Export Basics: HS Codes and the Real DDP Timeline
From Shenzhen FOB to DDP Hamburg — a week-by-week timeline your logistics team will recognize.
Electronics buyers in Europe and North America usually handle freight the same way: the supplier ships FOB, the buyer's forwarder takes over. But when you consolidate a multi-factory order — a BOM, a box build, a battery shipment — the arithmetic of the transaction alone begins to outweigh the savings of doing it yourself. This is where DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) changes the negotiation: one seller, one invoice, one responsibility chain, and time-of-arrival that is measurable.
Two minutes on HS classification
Your HS code determines duty, VAT treatment and sometimes licensing. A few stable anchors used across our shipments: 8534 for PCBs; 8542 for integrated circuits; 8473 for parts of computing machines; and battery systems usually run under 8507. Classification mutations — a board with a battery becoming 8507 instead of 8534 — change duty by whole percentage points. Our trade desk classifies before shipping and writes the classification on the commercial invoice, so the importer of record is never guessing at a container.
The real timeline, week by week
| WEEK | WHAT HAPPENS | WHO OWNS RISK (FOB) | WHO OWNS RISK (DDP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| W0 | BOM + drawings signed; payment terms settled (T/T 30-70 or L/C) | Seller | Seller |
| W1–2 | Components procured, boards fabbed, samples validated | Buyer | Seller |
| W3–5 | Mass production, 100% test, burn-in, final AQL inspection | Buyer | Seller |
| W5–6 | Consolidation at Shenzhen (Yantian), export docs, customs clearance | Buyer from FOB point | Seller |
| W7–10 | Ocean transit (~25–35 days) or air (5–9 days); customs on arrival | Buyer | Seller |
| W10+ | Door delivery; duty and VAT handled under DDP | Buyer | Seller |
The numbers buyers care about
Our export desk quotes within 24–48 hours with the full chain visible: FOB Shenzhen (Yantian) for port deals, CIF anywhere, DDP to major EU/US hubs. Air freight lands in 5–9 days, LCL sea in 25–35 days. Documentation — commercial invoice, packing list, HS-classified customs declaration, certificate of origin, and battery UN38.3 / MSDS where applicable — is prepared at the desk and archived with the lot records, so an audit is one email.
Written by the trade desk at EMS‑Trade. Need a landed-cost estimate for your project? sales@ems-trade.com — or start from Logistics & Export.