Finding buyers and suppliers from shipments

Every shipment record names the companies on both sides, so the records for your product are a list of who really buys and sells it. Start with your HS code at 6 or 8 digits, then add the words people use for the product, because some lines are described in other words or filed under a neighbouring code.

• To find buyers abroad for your exports, look at India's export records for your code: the company abroad is the buyer.
• To find buyers in India for goods you sell here, or to see your competitors' customers, look at import records: the Indian importer is the buyer.
• To find suppliers, turn it round: the company abroad on India's import records, or the Indian exporter on export records.

A name on one old record is not a buyer you can count on. For each company, look at three things: how recent its last shipment is, how many shipments it made in the last 12 months, and how evenly they are spread.

1. 1For an Indian company, check its IEC: DGFT lets anyone verify the details of an IEC on its website.
2. 2Check its GSTIN on the GST portal's Search Taxpayer page. It works without a login and shows the legal name, the date of registration and the returns filed.
3. 3For a company abroad, find its own website and its entry in its country's company register.
4. 4Check the name against sanctions lists before you quote or ship. Our Company check tool searches UN, US and UK lists.
5. 5Write down anything that does not match, such as a different name on the website, a cancelled registration, or a possible sanctions match, and resolve it first.

Write to one company at a time, about one product. Say who you are, what you make and why you are writing to them. Refer to what you know from the records only in general terms, such as the product they import. Offer one clear next step, such as samples or a price for a set quantity.

• Do not send bulk messages. Our directory's terms forbid using contact details for unsolicited bulk email, SMS or calls in breach of the law, including TRAI's rules on unsolicited commercial communication.
• Do not resell or share the contact data. The terms forbid that too.
• Follow up once or twice, spaced out, not every day.
• If someone says no or asks you to stop, stop.

Our directory lists Indian importers, exporters and customs brokers by company name, with their HS codes, number of shipments and the month of their last import. A filter shows only companies with an Indian import on record in the last 24 months. Contact details may be masked, depending on your access.

Buyers abroad lists the companies in Peru that imported your product from India, from Peru's own customs records, which its customs agency SUNAT publishes every week. For each buyer it shows the FOB value, the number of customs lines, the last import date, its tax ID and what it bought, with a link to check the company. Peru is the only country so far.