Background on the international freight forwarding industry and what it means for importers sourcing from China.
As customs regulations in the US, EU and Brazil have grown more complex — from Section 301 tariffs to EU import VAT reform and Brazil's Siscomex system — more first-time and mid-size importers are shifting toward Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) terms. DDP removes the need to manage a customs broker relationship in each destination country and converts a variable cost into a fixed, quotable one.
Independent e-commerce sellers increasingly ship in smaller, more frequent batches directly from China rather than holding overseas inventory. This shifts demand toward freight forwarders who can offer parcel-level DDP service, fast customs clearance and delivery integration with fulfillment centers, rather than only full-container logistics.
Each region carries distinct import requirements: Brazil's Siscomex and import tax structure, Japan and Korea's consumption tax and stricter product compliance checks, and Southeast Asia's mix of ASEAN trade agreements and varying customs efficiency by country. Working with a forwarder that has route-specific experience — not a one-size-fits-all worldwide quote — materially reduces clearance delays.