How to find a distributor abroad

To find a distributor abroad, start with companies that already import products like yours into the target country: they have customers, a warehouse and import experience. Check how much they buy, how regularly and from how many suppliers, which brands they already carry, and whether the company itself is sound. Then approach a short list of them with an offer built around their range, and agree in writing on the territory, exclusivity, minimum volumes and how the contract ends.

A good distributor saves you years of work in a new country. A wrong one can block the market for you: it takes exclusivity, sells little, and you cannot replace it quickly. Below is how to find candidates from real trade, how to sort them and what to settle before you sign.

Distributor, agent, dealer: who does what

• Distributor. Buys your goods, imports them, keeps stock and resells them to its own customers at its own risk. You sell to one company; it handles the local market.
• Sales agent. Finds customers for you and earns a commission, but does not buy the goods. You ship to and invoice each customer yourself.
• Dealer. Usually sells to end users, often one brand in one area, and buys from you or from your distributor.
• Importer. Any company that brings goods into the country. Many distributors are importers, but not every importer resells: some import for their own factory or shop.

Decide first which of these you need. If your product needs stock in the country, local service or registration, look for a distributor. If buyers are few and large, an agent or direct sales may be enough.

Step 1. Write down what the distributor must do

Before you search, list your requirements. They will help you sort candidates later.

• Customers. Which channels you need: retail chains, wholesalers, industrial users, public tenders.
• Area. The whole country, one region, or several neighbouring countries.
• Services. Warehouse, delivery, certification of your product, installation, after-sales service, marketing in the local language.
• Size. A very large distributor may give a new brand little attention. A very small one may not reach the customers you need.

Step 2. Find companies that already import similar goods

The most useful candidates are companies that already buy your product, or products sold to the same customers, from abroad. Foreign trade shipment data shows them directly.

1. Get the product code right. The HS code is the international product code used in foreign trade; its first 6 digits mean the same in almost every country. If you are not sure of yours, see How to find the HS code for a product.
2. Search for buyers of your code. On Find buyers enter a 4–6 digit code and the target country. The list shows companies that imported this product over the last 12 months, in the countries where Orion Markets has data.
3. Search the neighbouring codes too. Distributors usually carry a range. A distributor of pasta may also import sauces and olive oil; a distributor of pumps may import valves and pipe fittings. Searching the products sold next to yours finds companies that already reach your customers.

Directories, trade fairs and your country's export support agency add more names. Check them in the same way: if a company calls itself a distributor of your product but shows no imports of it, ask why. It may buy from another importer in the country, or it may not trade the product yet.

Step 3. Sort candidates by size and regularity

• Regularity. A distributor that imports in most months keeps stock and sells all year. Imports two or three times a year may mean a seasonal business or a project trader.
• Number of suppliers. A company that already buys from several suppliers is used to taking on new ones. In historical data used by Find new export markets, importers that bought from three or more suppliers are 2–2.5 times more likely to take on new ones.
• Share of the market. The market report in Analyze markets by product shows the importers of a product in one country with their shares. The leader may be hard to win; companies in the middle of the list often look for new suppliers to grow.
• Trend. Is the company buying more or less than a year ago? A growing distributor has more reason to add a brand.

Step 4. Look at what they already sell

A company profile on Company profiles shows what a company imports and from where. For a distributor, several sections matter:

• Products and Countries: its range and where it buys. If it already buys from suppliers in your region, it knows your delivery terms and documents.
• Producers and Trademarks: whose goods it sells. A distributor of a direct competitor's brand may refuse you, or take you only as a cheaper second line. A distributor of products that complement yours is often the best fit.
• Foreign suppliers: who it buys from and how much.

In Find buyers the results also show each buyer's current suppliers. These are the companies you will compete with at that customer.

Step 5. Check the company

Before you share price lists or send samples, check the company: its entry in the official register, sanctions lists, its real trade history and how long it has been in business. The steps are in How to check a foreign company before a deal. Ask for two or three references from other suppliers it represents, and call them.

Step 6. Approach your short list

• Write to a person, not a general address. Find the purchasing or category manager for your product group.
• Show that you know their range. A short letter saying how your product fits what they already sell gets more replies than a catalogue.
• Say what you offer the distributor, not only the product: the margin they can earn, marketing support, certificates you already have, samples, training for their sales team, delivery terms.
• Meet in person. A trade fair in the target country or a visit to the distributor's warehouse tells you more than many emails.
• Talk to several candidates at once. You will compare terms and will not depend on one answer.

Step 7. Agree on the main terms

This is not legal advice: distribution law differs a lot between countries, so have the final contract checked by a lawyer who knows the distributor's country. But the main business points are the same everywhere, and it is better to discuss them before the lawyers start.

• Territory. Which country or region the distributor covers, and whether it may sell outside it.
• Exclusivity. Exclusive means you appoint no other distributor in the territory and often do not sell there yourself. Non-exclusive leaves you free to appoint others. If you give exclusivity, ask for something in return, such as minimum volumes.
• Minimum volumes. How much the distributor commits to buy each year, and what happens if it does not: the exclusivity ends or you may end the contract.
• Term and trial period. A first term of one or two years, or a trial period, lets you both check the cooperation before a long commitment.
• Prices and payment. Delivery terms, currency, payment terms and how often prices may change.
• Certificates and registrations. If the distributor registers your product or holds its certificates in its own name, agree what happens to them if you part ways. Otherwise a new distributor may have to start again.
• Brand. How the distributor may use your trademark, and who owns local websites and social media accounts with your brand.
• Reports. Sales and stock reports, for example every quarter.
• Ending the contract. Notice period, what happens to stock left over, and which country's law and courts apply. In some countries the law gives an agent or distributor compensation when the contract ends; the EU does this for commercial agents, and several countries in the Middle East and Latin America protect local distributors. Check this before you sign.

Example: pipe valves in Pakistan

The free sample report pipe valves and fittings, imports into Pakistan (codes 848110, 848180 and 848190) covers January–September 2026. It counts more than 1,700 importers and 3,300 exporters. The main partner countries by value are China (49.2%), the United Arab Emirates (12.5%), the United States (9.1%), Singapore (6.4%) and Germany (5%).

How a valve manufacturer looking for a distributor would read it:

• The list is long. More than 1,700 importers can include companies that buy for their own projects as well as trading companies that resell. Your distributor is in the second group: look for importers that buy regularly, across several codes and from several suppliers. The report shows each importer's share.
• Part of the market goes through hubs. Companies in the UAE and Singapore supply almost a fifth of the value, and most of what UAE companies sell was made elsewhere. An importer that now buys through a hub may be ready to buy directly from the manufacturer.
• China leads. Almost half of the value comes from companies in China. A distributor has to be able to compete with Chinese prices or sell on quality, certificates and service.
• The history is short. Our data for Pakistan starts in January 2026. Check over the coming months which importers keep buying, not only who bought once.

Registered users can open this sample report in full. For your own product, build the same report in Analyze markets by product.

What is free and what needs a plan

• Without signing in: in Find buyers, company names, countries, registration details and brands; the "In brief" block on public company profiles.
• After free registration: the full profile structure with some figures hidden, and free sample reports and profiles in full. In Find new export markets, an indicative list of distributors and dealers of your product in each market, collected from public sources.
• On a paid plan: amounts, number of shipments, average prices and contacts in Find buyers, with Excel export; volumes and suppliers with registration details in profiles.

Common mistakes

• Choosing the first company that answers. The quickest reply is not always from the best distributor. Compare at least three.
• Exclusivity without targets. An exclusive distributor with no minimum volumes can hold your market and sell almost nothing.
• Judging by the website. A large website does not mean large sales. Look at real imports.
• Leaving registrations in the distributor's name without an agreement. It can make changing distributors slow and expensive.
• Forgetting support. A distributor sells what is easy to sell. Training, samples and marketing material decide whether your product gets attention.

To start, enter your product code on Find buyers and choose the target country. If you have not chosen the country yet, compare markets first in Find new export markets or read How to choose a country for export.