US vendor of record & DDP, explained.
The difference between buying Taiwan-made hardware and importing it is who carries the classification, the duty, and the compliance risk. A vendor-of-record structure moves all of it off your desk — here's exactly how.
Three ways to buy offshore hardware
Factory-direct
Cheapest sticker price, but you become the importer of record: HTS classification, origin declaration, duty, freight, QC, and the compliance liability are all yours.
Commission agent
A middleman who connects you to a factory for a percentage. Easily bypassed, and still leaves the import and quality risk with you.
Vendor of record (our model)
One US company issues the invoice, takes title, imports the goods, and warrants them. You hold one accountable entity; we hold the factories.
What the vendor-of-record structure actually does
- One US invoice, in USD, Net 30 — your accounting sees a domestic vendor, not a foreign wire.
- We take title to the goods and are the importer of record.
- DDP — delivered duty paid — freight, customs brokerage, and duty are in our price, not separate surprises.
- We own the classification and origin declaration — and the compliance liability that rides on them, including the 40% transshipment exposure.
- We own the quality outcome — a bad part is remake-or-credit from us, under US jurisdiction.
Why "delivered landed cost" beats a low factory quote
A factory-direct quote is a sticker price; your true cost is that plus freight, brokerage, duty, financing, and the hours your team spends importing and inspecting. DDP folds all of it into one number you can drop straight onto your BOM. See a worked landed-cost example.
Frequently asked
What is a vendor of record?
A US company that issues your invoice, takes title to the goods, and is legally accountable for them — as opposed to a commission agent who merely connects you to a factory. Your PO, payment terms, and quality recourse all sit with that one US entity.
What does DDP mean?
Delivered Duty Paid: the seller is responsible for the goods, freight, customs clearance, and import duties all the way to your door. You pay one price and receive the parts — no separate broker, freight, or duty invoices.
Who is the importer of record here?
We are. That means the HTS classification, country-of-origin declaration, duty payment, and the compliance liability that comes with them are ours — not yours.
One invoice, one accountable company.
Send a part and we'll quote it delivered duty paid, in USD, on Net 30.