One flat rate for cargo into Spain — storage included, no hidden fees
You got a quote that looked good, then a terminal handling fee, a pallet fee, a storage fee. Here is how we keep it to one number.
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You asked for a quote to get your cargo from Rotterdam to Valencia. It came back at a number that looked fine, so you planned your margin around it. Three weeks later the invoice lands and there is a terminal handling charge, a deconsolidation fee, a pallet surcharge, and a storage line because the pallets sat four days at the forwarder. The margin you planned is gone.
This is the problem we set out to fix. For cargo that needs Importer of Record services into Spain, DDP Spain gives you one flat rate. Customs clearance, storage, and last-mile delivery to your Spanish destination are all in that number. No line items that surprise you at the end.
What "flat rate" actually means in our pricing
One quote covers five things that normally arrive on separate invoices.
First, we act as Importer of Record. That means the cargo clears Spanish customs in our name, with the full liability that goes with it. Your company does not need an EU entity, an EORI, or a Spanish fiscal representative.
Second, VAT is handled through Spain's postponed accounting regime where it applies, so you are not pre-financing 21% of cargo value while the goods wait in the port.
Third, storage in our warehouse is included for a generous default window, not billed day-by-day. You are not watching a meter run.
Fourth, last-mile delivery inside Spain is priced in. Pallet, half-truck, full truck — the quote tells you which, and nothing shifts at the loading dock.
Fifth, the paperwork trail lives in our operations system. When you ask us where a specific delivery is on Tuesday afternoon, we can tell you without calling three people.
Where the hidden fees usually hide
If you have been shipping into Europe for a while you know the pattern. These are the lines that usually land after the quote and eat the margin.
Terminal handling charges (THC) at the port of arrival. Deconsolidation fees when your cargo shares a container with someone else's. Demurrage and detention when the forwarder underestimated the clearance time. Pallet exchange fees at the delivery warehouse. Storage fees calculated per cubic meter per day after a three-day free window nobody warned you about. Dispatch fees for each stop inside Spain. EUR 1 or ATR certificate handling fees when the origin required preferential paperwork.
Any one of these is small. Five of them on the same shipment is how a "fine" quote turns into a "why did we do this" invoice.
Our pricing folds the predictable ones into the flat rate and flags the rare ones (e.g. a random customs inspection opening the container) as documented pass-throughs.
When this setup fits your cargo
The flat-rate model makes the most sense when the cargo has two properties.
The first is that it needs Importer of Record services. If your buyer in Spain has agreed to be the importer and has their own EORI and fiscal capacity, you do not strictly need us — a standard freight forwarder may be cheaper. The flat rate exists because IOR work is where the hidden fees multiply.
The second is that the volume is predictable. Regular pallet lanes from a European port to a Spanish city, or a recurring ocean-freight flow from Asia into Valencia or Algeciras, are the sweet spot. A one-off oversized piece of project cargo is a conversation, not a flat quote.
For parcel shipments under 3 kg you probably want our DSD service instead — different product, different pricing, same "one number" idea.
What you need to send us for a quote
Three things get you a number, usually within the working day.
One commercial invoice or a Bill of Materials showing HS codes, unit values, and quantities. A packing list with weights and dimensions — pallet dims are fine, crate dims are better. And the origin and the Spanish destination (postal code is enough).
If you do not have HS codes yet, send a product description and we will classify. Getting the tariff code wrong is the single biggest cause of clearance delays, and we would rather sort it before the container arrives.