To Find Out About Exporting, Go Online
With the global economy rebounding and the recent signing of a trade pact that will give American companies unprecedented access to China’s 1.2 billion consumers, many U.S. businesses are looking to join the world marketplace by becoming exporters.
Learning about the export business has become easier, thanks to the Internet. Information that had to be researched in libraries or through costly phone calls to Washington or Sacramento exists in cyberspace. With a few mouse clicks, anyone can find such information as government export rules and regulations, financing and trade leads, and electronic documents.
We’ve “surfed” these expert sites and have compiled a list of some of the most useful ones. It’s by no means comprehensive, just a smattering of the scores of commercial and government sites that offer advice to companies that want to increase their overseas sales. But you’re likely to find at least a few of the following sites helpful.
One of the more comprehensive and easy-to-navigate sites for international trade is the California Chamber of Commerce’s new Web site (https://www.calchamber.com/international.html).
California businesses send more than $100 billion in goods and services overseas a year, making it the No. 1 exporting state. One of the most helpful parts of this site is the section on frequently asked questions. It explains how to get in touch with U.S. or foreign contacts to obtain necessary export certificates or custom duty information. The site also has information on state and federal legislative issues and a list of chamber publications such as its “Exporting Guide for California,” which offers a step-by-step primer to help companies begin exporting or expand their existing business.
But the most impressive section is the site’s Web Links that connect to state, federal, regional and global trade sites. These links include phone numbers, e-mail addresses and other important information.
One such link from the California Chamber’s site is the Export Hotline (https://www.exporthotline.com), a commercial site that provides useful information such as reviews of most trading countries, industry surveys and global business directories.
For any businessperson who wants to export but doesn’t have the first clue about how to begin, the trade site of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce (https://tradeport.org) is a good place to start. It’s a California-focused Web site filled with comprehensive information on export assistance, trade leads and company databases. TradePort’s most valuable feature is its easy-to-understand tutorial, a click-by-click series of lessons on the export trade.
The tutorial includes information on researching markets, financing, transporting goods and developing an export strategy and has an excellent question-and-answer section on the most commonly asked trade questions.
For companies looking to export California goods, check out the state’s Trade and Commerce Agency Web site (https://www.commerce.ca.gov/international).
It offers free downloading of key government reports, such as information on the North American Free Trade Agreement and quarterly statistics on California exports and historical data on exports by country, region and industry.
The highlight of this site is the information on getting financial assistance. The state agency provides several economic development programs. And here you can learn about the California Export Finance Office, which issues guarantees to banks that grant export loans to small and medium-size California companies. CEFO can also help arrange working capital to finance export transactions.
The trade promotion site Imex Exchange (https://www.imex.com) is a gateway linking to numerous trade leads, exporting companies and trade associations. Imex is part of a so-called “Web ring,” in this case, a collection of several dozen mostly commercial sites related to trade. Some of the linked sites are worthwhile, such as the site of the International Trade Law Library (https://www.intl-trade.com/library.html), an online legal directory.
Any business looking to export should also consult the Small Business Administration’s Office of International Trade site (https://www.sbaonline.sba.gov/oit). It lists information on how-to seminars and other resources, including what to do when you’ve found an export lead but are having trouble financing the transaction. There is also a list of national and international trade events to help educate small-business owners.
The Commerce Department (https://www.stat-usa.gov) also provides a subscription service to its site of trade and economic statistics. It’s billed as the one-stop Internet browser for business, trade and economic information, and it costs $150 a year to subscribe. Much of this information is available elsewhere, but it’s convenient to have it all in one place.
Two of the better non-government sites are those of the Minneapolis-based Export Institute (https://www.exportinstitute.com) and the Assn. of International Business (https://www.earthone.com/internat.html).
The Export Institute is composed of international traders with hands-on experience in 60 foreign markets. Consulting is available through the site, as is export sale and marketing information. But the site’s best feature is its comprehensive export links to sites of the U.S. government, banks, domestic and foreign trade organizations, online publications, shipping services, travel information and women’s business organizations.
The AIB’s site has an impressive list of global links and resources and offers a feature to help small companies find financial “angels.” The Colorado-based AIB is a nonprofit educational group devoted to helping businesspeople find and share resources and experiences.
For the real nitty-gritty of exporting, check out the American Export Register’s site (https://www.aernet.com). The AER is primarily a directory of 45,000 companies, searchable by product and service categories in six languages. A site section called “Exporting From America” provides nuts-and-bolts info, such as a guide to addressing mail overseas; a metric conversion calculator; a list of U.S. embassies, missions and consulates overseas; and an exporters newsletter that is free when you register as a member.
