Guides

Practical guides on checking companies, finding suppliers and buyers, and analysing markets from real foreign-trade shipment data.

How to analyse imports of a product by HS code

How to size an import market by HS code: find the right code, choose data sources, and read volume, supplier countries, companies, concentration, prices and seasonality, with a real example.

Updated: 22.10.2026

How to check a foreign company before a deal

A step-by-step check of a foreign supplier or buyer: official registers, sanctions lists, real shipment history, contacts and red flags.

Updated: 22.10.2026

How to choose a country for export

Compare export markets on demand, price, competition, duties and logistics using real shipment data, and see how Find new export markets ranks countries for your product.

Updated: 22.10.2026

How to build a buyer list for cold outreach

Turn a list of importers into a cold outreach plan: remove agents, split buyers by country, regularity, volume and current suppliers, choose who to write to first, write the first email and plan follow-ups.

Updated: 22.10.2026

How to calculate a competitive export price

Build your export price up to the buyer's border (CIF), bring it to the same unit and compare it with the real prices at which the product is imported, including freight and the duty gap.

Updated: 22.10.2026

How to find out who your competitors buy from

See your competitors' suppliers in foreign trade shipment data: company profiles, partner countries, product groups, search by product code, change notifications and the legal limits.

Updated: 22.10.2026

How to check import duties and trade restrictions

Where to check import duties, preferential rates, anti-dumping and other trade remedies, bans, quotas and sanctions for your product, and how Find new export markets shows them for each market.

Updated: 22.10.2026

How to enter the EAEU market

What is common and what is national in the Eurasian Economic Union: the common tariff, 10-digit TN VED EAEU codes, technical regulations and the EAC mark, the local applicant, payments and sanctions, and the EAEU data on Orion Markets.

Updated: 22.10.2026

How to estimate the market size for a product in a country

Estimate a product's market in a country from official trade statistics and foreign trade shipment data: imports, local production, number of importers, shares and the usual mistakes.

Updated: 22.10.2026

How to find buyers abroad for your product

Find foreign buyers from real import shipments: choose countries by demand and price, build a list of importers by HS code, decide who to contact first and make an offer.

Updated: 22.10.2026

How to find a distributor abroad

Find a distributor in another country among companies that already import similar goods: check their size, regularity, suppliers and brands, approach them and agree on territory, exclusivity and minimum volumes.

Updated: 22.10.2026

How to find the HS code for a product

How to classify a product step by step: the structure of the HS code, chapter notes and classification rules, national codes, customs rulings and binding decisions, and common mistakes.

Updated: 22.10.2026

How to find and check a foreign supplier

Find suppliers from real shipments to your market, narrow the list by regularity, price and customers, make first contact, test samples and check the company before you pay.

Updated: 22.10.2026

Where to get foreign trade data for a country

Free trade statistics (UN Comtrade, ITC Trade Map, Eurostat, national offices), tariff databases and paid shipment-level data: what each source answers, its limits, and what Orion Markets covers.

Updated: 22.10.2026

Foreign trade glossary in plain words

Foreign trade terms explained in plain words: HS code and national code, importer and exporter, consignment, CIF and FOB, customs value, duty, anti-dumping and other trade remedies, re-export, trading hubs, mirror data, HHI, seasonality, EAC and sanctions screening.

Updated: 22.10.2026

How to see the seasonality of imports

How to see when a country imports your product: read the heat map of shipments by month and year, peak months and low season, avoid partial-year and short-history traps, and use the season for sales, stock and production planning.

Updated: 22.10.2026

How to monitor competitors in foreign markets

What changes in competitors' foreign trade are worth watching, how to take a baseline and set up company, market and country monitoring on Orion Markets, and how to read the signals.

Updated: 22.10.2026

How to read foreign trade figures

How to read the number of shipments, value, weight, price per kilogram and partner countries in trade reports: what each figure counts, trading hubs, re-exports, seasons, partial periods and mirror data.

Updated: 22.10.2026

How to check whether a buyer's purchase volumes are real

Check a buyer's claimed purchase volumes against its foreign trade data: shipment count and period, product groups and partner countries in the company profile, its size in the market, regularity by month, red flags and honest reasons for a mismatch.

Updated: 22.10.2026

Orion Markets vs ImportGenius: what each covers and who it suits

A factual comparison of Orion Markets and ImportGenius: countries and types of data, records or ready answers, profiles, contacts, alerts, API, free access and pricing model, and when each one fits.

Updated: 22.10.2026

Orion Markets vs Panjiva: what each covers and who it suits

A factual comparison of Orion Markets and Panjiva (S&P Global): source countries, records or ready answers, company profiles, contacts, alerts, data delivery, free access and pricing model, and when each one fits.

Updated: 22.10.2026

Orion Markets vs Tradesparq: what each covers and who it suits

A factual comparison of Orion Markets and Tradesparq: countries and kinds of data, records or ready answers, company profiles, contacts, alerts, API, free access and pricing model, and when each one fits.

Updated: 22.10.2026

Orion Markets vs Volza: what each covers and who it suits

A factual comparison of Orion Markets and Volza: about 200 countries of different data kinds vs 14 countries, records or ready answers, contacts, alerts, API, free trial or free registration, pricing model, and when each one fits.

Updated: 22.10.2026
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