How to find buyers for your product abroad: 7 methods compared

Market first, then buyer

Do not start with “whom should I email?” but with “in which country?”. When you choose 3–5 countries with large and growing imports of your product, the buyer search becomes focused. For choosing countries, see how to choose a target export market.

Once the countries are set, the goal is to find the companies buying your product there today, and to reach the right person with the right offer.

Seven methods compared

Method	What it gives you	Cost	Speed	Weak point
Customs and bill of lading records	Shows the companies that actually import your product today	Medium	Fast	A record gives only a name and address; each company must be researched
International trade fairs	Face-to-face meetings, showing the product, trust	High	Slow (a few times a year)	Visitors may be competitors; without follow-up, nothing remains
B2B marketplaces	Visibility to buyers who post requests	Low–medium	Medium	Price-driven and crowded; filtering serious buyers takes work
Trade missions and export agencies	Official channel; meetings with buyers in the target country	Low–medium	Slow	You do not control the calendar or the places
LinkedIn and direct email	Direct access to decision makers	Low	Medium	Messages sent without knowing the company go unanswered; marketing rules apply
Digital ads (for example Meta)	Quote requests from business buyers in the target country	Medium	Fast	Needs budget and good targeting; converts poorly without a credible website
Distributors and agents	A lasting sales network in the country	Medium–high	Slow	Choosing the right partner and contract terms is critical

These methods complement each other. Booking fair meetings with buyers you found in customs records, or aiming ads at those countries, makes every method stronger.

Finding buyers in customs records

Customs and bill of lading records show which company in an importing country bought which product, from which country and in what quantity. Online directories show who wants to sell; customs records show who actually buys.

1. Confirm your HS code. Records are searched by the first 6 digits of the HS code, not by product name: what is an HS code.
2. List the importers. Extract the companies that regularly import that code in your target countries.
3. Research each company. Is it active today, what does it do (importer, distributor, retail chain), and whom should you contact?
4. Prioritise. Start with companies that buy regularly, in quantities that fit your capacity, from your country or from your competitors’ countries.

First contact: short, personal, specific

The aim of the first message is not to sell but to get a reply. The skeleton of a first message that works:

1. Subject line: The product and what makes you different, for example “[Product] manufacturer, [feature] for the [country] market”.
2. Why you are writing to them: Show in one sentence that you know they import this product.
3. Who you are: That you are the manufacturer, your capacity and your one or two strongest certificates.
4. A concrete offer: A price list, a sample or a short call.
5. An easy reply: End with a single question; say you will not write again if they are not interested.

If there is no reply, follow up once or twice, a week or two apart. Follow the marketing rules in every message; the rules for lists we deliver are in our Research Delivery and Use Terms.

Frequently asked questions