Exporting is just sending goods to another country and getting paid for them. If you take five bags of candy from your country to another on a plane, that is not exporting. You’re just bringing things with you.
A lot of things are exported. Importing, on the other hand, means that a country gets goods from another country.
Exporting is a key part of a country’s economy. It lets the people in the country make things, hire people, and make money. On the other hand, the goods will help the country that gets them because they don’t have enough of them.
For instance, there may be countries where rice is in high demand. But because their land isn’t good for growing crops, they have to ask another country to send it to them.
The country that sends the rice overseas is called the exporter, and the country that bought it is called the importer.
When you look at the numbers,
We live in a world where people send and get things. Many of the things you buy may not have been made in the country where you live. And if your country has good diplomatic ties, it is easier to sell goods to another country.
Statistics from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development show that the value of all goods traded around the world is $19.5 trillion. This means that money and goods changed hands around the world because of exporting. A businessperson would be happy to get a piece of that pie, even if it was only a small piece.
When you look at sites like Statista, the CIA’s World Fact Book, and Wikipedia, you can see that China is the world leader in exports and made 2 trillion US dollars in 2017.
The United States is in second place, followed by Germany, Japan, and South Korea. Because of this, a lot of the things sold in the US and other developed countries come from China. Most shoes, clothes, and gadgets come from China, including your iPhone.
The question is whether or not you can make money by exporting.
How to Send Goods Abroad
There are three ways to sell your goods in a different country.
These things:
- Shipping cargo by plane
- By road
There are some countries that can only be reached by land, so shipping goods on big trucks is the best way to go, especially if the country that gets the goods has a warehouse where they can be sent to different markets.
If the goods need to be sent to a faraway country that is separated by water, there are only two ways to do it: by sea or by air. Most of the time, exporters ship goods that will spoil quickly, like food, flowers, and fruit.
Most toys, clothes, and other things that don’t need to be eaten right away are sent by sea.
There is no best way to get your products to other countries. Each way has its own pros and cons. Shipping, for example, is a low-cost way to send goods overseas, and it is usually used for sending large quantities of goods that can last for months at sea.
Materials made of plastic, building materials like steel, and ready-made goods like clothes are all examples of these. With this method, frozen foods that have also been processed can be sent abroad. If you ship your goods to other countries, you can fill up big container vans with them so you don’t have to do it over and over again.
The fastest way is by truck, but it only works if your customers are in countries close to you. And trucks aren’t as big as container vans, so you should be ready to meet any demand.
The most expensive way is by plane, and this usually has to be planned months in advance. This is faster than shipping by sea, and it’s usually used for goods that can’t wait to get to their destination. Items that are exported in this way are usually much more expensive because of this.
The Different Ways to Export
There was a time when there was only one way to export. It was only business-to-business, which is what B2B stands for.
In this way, a company in China could send 1,000 table lamps to Walmart. Then, it will be Walmart’s job to get these lamps to all of its stores.
No longer does it always work like that. There are now two ways to do it. One is called indirect sales, while the other is called direct sales.
Using middlemen or intermediaries is an example of indirect selling. Most of the time, these are called EMC or export management companies. The EMC will look for buyers in other countries and place your order on their behalf.
As a producer, you give the items to the EMC, and the EMC takes care of the logistics of exporting. You are paid, and so are they.
In direct sales, the seller talks to the buyer directly, like a banana farmer who sends his bananas to another country. Most of the time, the manufacturer does business with the government or a large private company in the country where the goods are going.
Because of the internet, it is now easier to do direct sales. Direct selling is done on sites like Amazon, eBay, and AliExpress. When you order a phone case on AliExpress, you are ordering directly from the maker.
The phone case is shipped from the warehouse to your country by the company that made it.
How to Start Selling Abroad
To be able to export, you don’t need your own shipping line or planes. Experts in logistics are what these companies are called. It means that they know how to package, store, and then move your goods to where they need to go.
You need to work with them to make sure your goods are delivered on time. But that is only a small part of the whole business of exporting.
Here are the steps you need to take to get your exporting business up and running.
- Research the market for your product. Even if you want to sell to a big country like the US, you should ask yourself if there is a need for your product and who your competitors are. You can hire a data analytics company to help you do market research.
- Screen the markets. After you get information from companies that do data analytics, you need to cut down your list of markets. Then, you have to carefully look into which of these countries have the most people who might want to buy your goods.
- Analyze the profit potential. Let’s say you want to sell clothes in the US. You should also think about whether or not people in the US will buy your designs. You already know that there are trends in the market, so you need to know what they are. Part of this analysis is figuring out if your product is welcome in the country you want to sell to and if it costs enough for people to be able to buy it.
- Find buyers. The Internet can help you find buyers. You can sell your products at wholesale prices on Alibaba, or you can go to local and international trade shows to meet customers. You can also work with the government to find customers. Since you will be paying taxes on your sales, the government would love to work with you on this.
- This should be like a shopping list to help you choose your logistics partner. FedEx, DHL, UPS, and other well-known companies can help you with your exporting needs. Choose the one with the best price and the best guarantee that the goods will be handled carefully.
- Make it legal. Every country has a customs department that checks all the things that come into and leave the country. Talk to your government to find out what the rules are, and make sure you follow them all.
- Sell for a profit. There are many costs to think about when you export. There are costs for production, shipping, insurance, paperwork, taxes, duties on imports and exports, and so much more. Know how much you spend on each item and price them right to make a good profit.
Ways to pay that you can accept
As an exporter, cash won’t change hands like it does when two people do business together. Most of the time, your buyers will only give you a down payment and will pay the rest when the shipment arrives and has been inspected.
Your money is sleeping while your items are being shipped and while they are stuck in Customs. Make sure you have enough money to keep running your business, since you won’t get paid until later.
And since we’re talking about payments, you should have more than one way for people to pay you.
- Advanced payment means that you will get a down payment or the full payment before you send the goods overseas.
- You can only offer open credit or an open account if you know the buyer, like when you work with an export management company. If you choose this method of payment, you need to protect yourself and make sure that the goods you export are the same ones you sell. Just because the buyer changed his mind doesn’t mean you can take them back.
- You can take this payment, but you will have to pay the bank a lot of money in fees. If you accept this kind of payment, you must add your fees to the total cost of doing business.
- Credit card: As an exporter, you can sell your goods through your own website and charge your customers through a credit card payment processor.
- E-Wallet: An e-wallet is a way to pay for things online that keeps your financial information safe. PayPal, Neteller, and Skrill are all examples of this.
Summary
Exporting can be a very profitable business, especially if you live in a country with a lot of other producers like you. Even though you’ll have to do a lot of paperwork and work, you can expect to get paid well if you choose markets with better economies than your own.
In short, if you want to do well in the exporting business, you need to remember a few important things.
- You can choose between air, sea, and land when it comes to logistics.
- Channels: exporting through direct or indirect sales
- Market research: Do your homework and hire a data analytics or market research firm
- Legal: Make sure you know the rules about exporting in your own country and if the country you’re sending your goods to will let them in.
- Payment: Be ready to accept different ways to pay.
- If you are in the business of exporting, you can meet a lot of people from all over the world, as long as you have goods that they need. It lets people know about your business and lets you grow your market all over the world, not just in your area. This gives your business profits a much-needed boost.