How to find and check a foreign supplier

The most reliable way to find a foreign supplier is to look at who already ships your product to your country or to similar markets. Foreign trade shipment data names these companies and shows their countries, how often they ship and whom they sell to. Pick five to ten candidates from them, compare them, ask for quotes and samples, check the company you choose and start with a small order.

Directories and marketplaces list anyone who registers or pays for a listing, and many of those companies resell goods made by others. Shipment data shows who has actually delivered. This guide covers finding and choosing a supplier. The legal check of the company you pick (registers, sanctions lists, bank details) is described in a separate guide, How to check a foreign company before a deal.

Step 1. Describe what you buy and find the product code

Before you search, write a short specification: material or grade, size, packaging, the certificates your market requires, the volume per month and the delivered price you are aiming for. You will send the same text to every candidate, so their answers can be compared.

Then find the HS code, the international product code used in foreign trade. Its first 6 digits mean the same in almost every country; each country adds its own digits for a more detailed national code.

• Take the code from your previous import documents or ask the person or company that handles your import paperwork.
• If you are not sure, describe the product in words on the Find suppliers page and, after free sign-in, the site will suggest matching codes.
• Before the search runs, you confirm the national codes for each market. One 6-digit code often covers several products, so by keeping only the codes for your product you leave out suppliers of something close but different.

Step 2. Build a list from real shipments

On Find suppliers you enter a 4–6 digit code and choose the markets, that is, the countries the goods are shipped to. Orion Markets has foreign trade shipment data for 14 countries; the list and periods are on the data coverage page. If your country is covered, choose it. If not, choose countries with similar requirements and buyers, for example your neighbours.

The search looks at shipments of the last 12 months and lists the foreign companies that shipped the product into these markets, ranked by shipment value. For each company the results show its country, how many of your markets it ships to and, once the report is open, its average price per shipment and per kilogram and its contacts.

Without signing in you see company names, countries, registration details and brands. Amounts, number of shipments, average prices and contacts become visible once you open the report on a paid plan. After that you can filter by the supplier's country, amount and number of shipments, and export the list to Excel.

Example: olive oil suppliers for Latin America and the Philippines

On 17 October 2026 we searched for suppliers of olive oil (HS 150920) to five markets: Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Argentina and the Philippines. Ten national codes were confirmed, and the search found 234 suppliers. Spain was the leading supplier country; among the first results there were also suppliers from Portugal, Italy, Greece, Tunisia and the United States. The Find suppliers page shows this search as its example, and you can repeat it with your own code.

A list of 234 companies is too long to contact one by one, and it mixes very different businesses: large bottlers, small estates and trading companies. The next step turns it into a shortlist.

Step 3. Narrow the list down to a shortlist

Five to ten candidates are enough. Use the shipment history to decide who goes on the list.

• Regular shipments. A supplier that ships every month has stable production and export routines. One large shipment a year ago says little.
• Experience with your market. A supplier that already ships to your country knows its documents, labelling and certification. Fewer surprises at the border.
• Right size. Compare the supplier's typical shipment with your order. A company that ships full containers may not be interested in a few pallets, and a small producer may not handle your volume.
• Price level. The average price per kilogram shows where a supplier sits compared with others. A price far below the rest usually means a lower grade, different delivery terms or a reason to be careful.
• Who already buys from them. The results show each supplier's buyers: who buys from them and how much. You can see this buyer list before you open the report; the amounts and shipment counts in it stay hidden until you do. Importers you know in your market are a good sign. If your competitors are among them, you learn that too.
• Manufacturer or trader. Look at the company name, registration details and brands. A trader is not a problem in itself, but it adds its margin and you need to know who actually makes the goods.

Step 4. Make first contact

Write to a named person, usually the export sales manager, not a general inbox. Contacts are in the opened report; you can also use the company's website.

• Send your specification with the volume per month or per year, the destination port or city and the documents you need. A certificate of origin, for example, confirms where the goods were made and can lower the import duty under a trade agreement.
• State the delivery terms you want. Delivery terms are agreed using Incoterms, standard rules that say where the seller's costs and risks end. EXW means you collect the goods at the supplier's premises; FOB means the supplier loads them on the ship; CIF means the supplier also pays freight and insurance to your port.
• Ask direct questions: are you the manufacturer, what is your minimum order quantity, what is the lead time from order to shipment, which countries do you export to, can you give two or three customers as references?
• Compare answers with the shipment history. If a supplier says it ships to your country every month and the data shows two shipments last year, ask why.
• Ask everyone for a quote on the same terms. A price on FOB terms and a price on CIF terms cannot be compared directly.

Step 5. Test samples and place a trial order

• Ask for samples from normal production, not a specially prepared batch. Paying for samples and courier delivery is normal and shows the supplier you are serious.
• Test what matters for your market. For food, chemicals and some industrial goods, send the sample to an independent laboratory and ask the supplier for its own test report for the batch.
• Keep an approved sample. Seal and keep one sample that both sides agreed on. Later deliveries are compared with it if there is a dispute about quality.
• Start with a trial order. For the first shipment, order a third-party inspection: an independent company checks quality, quantity and packing at the supplier's site before loading.
• Limit the payment risk. Avoid paying 100% in advance to a new supplier. A letter of credit, where your bank pays only when the supplier presents the agreed shipping documents, or a partial prepayment with the balance paid against documents, protects you better.

Step 6. Check the company before you pay

Before the first payment, confirm that the supplier exists in the official company register, that it and its owners are not on sanctions lists, and that the bank account is in the same company's name. Our guide How to check a foreign company before a deal covers this step by step. On the Company profiles page you can also see what the supplier ships, to which countries and how regularly.

What to keep in mind

• The search shows only shipments into the 14 covered countries. A supplier that sells only to other countries will not appear, and a short history in the data does not mean it is small.
• The company named as the shipper is not always the producer. It can be a trading company or an exporter that collects goods from several factories.
• An average price per kilogram mixes grades and delivery terms. Use it to see differences between suppliers, and get the real price from a quote.
• Data has a time lag, and the latest month differs by country. A supplier that started exporting recently may not be visible yet.
• Keep at least one backup supplier from the shortlist. If the first one raises prices or misses a delivery, you will not have to start the search again.

To start, enter your product code on Find suppliers. If you want to see the whole market first, with prices and supplier countries, open Analyze markets by product.