Lara GuevaraSupply Chain expert (Product and Service)

Compare This Before You Ship

24 Apr 2026 · 1 min

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Lara Guevara warns that suppliers aren't logistics experts. When you give them full shipping control under DDP terms, they optimize for their convenience, not your costs. Get an independent freight-forwarder quote to see what you're actually paying.

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One of the most expensive assumptions in sourcing is treating your supplier as your logistics partner. Your supplier's expertise is manufacturing. Logistics is usually secondary. When you give suppliers full DDP control, they arrange freight based on convenience, not necessarily optimization. They select insurance, they select carriers, they manage customs, but their priorities may not match yours. Independent freight forwarders specialize in logistics. They negotiate rates, they optimize routes, they advise on duty classification. Get at least one competing freight quote from an independent forwarder. Compare it to your supplier's DDP price. The difference reveals the cost of convenience.