Building DDP for Posts with UPU | Decoding Cross-Border Ecommerce | Ep #66

Decoding Cross-Border Ecommerce

Episode 66 of the Decoding Cross-Border Ecommerce podcast explores how postal operators around the world can implement Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) solutions, with direct insight from David Avsec of the Universal Postal Union (UPU).
Hosts Clint Reid, Founder and CEO of Zonos, and Aaron Bezzant, Zonos’ Head of Global Trade Strategy, discuss the technical and policy challenges around DDP in the postal network—especially with changes to global regulations and de minimis thresholds in the U.S. and EU.
They uncover the role of the UPU, the growing urgency for posts to offer DDP in order to stay competitive in ecommerce, and how the right technology and cooperation can make global DDP a scalable reality for posts of any size.
Whether you're a postal operator, ecommerce platform, or global merchant, this episode sheds light on the infrastructure being built to support DDP worldwide—and why it matters more than ever.
[00:00:00] Introductions and welcoming David from the UPU
[00:01:50] Why UPU partnered with Zonos and the HS classification challenge
[00:02:57] David’s 30-year history with UPU and postal technology
[00:10:00] Why David came to St. George — urgency around U.S. regulatory changes
[00:13:23] DDP vs DDU: The case for postal reform and better customer experience
[00:17:02] Why DDP is now critical for posts and ecommerce competitiveness
[00:20:24] Why posts should look at DDP as an exciting opportunity and not a burden
[00:28:26] Timeline and adoption challenges across global posts
[00:32:05] Europe’s upcoming de minimis changes and global regulatory trends
[00:34:37] Closing thoughts