Importers and exporters have become more active against the backdrop of the coronavirus, global instability and crisis - it's time to take advantage of reduced competition to enter new international markets.

Suppliers from different countries use all possible mechanisms to promote goods, especially online stores. The traffic of online stores and international marketplaces has practically not decreased, because customers are used to comparing prices and choosing the most profitable option, saving time and appreciating convenience, and this is exactly what online trading platforms allow. We also usually invite exporters to get started and look for first buyers on international marketplaces - this is the cheapest and fastest way.

Why is it beneficial:

• Foreign buyers will find out about you and you do not need to take care of finding customers on your own, pay for the creation, translation into foreign languages and promotion of your own site. Internet sites take over the attraction of traffic.

• You can find out in which countries customers are most interested in your product. If your product is not in demand in your country, then buyers in other countries can wait for it! For example, in the spring of 2022, there was a boom in sales of agricultural products in China - sunflower oil, flour and confectionery.

• Compare your product with the offer of competitors: price, packaging, materials, equipment, etc. Perhaps you will see how you can improve the product and adjust the price.

The main international b2b marketplaces, such as Alibaba and IndustryStock, are online product showcases where companies from different countries can find a partner and agree on the supply.

With the help of marketplaces, you can relatively quickly, at least in 3 months, establish cross-border export of goods from scratch. It is enough to register a company on the site, issue product cards and arrange delivery using one of the proposed companies.

But there is a layer of non-obvious nuances, for example, a free account on Alibaba can be “lost” in the search, so you need to register a paid account to get the result.

In order to make it easier for manufacturers to export, we have developed B2B-FAIR.ONLINE, an international wholesale online trading platform that hosts offers from suppliers from 25 countries around the world.

The platform is free for manufacturers, sellers and buyers, there is no % of the transaction, which means that the price of goods on the platform is minimal for the buyer, and sellers and buyers can cooperate outside the platform.

Works in Russian, English and Chinese.

Instant upload and update of any number of products to the platform.

Automatic placement of goods on Yandex.Market is available for those who sell not only wholesale, but also retail.

A nice bonus for exporters: their own website page with a catalog of goods, an online messenger and help with loading product cards. And we also provided for the division of goods not only by categories, countries and regions of Russia, but by groups of countries, such as BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) and SCO (India, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan).

How to start exporting?

• Select the country or countries of export.
  Explore open data on the net about the volume of exports to different countries, for example, on the websites of industry unions, associations in Germany and Turkey, you can find information on distribution channels.
• Think over a strategy for promoting and adapting the product to future customers. 
  Find out and study the tastes of future buyers, the peculiarities of the mentality, in order to understand whether it is necessary to change the packaging, what promotion channels and strategy to use. For example, in some Arab countries it is forbidden to show people's open eyes. Everything related to food, cosmetics, interior is especially in demand.
• Study the laws and documents of both countries. Permits for export from the Russian Federation, import into the country of import and sale. For example, such documents will also be needed when exporting cultural property, intellectual property, etc. Pay special attention to whether your product belongs to the category of dual-use goods. When exporting, the VAT rate is zero, but this must also be confirmed by documents by sending them to the tax office.
• Logistics. By plane. The fastest, up to 14 days, but the most expensive. Railway or auto. Usually, the most average in terms of price and speed. Delivery times up to a month. Shipping. Delivery time - from 45 days. More often used for transportation of large cargoes from 1 container. It is considered the most economical, but you need to carefully compare the cost depending on the parameters of the cargo and the route.

Next, you need to find a buyer and agree with him on the payment format: letter of credit, collection, prepayment, etc.

In the era of progress, you can find a buyer anytime and anywhere: at an exhibition, on a marketplace, even on a tourist trip!