Door to Door Shipping
in the US — End-to-End Freight Forwarding for Importers
Door to door shipping into the US looks simple when you book it. Pickup at the supplier. Delivery at your warehouse. One rate on the quote. Then the move actually starts. The origin agent quotes a chassis fee. The destination agent quotes a different one. ISF runs late and a penalty lands on the file. Drayage gets handed to a partner you've never spoken to. Final-mile delivery slips a day, then two, because nobody owns the appointment. By invoice day, the “all-in” rate isn’t all-in anymore. Platton runs full ocean freight coverage on every major trade lane into the US.
Platton runs door to door as one accountable workflow, not five disconnected handoffs. A single US-based freight specialist owns the file from supplier pickup through final delivery. Origin handling, ocean or air freight, ISF and customs entry, drayage, inland trucking. All on the same booking, billed against the quote you accepted. Every milestone surfaces in one dashboard, not in five email threads.
Why importers choose Platton for door to door shipping
Most door to door bookings get split between three or four intermediaries: origin forwarder, ocean or air carrier, customs partner, drayage operator, final-mile trucker. Each one quotes separately, invoices separately, and updates on its own schedule. We collapse the whole chain. Rate comparisons that come back in minutes, not the next afternoon. Milestones that update automatically. One US-based specialist whose name is on your file from origin pickup to warehouse receiving.
AI-powered door to door rate comparison
Our system pulls live door to door rates from carriers, NVOCC partners, and inland trucking networks across every major US lane. The full landed cost lines up side by side: ocean or air freight, origin handling, customs, drayage, final mile. The cheapest sailing is rarely the fastest one. The comparison view lets you pick the trade-off that actually fits your inventory plan, instead of waiting for one option to come back in a PDF.
One owner from origin pickup to your warehouse
Every door to door file gets a named freight specialist. Same person from quote through final delivery. The supplier knows who's coordinating pickup. Customs knows who's filing the entry. Your warehouse receiving team knows who to call when the appointment shifts a day. No handoffs between disconnected origin and destination teams.
Predictable, all-in pricing with no surprise accessorials
The quote you accept is the invoice you receive. Bunker adjustments, terminal handling, chassis fees, ISF filing, customs entry, drayage, final-mile trucking. Every line item shows up at the quoting stage, not at billing. If a peak season GRI hits between booking and sailing, you get the alert before the cargo loads. Not as a charge buried two pages into next month's invoice.
How door to door shipping
with Platton works
Door to door means one booking, supplier loading dock to your destination: warehouse, 3PL, distribution center, or Amazon FBA facility. The sequence below shows what happens between those two points, with clear ownership and clear handoff criteria at every step.
Door to door booking and rate comparison
You send us the basics: origin address, destination zip, mode preference (ocean FCL, ocean LCL, or air), cargo dimensions and weight, ready date, commodity, Incoterm. Within hours, you receive a comparison of live door to door rates ranked by total landed cost and transit time. You pick a sailing or flight, we issue the booking and lock the rate.
Door to door service types we offer
Door to door is mode-agnostic. What changes is how the cargo moves between origin and destination, and which Incoterm sets duty and delivery responsibility. We book all four combinations on the same platform.
Door to door ocean freight
Ocean is the default mode for door to door shipping into the US once volume crosses one full pallet, or roughly 1 cbm. We book FCL (full container) and LCL (less than container) under door to door coverage. End-to-end ocean transit from Asia runs 30 to 50 days. Per-cbm cost lands at a fraction of the air alternative.
Door to door air freight
Air door to door fits time-critical cargo and high-value, low-volume shipments where the per-kg air rate is justified by inventory carrying cost or a launch deadline. End-to-end transit runs 5 to 12 days from major Asian origin airports to US destinations, with airport pickup, customs, and final-mile trucking included.
DDP door to door
DDP door to door (Delivered Duty Paid) is the Incoterm where the seller covers everything end-to-end: freight, insurance, US customs duties, MPF, HMF, Section 301 tariffs, final-mile delivery. The buyer takes the cargo at the destination with no further charges. DDP is the common choice for Amazon FBA shipments and for importers who want one landed-cost number with zero customs exposure on their side.
DAP door to door
DAP door to door (Delivered at Place) is door to door without duty included. We deliver the cargo to your address, but US import duty, MPF, HMF, and any Section 301 tariffs stay with the importer of record. DAP is the more common Incoterm for established US importers who already operate under their own continuous bond and want to keep duty control on their side.
What's included in Platton's door to door shipping service
Every door to door quote covers the full move under one booking, not just the freight leg. Specialty add-ons (cargo insurance, bonded warehousing, FBA prep, palletization at origin) are quoted separately and surfaced before booking. Never invoiced after.
Origin pickup at the supplier or factory
Export documentation, terminal handling, and container or air ULD loading
Bill of lading or air waybill issuance and document validation
Ocean or air freight on the next available departure
ISF (10+2) filing at least 24 hours before vessel loading
US customs entry, HTS classification, duty and tariff calculation
Section 301 tariff review and continuous bond coordination
Drayage from US port or airport to your destination
Final-mile delivery to your warehouse, 3PL, DC, or FBA facility
Real-time milestone tracking and one named freight specialist on your file
Door to door shipping rates and what affects them
Door to door rates change weekly. The base ocean or air freight is one line on the quote. What actually moves the total cost is everything sitting on top of that line: surcharges, accessorials, customs charges, inland delivery. That's why two “all-in” door to door quotes from different forwarders can land $1,500 apart on the same lane.
Factors that influence door to door rates
Origin and destination address (zip code, not just port). Mode and service level: ocean FCL, ocean LCL, or air. Cargo volume, weight, and chargeable weight ratio. Incoterm: DDP shifts duty and tariff onto the rate, DAP keeps it on the importer. Sailing date relative to peak season (June through October out of Asia). Commodity, since hazardous, restricted, or FDA-scope cargo carries higher handling. Bunker adjustments, peak season surcharges, terminal handling, chassis fees, inland fuel. These are the line items most often missing from competitor “all-in” quotes.
How to get an accurate door to door quote
Submit the basics: origin address, destination zip, mode preference, cargo dimensions and weight, ready date, commodity description, HTS code if available, Incoterm. We send back a comparison of door to door rates from carriers and partners running that lane, with every surcharge, customs fee, drayage charge, and final-mile cost broken out as a line item. The total on the quote is the total on the invoice.
Door to door vs port to port
Port to port covers only the freight leg between origin port and US port of discharge. Door to door covers the full move under one booking: supplier pickup, freight, US customs, drayage, final-mile delivery. Port to port looks cheaper on the quote, because the quote ends at the port. Door to door looks more expensive on the quote and almost always lands cheaper on actual landed cost, once chassis, demurrage, drayage, customs fees, and trucking get added back in.
| Factor | Door to Door | Port to Port |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Supplier pickup to warehouse delivery, one booking | Origin port to US port of discharge only |
| Customs | Coordinated through licensed customs broker on file | Importer arranges separately with own broker |
| Drayage | Booked on the same file, in the same free-time window | Importer coordinates with separate drayage operator |
| Vendor count | One forwarder, one specialist, one invoice | Four to five vendors, multiple invoices, multiple timelines |
| Best for | Importers who want a single landed-cost number | Importers with their own customs, drayage, and trucking contracts |
Industries we serve with door to door shipping
Door to door is the default service model for US importers who want one landed-cost number and one point of contact across the entire import lifecycle.
Door to door shipping trade lanes into the US
We run door to door service on every major Asia-to-US trade lane and on the highest-volume Europe-to-US lanes. Transit times below are end-to-end, supplier pickup to warehouse delivery, not vessel- or flight-only.
China 
US
Door to door shipping from China to the US
Our highest-volume lane. Origin coverage spans Shanghai, Ningbo, Shenzhen (Yantian, Shekou), Qingdao, Xiamen, Tianjin, plus inland sourcing hubs like Yiwu and Dongguan. End-to-end ocean transit runs 30 to 50 days into US warehouses. Air door to door runs 5 to 10 days. Section 301 tariff exposure is reviewed on every entry.
India US
Door to door shipping from India to the US
Origin coverage includes Mundra, Nhava Sheva (Mumbai), and Chennai, with inland pickup across Delhi NCR, Tirupur, and Ludhiana. End-to-end ocean transit runs 40 to 55 days via Suez to East Coast, or 45 to 60 via transshipment to West Coast. Air door to door runs 7 to 12 days. Strong lane for textiles, home goods, pharmaceutical inputs, and specialty manufactured items.
Vietnam US
Door to door shipping from Vietnam to the US
Origin coverage includes Ho Chi Minh City (Cat Lai), Haiphong, and Cai Mep, with inland pickup across Binh Duong and Dong Nai. End-to-end ocean transit runs 30 to 45 days. Air door to door runs 6 to 10 days. Vietnam volumes have grown sharply as importers diversify away from China-only sourcing.
Get a door to door shipping quote
Send us the lane, the mode, the ready date, and the destination address. You'll receive a comparison of live door to door rates with every line item broken out: origin handling, freight, ISF, customs, drayage, final mile. The actual landed cost is visible before you commit. Typical response time is under four business hours.
Request your door to door quote
Frequently asked questions about door to door shipping
Door to door shipping is an international freight service where one forwarder books and manages the entire move from the supplier's address to the importer's destination under a single rate and a single point of contact. That includes origin pickup, ocean or air freight, US customs clearance, drayage, and final-mile delivery.
Door to door transit time depends on mode and lane. Ocean door to door from China to US warehouses runs 30 to 50 days end-to-end. Air door to door runs 5 to 12 days on the same lanes. Add 1 to 3 days for final-mile delivery if the destination is outside major metro hubs.
Door to door cost depends on mode, origin and destination address, cargo dimensions, Incoterm, and current carrier surcharges. As a 2026 benchmark, an FCL 40HQ door to door from China to a Los Angeles warehouse runs $3,500 to $5,200 all-in. The same container DDP into the East Coast runs $5,000 to $7,500 with duty and tariff included.
Port to port covers only the ocean or air freight leg between origin port and US port of discharge. Door to door covers the full move under one booking: supplier pickup, freight, customs, drayage, and final delivery. Port to port pushes origin and destination handling onto the importer; door to door consolidates everything under one forwarder.
DDP door to door (Delivered Duty Paid) is a door to door service where the seller pays freight, US customs duties, MPF, HMF, Section 301 tariffs, and final-mile delivery. The buyer takes the cargo at the destination with no additional charges. DDP is the common Incoterm for Amazon FBA shipments and for importers who want one landed-cost number.
Door to door shipping is calculated as the sum of origin handling, international freight (ocean or air), surcharges (BAF, peak season, chassis), US customs charges (entry, MPF, HMF, duty, tariffs), drayage, and final-mile trucking. Platton issues a single all-in quote with every line item broken out before booking.
The technical minimum for door to door ocean LCL is around 0.5 cbm. Air door to door has no formal minimum, though most carriers apply a chargeable-weight floor of 45 kg. Door to door FCL starts at one full 20ft container and scales up from there.
Door to door stops being the right model when your operations team already has contracted customs, drayage, and final-mile partners in place. At that point, port to port plus your own coordination can come in marginally cheaper. For most importers below five containers a month, door to door stays the simpler and more cost-predictable structure.
Partner with Platton for reliable freight consolidation
Talk to a Platton freight specialist about your supplier list, regular consolidation lanes, and FBA or warehouse delivery requirements. We'll map out a buyers consolidation plan with confirmed rates, customs handled in-house, and one point of contact from origin pickup to final delivery