Last updated: October 10, 2026

Layer23-Switch delivers to the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom on DDP terms: import duties and import taxes are included in your order, and nothing is collected at delivery. For other destinations, you can request a DDP quotation before payment; orders without one ship DAP.

Duties and Taxes at a Glance

Delivery address	Shipping term	Import duties and import taxes	Collected from you at delivery
United States	DDP	Included in your order	Nothing
Canada	DDP	Included in your order	Nothing
United Kingdom	DDP	Included in your order	Nothing
Other destinations, DDP quoted before payment	DDP	Included in the DDP cost on your quotation or PI	Nothing
All other destinations	DAP	Paid by the consignee	Duties, import taxes and carrier clearance fees, as assessed

The consignee is the company that receives the shipment: you, or your customer if we drop-ship. Shipping terms on this page follow Incoterms® 2020.

DDP Deliveries to the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom

When we deliver to an address in the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom, we arrange import clearance and pay the import duties and import taxes. Nothing is collected from you at delivery. A customs inspection can add time, but it does not add duty or tax charges for you.

If you or your freight forwarder collect the goods under EXW or FCA terms (FOB for sea freight) agreed before payment, you or your forwarder handle import clearance, duties and taxes.

If a carrier asks you to pay duties or taxes on a U.S., Canadian or U.K. delivery, contact us with the tracking number before you pay.

Where Your Order Ships From

We hold more than US$9 million of stock in Hong Kong and the United States. Each order ships from the warehouse that holds the stock, set by stock allocation, and your tracking details show where the shipment originates.

Delivery address	Ships from the United States	Ships from Hong Kong
United States	Domestic shipment, no import customs	Imported under DDP; duties and import taxes included
Canada or United Kingdom	Imported under DDP; duties and import taxes included	Imported under DDP; duties and import taxes included
All other destinations	Imported under DAP, unless DDP was quoted	Imported under DAP, unless DDP was quoted

For U.S., Canadian and U.K. deliveries, the ship-from location does not change what you pay.

Country of Origin

The country of origin is the country where the product was manufactured, usually printed on the product label or carton. Shipping from Hong Kong or the United States does not change it.

Customs uses the country of origin, the HS code and the customs value to set the duty rate. Manufacturers often build the same model in more than one country, so the origin is confirmed when stock is allocated to your order. If your customs broker needs a certificate of origin, ask sales before payment.

Customs Documents We Provide

Document	Purpose	When you receive it
Quotation or pro forma invoice (PI)	Confirms your prices, and any DDP cost for destinations outside the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom	Before payment
Commercial invoice	Declares the goods and their value to customs on international shipments	Travels with the shipment
Packing list	Lists the contents of the shipment	Travels with the shipment
Tracking details	Carrier name and tracking number	By email after dispatch

We declare the true transaction value and an accurate product description on every shipment, as customs law requires. Any HS code we provide is our classification for shipping; your customs authority makes the final classification.

Helping Your Shipment Clear Customs

We prepare the commercial invoice and packing list for every international shipment. Clearance moves fastest when the carrier can reach the recipient and has the importer details it needs:

• A phone number and email on the order that someone monitors, with prompt replies to carrier requests.
• Importer details the carrier needs to file the import entry, such as a tax or customs registration number.
• Any import license or approval your country requires for wireless or encryption-capable equipment.

Customs authorities also inspect some shipments at random, which can add time.

Shipping to Other Countries Under DAP

For a fixed landed cost outside the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, ask for a DDP quotation before payment. Under DAP, the consignee is the importer. To keep clearance smooth, send our sales team the following with your quotation request, or reply to your order confirmation email if you paid at checkout.

• Importer details: company legal name, full delivery address, contact name, phone number and email.
• Customs and tax numbers used in your country, for example an EORI and VAT number in the EU, an ABN in Australia, or an IEC and GSTIN in India.
• Permits or approvals your country requires for network, wireless or encryption equipment, if any.
• Customs broker details, if you use your own broker, and any invoice wording your broker needs.

Your customs authority calculates duties and import taxes from the HS code, the country of origin and the customs value. In many countries the customs value includes shipping and insurance, and import VAT or GST is charged even when the duty rate is 0%.

On request, we send the HS codes and expected country of origin for the items on your quotation, so your broker can estimate the charges.

Example: DAP Delivery to Germany

Most switches and routers are classified under HS 8517.62, which enters the EU at 0% duty, and a VAT-registered German business can normally reclaim the import VAT. For an order with an invoice value of US$10,000, plus US$200 for shipping and insurance:

Step	Amount
Customs value (goods plus shipping and insurance)	US$10,200
Import duty at 0%	US$0
German import VAT at 19%, normally reclaimable by VAT-registered businesses	US$1,938

The consignee pays the import VAT and any carrier fee at import. German customs and the carrier set the actual amounts, so treat these figures as an illustration. For a delivered price with these charges included, ask for a DDP quotation.

Sales Tax, VAT and GST

Import duties and import taxes for U.S., Canadian and U.K. deliveries are included, as described above. If your company needs a tax-exempt purchase, a resale certificate on file, or a specific tax invoice format, email [email protected] before you order.

Drop Shipments

If we ship directly to your customer, the shipping term follows your customer’s delivery address. Deliveries to the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom ship DDP. Other destinations ship DAP unless you arrange DDP with us before payment. Under DAP, your customer is the consignee and will be asked to pay duties and taxes, so let them know in advance. International drop shipments travel with the commercial invoice that customs requires.

Returns and Warranty Replacements

Warranty replacements ship on the same delivery terms as your original order, so replacements to the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom arrive with duties included. For units sent back to us, follow the shipping and customs instructions in your RMA email. Duties and taxes paid under DAP are collected by your customs authority, and your customs broker can advise whether any can be reclaimed on a return.

Refunds follow our Return Policy, and the RMA process is covered in our Warranty Policy.

Export Controls and Refused Shipments

All orders are subject to applicable export-control and sanctions laws. We may ask for end-user and end-use information and may decline orders that do not comply.

If a DAP shipment is refused or abandoned because duties or taxes are not paid, return shipping and carrier charges are billed to you, as described in our Shipping & Delivery policy.

Contact

Purpose	Contact
Quotes, orders, PIs and DDP quotations	[email protected]
Warranty, returns, RMA and technical support	[email protected]
Payment verification, tax-exempt purchases and accounts	[email protected]

Related policies: Shipping & Delivery, How to Pay, Warranty Policy, Return Policy and Terms of Use.

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