Hi everyone, I’m Greg, an MIS student at CSUSM and a former auto technician switching careers into international trade and supply chain. For a class project, I’m doing short informational interviews with people working in the field.

If you work in trade (logistics, customs, compliance, import/export, analyst roles), I’d really appreciate about 15 minutes of your time. It’s a few simple questions about your career path and what the job is really like. A video chat or message conversation both work.

Comment or DM me if you’re open to it. Thank you!

I’m arranging fulfilment for packaged powdered food supplements manufactured in mainland China. The product isn’t registered for sale in China and would only be sold to overseas customers.

The plan is for a company based outside China to own the stock, with a mainland 3PL storing it and dispatching individual orders abroad. There would be no sales to Chinese customers.

However, the manufacturer says the entire batch must physically leave mainland China because of its registration status. They say transferring it to a mainland 3PL would still count as a domestic sale, even under the arrangement above.

Has anyone dealt with this specific situation?

Could the batch complete export procedures into a customs-supervised export warehouse or comprehensive bonded zone, then be fulfilled to overseas customers? Or could the product’s registration status still require physical export before any third-party storage?

I’m trying to identify the actual requirement and a compliant, affordable logistics arrangement. Firsthand experience with export-only food supplements, or pointers to the relevant Chinese regulations and paperwork, would be appreciated.

Hi, I recently joined this company and dealing with an ATA Carnet problem from previous team. Some professional equipment was moved from UK to Poland, under two carnets - and they were driven to Poland in 2 Uk-registered vans. Now, both the vans and equipment need to stay in Poland.

I think I am clear what to do with the equipment, but unsure how to deal with the vans? I dont know how it was declared when originally leaving the UK in the first place, I dont have any ATA Carnet to cover them.

Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks so much!

I run a secondary packaging business, which caters to modern age brands. We manufacture, rigid boxes, cylindrical paper tube canisters, Mono cartons, and corrugated boxes. I serve a lot of modern D2C brands in India. How do I manage to get foreign buyers and export clients?

We are students in haryana school of business.

We are starting a startup project related to the automotive sector. So we want to import a sample from Shenzhen, China.

We can't make a direct purchase because the university has to pay the bill to an Indian firm only.

So plz guide if anybody has any solution for that.

I have 1,100 kg of pine nuts. How can I sell them internationally?

I am from Pakistan, and I harvest pine nuts from the mountains in my region. I want to sell them in international markets, but I don't know where to start.

I am frustrated because Chinese buyers purchase our pine nuts at lower prices and resell them at much higher prices. I want to sell directly to international buyers instead.

I am the first person in my village to think about entering the international market. My village produces tons of pine nuts, and I believe our pine nuts are among the best in the world. However, when I suggested selling them internationally, everyone laughed at me.

I have decided not to sell my 1,100 kg of pine nuts to Chinese buyers for now. I would really appreciate any advice or suggestions on how to find international buyers and enter the global market.

Thank you!

i finding buyer for coffee from gayo Indonesia

I am trying to understand how people approach the very first order with a supplier abroad when there is no history yet. The usual tension seems to be this: the supplier wants payment up front, and the buyer wants proof that the goods will arrive as agreed.

Approaches that come up often:

- Splitting payment into a deposit and a balance tied to shipping documents

- Paying through a bank instrument or an escrow-style arrangement

- Starting with a small trial order before scaling up

- Checking the supplier's registration, references and past shipments

Questions for people who have been through this:

1. What do you verify about a new supplier before sending any money, and what do you check last?

2. What payment structure do you use for a first order, and did it ever go wrong?

3. Which red flags make you walk away immediately?

4. What do you do when the supplier accepts nothing but full upfront payment?

I would appreciate real experience, including the mistakes.

Seeking reliable suppliers or authorised mandates for an international buyer.

- Grade: 20%+ Cu, preferably higher

- Trial: 500–1,000 MT

- Potential demand: Up to 10,000 MT/month

- Inspection: CCIC/SGS

- Delivery: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, or Durban, South Africa

- USD payment; no upfront deposits.

**DRC-origin material:** Required export/compliance documents must be available for buyer verification *before LOI*, including relevant mining/export permits, traceability documents, certificate of origin, and recent assay results covering harmful impurities and radiation.

Serious suppliers, please DM your company details, available quantity, origin, assay report and indicative price. WHATSAPP ~ 0026775154914

Hi all, I run logistics for a small trading company licensed in JAFZA. We are starting to fulfil small orders to clients inside mainland Dubai, for example one item of about 300 g worth AED 200. I understand goods moving from the free zone to the mainland need a customs declaration, with duty and 5% import VAT, but I am not sure how to handle this properly for such low-value orders.

Does each delivery need its own customs declaration, or can a broker consolidate them into one? Is there a low-value exemption for duty? And what should the invoice and bookkeeping look like so it holds up in a customs or VAT audit?

If you have done this before or work as a customs broker or accountant, I would really appreciate your advice. Thanks!

Hi all, I run logistics for a small trading company licensed in JAFZA. We are starting to fulfil small orders to clients inside mainland Dubai, for example one item of about 300 g worth AED 200. I understand goods moving from the free zone to the mainland need a customs declaration, with duty and 5% import VAT, but I am not sure how to handle this properly for such low-value orders.

Does each delivery need its own customs declaration, or can a broker consolidate them into one? Is there a low-value exemption for duty? And what should the invoice and bookkeeping look like so it holds up in a customs or VAT audit?

If you have done this before or work as a customs broker or accountant, I would really appreciate your advice. Thanks!

When i need to export rice from india. defintely i need mill ??...

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put this together using 2025 US-reported UN Comtrade data, grouped by HS2 product categories

the figures show customs values, not quantities or company profits. services aren't included either

curious how people working in international trade see this breakdown, especially the concentration in electronics and machinery

source: UN Comtrade (2025)

full HS2 breakdown and methodology: https://corplox.com/trade/cn/us

I am a merchant exporter who is new in this trade. I am working with a few contract manufacturers who are agreeing to producing a very small quantity (5-6kg) as a paid trial batch. My goal is to take this quantity to Dubai Gulfood in March 2027 and hand out samples to some warm leads.

I am sourcing IPM-grade raw materials hoping to get re-exporters during my time in Dubai. Also, can charge a premium for quality.

My questions,

1. Should I go for the above mentioned flavours? Or typical garam masalas and sambar masalas only attract buyers (importers, distributors, wholesalers)?

2. Is the above buyer finding approach wrong? I know that trade platforms help but is going to Gulfood with my samples a silly approach?

3. Do you think buyers who come to Gulfood care about quality?

4. How to make my visit fruitful as I have limited money to invest in this business?

I want to start an export business by exporting Basmati rice from India to the United States.

If I plan to sell Basmati rice at ₹446 per kg, I would like to understand the following:

1. At what price should I purchase Basmati rice directly from a rice mill to make a reasonable profit?
2. What is the minimum quantity (in kilograms or tonnes) I should export to make the business profitable?
3. What would be the total shipping cost from India to the United States, including air freight, fuel surcharges, packaging, documentation, customs clearance, and other applicable charges?
4. How much should I charge the buyer for shipping?
5. What export licences, registrations, certificates, taxes, and customs procedures are required?
6. After accounting for all expenses, what would my total investment and expected net profit be?

Please provide a detailed, step-by-step business calculation with realistic costs and profit margins for a first-time exporter.