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Door to Door
Freight Shipping
One partner from your supplier's floor to your final door.
Full door to door service from Asia origins, port to door from Europe, with US customs clearance
handled by licensed customs brokers and delivery anywhere in the country.
What Is Door to Door Freight Shipping?
Door to door freight shipping is a single service covering every leg of an international shipment: pickup at your supplier's facility, export clearance, ocean or air freight, US customs clearance, port drayage, and final delivery to your warehouse or distribution center. One provider, one quote, one point of contact.
You can also provide this service on your own, but that would require you to be in charge of 4-5 different providers: a supplier located at origin; an ocean carrier or forwarder; licensed customs brokers; a drayage company at the port of entry; and a trucking carrier for the final leg. There are multiple hand offs with each vendor you hire which increases the likelihood of lost information and idled freight. By having AEEM as your Door to Door provider we collapse these hand-offs into one accountably responsible partner that will work on behalf of your organization through one file.
We operate out of the Los Angeles area where over 40% of all containerized imports come through the San Pedro Bay complex. The cargo arrives at our home gateway, clears customs, and goes directly to southern ca via road/rail or nationwide. Each milestone is posted to one thread from the time your supplier confirms booking thru proof of delivery.
Pickup at your supplier's facility or origin city
Scheduled with your supplier
Export documentation and origin clearance
Filed at the origin port
Ocean freight (FCL or LCL) or air freight
Booked to schedule
US customs clearance handled by licensed customs brokers
Entry and ISF filing coordinated
Drayage out of the San Pedro Bay port complex
Appointment-managed off terminal
Final mile FTL or LTL delivery with appointment scheduling
Nationwide by road and rail
Door to Door vs Port to Door vs Port to Port
The three service models differ only in where responsibility starts and ends. Match the model to your Incoterm and the rest of the shipment runs the same way.
Port to Door Shipping
Port to Door Shipping begins at a point that is at the end of your supplier’s responsibilities. Your supplier, or their freight forwarder, will be responsible for delivering the cargo to the Origin Port and completing export clearances under an FOB (Free on Board) agreement. AEEM assumes all risk from the time of Vessel Loading: Ocean Freight, U.S. Customs Clearance performed by Licensed Customs Brokers, Drayage from the San Pedro Bay Port Complex and final Delivery to your door, anywhere in the United States.
This is how most Importers who are purchasing FOB from existing suppliers receive shipments; It is also the common method for suppliers based in Europe to quote Delivered-To-Port prices. You continue to maintain the same Supplier Relationship and Pricing you currently have. With AEEM, you can convert the portion of the shipment that you have complete control over, into One Move, with One Point of Contact.
How Your Shipment Moves
Door to door begins at the factory. Port to door begins when your supplier hands cargo to the origin terminal. From vessel loading on, the journey is identical.
Which Incoterm Do You Need?
Your Incoterm decides your service model before anyone quotes a rate. Here is the map.
EXW / FCA
EXW has you in charge of goods at suppliers' facilities. That's a complete door-to-door option. However, when using FCA it operates just like EXW for pickup but has the exporter (your supplier) to handle all aspects of export clearances; therefore most people find that asking for FCA is preferable to EXW.
FOB
When purchasing on an FOB basis you will have your supplier deliver to the exporting port and clear customs. The freight will be port to door: AEEM will manage all services from loading the vessel through to the final delivery.
DDP / DAP
DDP and DAP are delivery options rather than routes. When shipping as DAP, you will be responsible for paying duties & taxes upon arrival into destination country. With DDP, the exporter (seller) is responsible for paying duties & taxes, and they also handle clearing U.S. Customs. Most shippers prefer to keep responsibility for their own imports within their control.
Door to Door Shipping FAQs
Transit times, rates, and what the lane actually requires.
The difference lies in whether the transportation of goods is merely along a particular route (from the shipper’s location to the buyer’s location) or if the payment of duties is also involved. For example, a “door-to-door” shipment can be arranged under either DAP (where the buyer pays duties upon arrival), or DDP (where the seller covers duties).
The main difference between these two options is where AEEM takes over. With "port-to-door" shipping, your supplier or their forwarder delivers the cargo to the origin port and completes export clearance, and AEEM manages everything from vessel loading through final delivery. With "door-to-door" shipping, AEEM picks up the cargo directly at your supplier's warehouse or facility and handles every leg from there.
Yes, all customs clearance will be included as part of the door-to-door services provided by AEEM; however, as mentioned earlier, you will still be responsible for paying duty unless you select to use DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) which means the Seller is responsible for obtaining and paying for all necessary documents and fees required for the importation of the goods into your country. These costs would be stated in your AEEM Quote.
Typically, door-to-door freight takes anywhere from 18 to 30 business days from Asian ports to a Southern California door, depending on the origin port, sailing schedules, customs releases and final mile distances. However, air door-to-door shipments usually take around 5-10 business days. Lane-specific information for China, Vietnam, and India can be found in our respective destination pages.
You should consider using EXW or FCA. With both of these options, we are able to provide full-service door-to-door because AEEM takes over at your suppliers' facilities or cities. When buying FOB, your suppliers deliver to the origin port and then your shipment becomes port-to-door rather than door-to-door.
A single rate that covers every leg you book: including but not limited to pickup at your suppliers’ locations if applicable, export documentation preparation and submission, ocean or air freight costs, coordination with customs brokerage firms, port drayage expenses, and final-mile delivery charges. The quotation will detail each expense incurred and list specific factors that drive those expenses so that you can easily compare it line-by-line to any competing quotes.
