Resources

 

Click here to see Import Export business resources on the web.

Click here to see Useful resources for your business.

 

Useful titles on starting import export business available at Amazon:

 

	Building an Import/Export Business by Kenneth D. Weiss   This easy-to-follow guide to starting and building a successful import or export business is packed with invaluable insights and practical advice on tapping into the lucrative global markets. Covering all the bases, from start-up considerations and operational procedures to marketing techniques and trade agreements.
	Export/Import Procedures and Documentation by Thomas E. Johnson.   The book contains some 100 samples of essential documents as well as instructions for starting and running an import/export business. Topics include insurance, currency exchange, contracts, customs, and transportation. It also addresses the impact of NAFTA, the European Economic Community treaty, and changes in Russia and Eastern Europe.
	Selling to the World: Your Fast and Easy Guide to Exporting and Importing by L. Fargo Wells.   For those of you with interests in exporting, this is a book by one of the country's top experts on international trade. It’s a guide on how to start and run an import or export business. Aimed at both startups and established businesses, it shows how to enter international trade markets quickly, economically, and with a minimum of study. Based on the author's decades of personal experience, the book shows entrepreneurs how to start an export management or trading company; help small manufacturers plan an export program; and also outlines the basics of successful importing. Coverage also includes financing, insurance, and government relations.

	Import/Export For Dummies by John Capela   A clear, easy-to-understand primer on the world of import/export. The United States imports $1.2 trillion and exports $772 billion in goods on an annual basis. Import/Export For Dummies provides entrepreneurs and small- to medium-size businesses with the critical information they need to begin exporting their products around the world and importing goods to sell in America. This practical guide covers the ins and outs of developing or expanding operations to capture a share of this growing market, with details on the top ten countries with which America trades, from Canada to Germany to China.
	Import/Export: How to Get Started in International Trade by Carl Nelson A thoroughly updated new edition of the premier guide to international trade now features a special section on the e-commerce revolution. Dr. Carl Nelson's acclaimed resource for beginners venturing into the import/export business is more timely and action-oriented than ever in this fully revised Third Edition. Showcasing an indispensable new chapter on the ins and outs of e-commerce and how to take advantage of all of cyberspace's exciting possibilities, Import/Export also features a range of new material and guidance. Nelson's practical, easy-to-follow approach covers all the basics, including choosing a product, making contacts, and cutting through government red tape. Carl E. Nelson (Chula Vista, CA) is the author of Global Success: International Business Tactics for the 1990s and Managing Globally: A Complete Guide to Competing Worldwide.

 

 

Import Export business resources on the web

 

US Customs and Border Protection

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/ --  To obtain information on regulations such as import quotas, tariff rates and for all general import business information, this is the site to go to.

 

 

Automated Commercial Environment (ACE)

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/automated/modernization/

is the commercial trade processing system being developed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to facilitate legitimate trade while strengthening border security. Using Electronic Manifests (e-Manifests), all carriers are required to submit manifests detailing shipment, carrier, and other information to enter the United States. There are currently nearly 14,000 ACE portal accounts, including more than 1,300 importer accounts, nearly 800 broker accounts ,and nearly 11,800 carrier accounts.

 

 

Textiles and Quotas

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_programs/textiles_and_quotas/

 -- Provides information to assist in determining whether merchandise is subject to quota restrictions as well as links to relevant references.

 

 

Daily Textile Status Report for Absolute Quotas

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_programs/textiles_and_quotas/textile_status_report/textile_status_rpt/

 - Visa and Exempt Certification Requirements for Textiles; Visa and exempt certification requirements for imports of textiles and wearing apparel from various countries.

 

 

Year-End Archived Textile Status

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_programs/textiles_and_quotas/textile_status_report/archived/

Report for Absolute Quotas Status report for imported textile merchandise subject to absolute quotas for December 31.

 

 

The Office of Textiles and Apparel

For complete data including data for shipments arriving after the end of the year, Department of Commerce, Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA), http://otexa.ita.doc.gov/ privides more information. In general, OTEXA oversees programs and strategies to improve the domestic and international competitiveness of the U.S. fiber, textiles and apparel industries and to assist importers and retailers in facilitating fair trade practices affecting textiles and apparel goods; supervises the implementation of all textile trade agreements; administers the implementation of textile trade agreement provisions, formulates trade policy, performs research and analysis, compiles industry data, and promotes U.S. trade events for a whole spectrum of textile and apparel goods.

International Trade Data System --

http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_Development/Preference_Programs/GSP/Section_Index.html

The ITDS program supports the Participating Government Agencies (PGAs) contributing to the development of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE). The ITDS program assists these agencies in identifying, documenting, and executing their plan to leverage ACE to improve business operations and further agency missions.

 

 

Generalized System of Preferences (GSP)

http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_Development/Preference_Programs/GSP/Section_Index.html

Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR)

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is an agency of over 200 people, a highly committed group of professionals who have decades of specialized experience in trade issues and regions of the world. They negotiate directly with foreign governments to create trade agreements, resolve disputes and participate in global trade policy organizations. They also meet with governments, business groups, legislators and public interest groups to gather input on trade issues and explain the president’s trade policy positions. The agency was founded in 1962 and has offices in Washington, Geneva and Brussels.
  The U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), a program designed to promote economic growth in the developing world, provides preferential duty-free entry for more than 4,650 products from 131 designated beneficiary countries and territories. The GSP program was instituted on Jan. 1, 1976, and authorized under the Trade Act of 1974 for a 10-year period. It has been renewed periodically since then, most recently in 2006, when President George Bush signed legislation that reauthorized the GSP program through December 31, 2008.
USTR publishes guidebooks and other information to encourage the use of GSP duty-free treatment for fostering economic growth through the expansion of trade between the United States and the developing GSP beneficiaries.

US Harmonized Tariff Schedule -- United States International Trade Commission
  http://www.usitc.gov/tata/hts/bychapter/index.htm  -- contains the chapter-by-chapter listing of the Harmonized   Tariff Schedule and general notes. 

 

 

Bureau of the Census. Foreign Trade Division
http://www.census.gov/trade

 

 

http://www.stat-usa.gov STAT-USA, the essential trade information service maintained by the U.S. Department of Commerce; it includes international market research, trade opportunities, and country analysis info.

 

International Trade Terms

http://www.iccwbo.org/incoterms/id3042/index.html

Incoterms are standard trade definitions most commonly used in international sales contracts. Devised and published by the International Chamber of Commerce, they are at the heart of world trade.

 http://www.commerce.gov/ Department of Commerce -- http://trade.gov/index.asp

International Trade Administration (ITA) of the Department of Commerce

ITA's mission is to create prosperity by strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. industry, promoting trade and investment, and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements. Trade.gov provides you access to ITA's valuable information and services regarding U.S. international trade policy. For businesses wanting to expand their export markets, go to the U.S. Government Export Portal, export.gov.

http://www.export.gov/salesandmarketing/exp_counseling_main.asp

 

 

Trade Statistics -- http://tse.export.gov/SEDHome.aspx?UniqueURL=az5hxe55zmljubusqrptzuqx-2009-1-5-15-2-57
The U.S. Department of Commerce's Commercial Service provides excellent trade statistics for all of the U.S. States.

 

 

  U.S International Trade Administration (ITA)
http://ita.doc.gov
  Assist U.S. companies selling products and services abroad. ITA provides trade statistics; industry information; country profiles; and legal information. Selected parts of this site require free registration.

 

 

 U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC)
http://www.usitc.gov/
The USITC is an independent quasi-judicial agency that provides objective trade expertise to both the legislative and executive branches of government, determines the impact of imports on U.S. industries, and directs actions against certain unfair trade practices, such as infringements against patents, trademarks, and copyrights. USITC analysts and economists investigate and publish reports on U.S. Industries and the global trends that affect them. The agency also updates and publishes the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States. Notable sections of this site include:

• Interactive Tariff and Trade DataWeb
  http://dataweb.usitc.gov
  Provides import, export and tariff statistics from 1989-present. Users may create custom tables or retrieve pre-defined reports based upon geographic region/partner country.
• External Trade Resources
  http://www.usitc.gov/ind_econ_ana/tr/index.htm
  Links to other trade-related web sites, including sources for data sets.

http://www.fda.gov/ Food and Drug Administration

http://www.fda.gov/ora/import/default.htm Office of Regulatory Affairs Import Start Page

This is the beginning of a series of pages regarding information related to products subject to FDA's control of foods (except for certain meats and poultry products), drugs (human, animal and biological), cosmetics, medical devices and radiation emitting devices, etc., offered for entry into the United States through US Customs, in support of FDA's regulatory activities.

http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/imports.html -- Food and Drug Administration - Importing Food and Cosmetics into the United States

http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/qa-top.html FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

 

 

http://www.atf.gov/ -- The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF)

http://www.atf.gov/alcohol/alfd.htm -- Alcohol Labeling and Formulation Division (ALFD)

 Review imported beverage alcohol, laboratory analysis and pre-import applications
   Review alcohol beverage product formulations
   Issue formulas, statements of process, laboratory analyses and pre-import letters
   Review label applications
   Issue label certificates

 Who To Contact and Where to File
   International import requirements for various countries for beer, wine and distilled spirits:

 http://www.atf.gov/alcohol/info/interre1.htm
   Importing alcoholic beverages as a business or for personal use
   Exporting alcoholic beverages

Trade Agreements

http://www.sice.oas.org/agreements_e.asp  Trade Agreements in Force:  

Multilateral Agreements;  Customs Unions;  Free Trade Agreements; Partial Preferential Agreements.

http://www.sice.oas.org/

OAS is Organization of American State's Foreign Trade Information System

SICE - the Organization of American State's Foreign Trade Information System - centralizes information on trade policy in the Americas. On the SICE Website, you will find the full texts of trade agreements in force for OAS Member States, new and ongoing trade policy developments, information on national trade-related legislation, links to international, regional and national sources of trade policy information and more! SICE, with more than ten years online, strives to provide OAS member states and other users up-to-date and relevant information.

 

Trade Agreements (U.S. Trade Representative)
http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_Agreements/Section_Index.html
Includes full texts of bilateral, regional, and global trade agreements, as well as press releases, fact sheets, and hearing transcripts.

 

 

http://www.tradeagreements.gov/ TradeAgreements.gov is an interagency effort by the United States Government to provide the public with the latest information on America's trade agreements.

 

Trade Agreements and Commercial Relations (Tufts University. Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy)
http://fletcher.tufts.edu/multi/trade.html
Provides links to trade and commercial agreements. See also the Trade and Commercial Relations treaty page at http://fletcher.tufts.edu/multi/secretariatslinks.html#trade.

Multilateral Agreements: the WTO -- http://www.sice.oas.org/agreemts/wto_e.asp

 

 

World Trade Organization Trade Topics -- http://www.wto.org/

http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/statis_e.htm
  http://www.wto.org/English/tratop_e/tratop_e.htm
A portal to WTO trade agreements (http://www.wto.org/English/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/agrm1_e.htm) categorized by topic. The topic pages include summaries and explanations of the legal texts as well as annual and semi-annual reports.

 

 

NAFTA http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_Agreements/Regional/NAFTA/Section_Index.html

Free trade agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

 

http://www.nafta-sec-alena.org/DefaultSite/index_e.aspx NAFTA Secretariat, comprised of a Canadian Section, a Mexican Section and a United States Section, is responsible for the administration of the dispute settlement provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

 

 

http://www.dhs.gov/xtrvlsec/ --  Department of Homeland Security on Travel Security

 

 

http://exchanges.state.gov/culprop/ -- http://culturalheritage.state.gov/

International Cultural Property Protection

 

 

The Country Commercial Guides (CCG) are prepared by US Embassy Staff once a year and contain information on the business and economic situation of foreign countries and the political climate as it affects U.S. business. Each CCG contains the same chapters, and an appendix, which include topics such as marketing, trade regulations, investment climate, and business travel.

 

 

Foreign Trade Zones -- http://www.foreign-trade-zone.com/

http://www.naftz.org/ Foreign Trade Zones Association

http://ia.ita.doc.gov/Ftzpage/index.html -- Foreign Trade Zones Board

http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/toolbox/publications/trade/ftzbrochure.ctt/foreigntradezones.doc and

http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/import/cargo_control/ftz/ftzmanual.ctt/FTZManual2   

- zones are treated for purposes of the tariff laws and Customs entry procedures as being outside the Customs territory of the United States. That is, merchandise is admitted into a zone and is not subject to Customs entry procedures. Under zone procedures, foreign and domestic merchandise may be admitted into zones for operations such as storage, exhibition, manipulation, destruction, assembly, manufacture and processing, without being subject to formal Customs entry procedures and payment of duties, unless and until the foreign merchandise enters the Customs territory for domestic consumption.

 

 

http://www.embassy.org/embassies/ Foreign Embassies in Washington DC -- The Electronic Embassy: A resource of and for the Washington D.C. foreign embassy community

 

http://www.state.gov/s/cpr/rls/fco/c5698.htm Foreign Consular Offices in the United States

 

http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/forcomp.html Foreign Governments Comprehensive Directories; includes Directory of Chambers of Commerce.

 

 

The U.S. Exporters' Yellow Pages™, produced by Global Publishers in cooperation with the International Trade Administration's Office of Export Trading Company Affairs, is an annual directory of United States companies involved in international business. This free publication features over 20,000 U.S. export service providers, trading companies and manufacturers that have registered their export interests through the Department's Export Assistance Centers located in more than 100 cities nationwide. The U.S. Exporters' Yellow Pages™ is available at http://myexports.com and in hard copy through local Department of Commerce District Office. Free registration is available online.

Foreign Trade Register published by Thomas Register, provides listings of foreign manufacturers worldwide. They can be reached at 1-800-699-9822 or at http://www.thomasregister.com/. Also, the Thomas Register of European Manufacturers produces a CD-ROM with directories for Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brunei, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Morocco, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates.

 

Kompass International Trade Directories -- Kompass is a business to business import and export directory that enables you
to gather information about other companies and promote your company in the global marketplace; it has 2.3M companies in 70 countries referenced by 57.000 product & service keywords 860,000 trade names -- http://www.kompass-usa.com/

All Business service is an online resource for small and medium size businesses in the United States. Among other things, they house a directory of foreign owned and operated entities searchable by key word and location. This information can be accessed through their website at http://www.allbusiness.com.

Association of American Exporters and Importers: http://www.aaei.org
The American Association of Exporters and Importers has been the national voice of the international trade community since 1921. Its unique role, speaking for and educating both importers and exporters, is driven by a broad economic base of manufacturers, distributors, retailers and service providers. With promotion of fair and open trade policy and practice at its core, AAEI speaks to international trade, supply chain and customs and border protection issues covering the expanse of legal, technical and policy-driven concerns.

 

 

Supplier, buy, sell offers portals:

http://importer.alibaba.com/  Alibaba.com one of the most-visited B2B website on the Internet in terms of user traffic and a leading online destination for buyers and sellers looking for global trade opportunities.

Other:

http://chinaimportexport.wikispaces.com/Import+Export+Trade+Links+for+International+Businesses

http://www.traderscity.com/board/

http://www.tradezone.com/trade-leads/suppliers.php

http://www.worldwideindustrialmarketplace.com/freelisting.html

http://www.import-export-guide.com/tradeleads-sell.html

http://www.tradefeeds.com/

http://www.mfgquote.com/

http://www.easytrade.com/

http://trade.indiamart.com/

 

 

Fair Trade Resource Network

http://www.ifat.org/

http://www.ifat.org/ represents the global network of Fair Trade Organizations with a mission to improve the livelihoods and well being of disadvantaged producers by linking and promoting Fair Trade Organizations, and speaking out for greater justice in world trade.
Fair Trade is an organized social movement and market-based model of international trade which promotes the payment of a fair price as well as social and environmental standards in areas related to the production of a wide variety of goods. The movement focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries, most notably handicrafts, coffee, cocoa, sugar, tea, bananas, honey, cotton, wine, fresh fruit, and so on.
Fair trade's strategic intent is to deliberately work with marginalized producers and workers in order to help them move from a position of vulnerability to security and economic self-sufficiency. It also aims at empowering them to become stakeholders in their own organizations and actively play a wider role in the global arena to achieve greater equity in international trade.
Fair trade proponents include a wide array of international religious, development aid, social and environmental organizations such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, and Caritas International.
Like most developmental efforts, fair trade has proven itself controversial and has drawn criticism from both ends of the political spectrum. Some economists and conservative think tanks see fair trade as a type of subsidy that impedes growth. Segments of the left criticize fair trade for not adequately challenging the current trading system.

 

 

http://www.dnb.com. Dun & Bradstreet Information Services provides country profiles, risk analysis, lists and publications such as America's Corporate Families and International Affiliates. They also compile Economic Risk and Payment Review reports available by country, region, or globally.

 

Other relevant publications include:

Thomas Global Register

published by Thomas International Publishing at 212-629-1174 or at http://www.tgrnet.com

Another private publication, other than Thomas Register which list U.S. manufacturers and suppliers include:

Harris Manufacturing Directory published by Harris Publishing at 1-800-888-5900 or http://www.harrisinfo.com

 

 

Directory of U.S. Importers and Exporters published by The Journal of Commerce at 1-800-222-0356 or http://www.joc.com

 

Directory of American Firms Operating in Foreign Countries

published by Uniworld Business Publications at 212-496-2448; http://www.uniworldbp.com

Uniworld Business Publications, Inc. is a privately-held publishing firm is the sole publisher of two unique multinational business contact directories and considered the authoritative source for such multinational business contact information.

 

Additionally, the following publications (available in many local libraries) contain lists of industry trade associations:

Encyclopedia of Associations -- http://library.dialog.com/bluesheets/html/bl0114.html

 

National Trade and Professional Associations of the United States

http://www.columbiabooks.com/servlet/the-24/National-Trade-and-Professional/Detail

 

 

Useful resources for your business, especially online business

 

Product sourcing and wholesale business

Product Sourcing Tips, eBusiness Information, What is Drop Shipping

Whether you plan on importing your own product directly you may also decide to supplement your product line by buying from other importers. Whichever you decide, this is another resource for finding suppliers overseas and/or dealing with large scale importees / wholesalers / drop-shippers. It's info about wholesale, what your should sell online, how to select your product line, and many other topics related to Product Sourcing - click this link or the following banner:

 

 

You can learn direct from Chris Malta, the founder of WorldwideBrands, the mastermind of Product Sourcing, in one of his "Face-To-Face Personal EBiz Workshops". Over the course of the weekend you can also learn how Chris built WorldwideBrands.com starting with $500 and has built it to a business now worth tens of millions. Click here for more info!

 

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Graphic design, website design, photo-editing / Photoshop

To get your website to look step above the average you will need to create professional looking layout, and to do that you will need to learn more tricks doing graphic design. If you plan on using pictures at your site you best learn Adobe Photoshop.

Check out this site - Learn Graphic/Web Design - a series of online courses and on demand training videos for creative Web Design, Photoshop, ... An affordable monthly or annual subscription offers unlimited access to their entire library of video tutorials, including tips and techniques -- a great resource for creating great graphics, design, Photoshop editing... also, access their gallery, stock photos, clipart, plugins, downloads available... in short, check out their very useful online tutorials, online courses, online training, graphic design courses, on demand training, graphic design programs, online web design, multimedia programs, business marketing design, instructor-led graphic design, typography courses and more. New videos added weekly!