What is customs data, and how do you use it to find buyers?

What is customs data?

Customs data (also called import export data or trade data) is the record of individual shipments crossing a border. It comes from customs declarations and from bills of lading, the transport documents of sea shipments. Unlike trade statistics, which tell you how much a country imports, shipment records can tell you who imported it.

For an exporter this is the most direct way to find buyers: instead of guessing which companies might need your product, you see the companies that bought it last month.

What a record contains

Field	What it tells you
Importer	The company that received the goods; in some countries also its address
Exporter or shipper	The supplier abroad, where the source publishes it
HS code and description	The product code (at least 6 digits) and the goods description as declared
Quantity, weight and value	Units, gross or net weight, and declared value, depending on the source
Origin and destination	Country of origin, country of export, ports of loading and discharge
Date	Arrival, declaration or shipment date

Customs data vs trade statistics

• Trade statistics (for example ITC Trade Map or UN Comtrade) show totals by country and product. They answer “which country?”: how to choose a target market.
• Customs records show individual shipments and companies. They answer “who buys there?”.

Use both in this order: statistics to pick 3–5 countries, records to find the buyers in them.

How to find buyers with customs data

1. Fix the HS code. Search with the first 6 digits, which are shared worldwide: what is an HS code. Add close codes if your product sits between two.
2. Pull the importers in your target countries. Filter the records by code, country and the last 12–24 months.
3. Rank them. Look at shipment frequency, quantities that fit your capacity, and where they buy from. A company buying regularly from your competitors’ countries is a strong lead.
4. Remove the noise. Merge different spellings of the same company and set aside forwarders and one-off importers.
5. Research each company. Is it active, what does it do, who handles purchasing? A record gives a name, not a contact person.
6. Contact them with a reason. Your first message can say you know they import this product. That alone lifts reply rates: how to find buyers abroad.

Limits you should know

Limit	What to do about it
Coverage differs by country	Some countries publish shipment-level records with company names; others publish only aggregated statistics. Always check what a source covers for your target country.
Names can hide the real buyer	The consignee may be a freight forwarder, a logistics company or a branch; the notify party is sometimes the real buyer.
Descriptions are written by people	The same product appears under different words, spellings and sometimes neighbouring HS codes.
There is a time lag	Records arrive weeks or months after the shipment, depending on the country.

Frequently asked questions