on top, often unannounced |
| Surprise-fee risk | None | High for heavy, high-value goods |
Why surprise fees are the deal-breaker in cross-border shopping
The data on this is unambiguous. Checkout research by the Baymard Institute has found that extra costs — shipping, taxes and fees — are the single most common reason shoppers abandon a purchase, cited by 48% of US online shoppers who abandoned an order, and it has topped the list for years.
Cross-border buyers feel this even more sharply. The 2025 IPC Cross-Border E-Commerce Shopper Survey, which polled 30,970 consumers across 37 countries, found that clear information on delivery charges before purchase is essential for 61% of cross-border shoppers, and roughly half also rate low customs duties as essential. Presenting the results in January 2026, IPC CEO Holger Winklbauer put it plainly: “At a time when new customs and handling charges are being added, consumers reiterated the importance of having clarity on the fees prior to their purchases.”
In other words: buyers are not against paying duties — they are against being ambushed by them.
Why this matters even more for a stone sink
Customs charges are typically calculated on the declared value of the goods plus freight. A hand-carved marble basin is a heavy, high-value shipment — carved stone even has its own tariff classification (HS heading 6802, worked monumental and building stone) — so a DAP surprise on a piece like ours would not be a few coins. Depending on your country’s duty and VAT rates, it could easily run to hundreds of dollars, euros or pounds, demanded at the exact moment you expected to enjoy your new sink.
That is the knock on the door we exist to prevent. If you are comparing stones and formats before ordering, our marble sink guide and marble vessel sink guide are honest starting points, and the travertine sink guide covers the lighter, earthier end of our range.
How our DDP process actually works
- Carving and crating. Your sink is carved from a single block in our Antalya atelier, then packed in a custom wooden crate built around the piece.
- Export paperwork. We prepare the commercial invoice, customs data and export declaration — you never see any of it.
- Insured express freight. The crate travels by tracked, fully insured express carrier, covered against damage or loss for its full value.
- Duties paid before arrival. Import duties and taxes for your destination are billed to us through the carrier’s duty-paid service and settled before delivery.
- Doorstep delivery. You sign for the crate. Total time from order to delivery is typically 3–4 weeks, including carving.
This applies to every piece we make, whether it is a custom-size Calacatta Viola sink or a custom handcarved travertine sink.
What your checkout price includes
- The sink itself, carved to your dimensions
- Custom crating and protective packing
- Insured, tracked express shipping
- All import duties, taxes and customs clearance fees for the US, EU, UK, Canada and Australia
And what you will never pay: brokerage fees, disbursement charges, a VAT bill on arrival, or a “customs handling” surcharge from the courier.
The bottom line
DDP is not a marketing flourish; it is a defined trade term that shifts every import cost and every piece of customs friction from you to us. We think that is the only honest way to sell a heavy, precious object across a border. If you would like a fully landed, duty-paid price for a specific size or stone, start with our custom order page and we will quote it with no surprises attached.
Frequently asked questions
Will the courier ask me to pay anything on delivery?
No. Under DDP we prepay all import duties, taxes and clearance fees through the carrier before your sink arrives. In the unlikely event a courier ever presents you with a charge, do not pay it — contact us and we will resolve it directly with the carrier.
Is DDP the same thing as free shipping?
No. Free shipping only covers transport; DDP defines who pays import duties, taxes and customs clearance. A parcel can ship free and still arrive with a customs bill. Our prices include both: insured express transport and every import charge.
Do I need to handle any customs paperwork?
No. We prepare the commercial invoice, export declaration and customs data from our atelier in Antalya, and the carrier clears the shipment using charges we have already paid. Nothing is filed, signed or owed on your side.
Which countries do you ship DDP to?
We currently ship duty-paid to the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. If you are elsewhere, contact us before ordering and we will quote a fully landed price for your country.
