How to Find Importers In the USA?

Neha Javed
5 min readJul 21, 2020

--

Guide to promote your business and find new importers in the USA

Selling to foreign buyers and finding genuine importers from the USA can be very large and complex and small and simple at the same time. The USA is one of the world’s major importing countries. But the nature of the business there is highly competitive! When you are trying to get into international trading, finding is the right customers is the first and foremost obstacles that you need to overcome. The challenge to find the foreign buyers list is even more difficult when you are just getting started. Whether you sell beverages or ballets, it’s easier than you think.

Exporters from almost every country are interested in selling their goods to US buyers. But the US importers are the ones who dictate the terms of business, thus selling to US importers requires a keen understanding of the import process. Not enough emphasis on understanding can be the key to failure. The most significant error you can make here is to sell to the US customers or importers in the same way you would do to sell in the domestic regions. The US importing community has a set of rules, laws, and customs.

Finding Importers in the United States:

If you want to create a successful and long term exporting business with the US importers, you must choose the overseas buyers even more carefully. There are lots of options that you can take into account and find new overseas opportunities. If you are unable to recognize the right customers, all your efforts will be in vain. Doing business with someone who is situated far away geographically, speaks a different language, and entertains a particular set of customs and laws is much more complicated than doing business with the local importers.

Today, thanks to the modern day’s best friend internet, there are quite a few places where an exporter can find prospective buyers from the US. Trade fairs, B2B websites, Foreign agencies, Buying agents, the Country’s embassy, and your own Salesperson are just a few among many. Exporting products to foreign countries is never easy. You want to become accustomed to cultural norms, language, and other barriers in order to succeed. Technology has made it extremely easier to find importers in the USA than it was in the past.

B2B Websites:

B2B websites remain the most effective ways of reaching and convincing USA importers to purchase your products or services. The results that you will get via Online B2B websites are much better and beneficial than possible with any other technique. Using B2B trade platforms means showcasing your products or services to a wide range of customers via digital storefronts. The initial thing that you need to do is find a decent online B2B website, register to the platform, and present your collection in front of a wide-ranging foreign buyers list. A list of millions of US importers belonging to a variety of different sectors can be found on Tradewheel.com, Alibaba, Amazon, Beautetrade.com, GlobalSpec, and ThomasNet. This contemporary business model has introduced reliability and speed into trade operations. They operate 24/7 internationally, providing you with adept opportunities to find USA based buyers.

Trade Fairs:

Trade fairs are trade exhibitions or expos organized so that business belonging to a niche industry can come together to showcase and demonstrate all their latest items, services, and innovations. Trade fairs have evolved as a significant event for the business community that provides a chance for the exporters to influence and inspire international buyers and in your case, USA importers with their products to build a lasting business relationship. Businesses tend to attend these fairs to pursue as many importers as possible.

Foreign Agencies:

A vast number of countries around the world, including the US, entertain the idea of state-sponsored trading companies responsible for importing products from foreign buyers. Do your homework and try to identify such agencies that can help you with your goal. Usually, United States-based embassies have at least a representative who can help you, and they almost always speak fluent English. Different agencies are tasked to import different products, such as raw materials, IT equipment, and more. With the services of a Foreign agency representative, you can easily connect with who you should contact.

Commission Agents:

Mimicking the practices of foreign agency agents, the commission agents also help the exporters identify the right places to pitch their products to gain reliable and genuine buyers. the key difference between the two is that commission agents are not employed by the government but work precisely to make a commission. These agents are middlemen, who find the right exporters and buy bulk consignments on behalf of local distributors. Dealing with such an agent is far too easier compared to the alternative. These agents are usually very motivated individuals as they are paid on commissions.

Salesperson:

Another way to find the right buyers in the US for your business is by using a salesperson’s services. You can commission a sales agent in the USA on your behalf to find individuals and firms to support your export business. These people can take away all your burden of finding the right customer and help you overcome various other obstacles like language barriers, etc. so that you can solely focus on manufacturing. These salespeople can accommodate you a lot, especially when you are trying to break into the US market for the first time. They have a better understanding of the market, buyers, and local customs. By having such an agent, you can be almost sure to avoid all scammers and deal with genuine US importers.

There are always people and new firms who are looking for exporters; the matter is to find them. One thing that shouldn't be ignored is, if you serve a USA buyer with poor services, late delivery, ill quality, or behave in a way that an exporter should refrain from, chances are the word will get around other importers as well, tarnishing your reputation as an eligible exporter. After you have connected with a genuine importer, be sure to provide a good quality product on time. Incorporate one or more of the above-mentioned approaches to your buyer finding criteria and get potential USA buyers for your exports easily.

--

--

Neha Javed

My name is Neha Javed, I am a marketing analyst with lots to say about innovations in all aspects of digital technology and online marketing.