r/IndianExporters

Hi everyone, I’m planning to start exporting products from Tamil Nadu, India (especially traditional food products / local goods) to international markets like the US.

I would really appreciate guidance on where to start — registration process, licenses required, IEC, FSSAI/export certifications, packaging, labeling, shipping, customs, and how to find genuine overseas buyers.

If anyone has experience in exports from Tamil Nadu or India, please share the steps you followed and any practical tips for beginners. Thanks in advance!

I was watching a few interviews of CXOs of billion-dollar companies on YT & they actually say this stuff pretty openly.

They’re always evaluating suppliers.

Always looking for new ones.

Always replacing some.

Around the same time, I had just managed to crack one of my first very serious clients, a company listed on the London Stock Exchange. Not saying this to brag, just sharing context.

Even the best suppliers don’t last forever. They get rotated, replaced, or paused. Which means there’s always space.

But instead of chasing buyers randomly, I started asking:

• Where do these companies actually find suppliers?

• Who are they currently buying from, and how did those suppliers get in, what are the filters?

• When they need something slightly different, customisations, tweaks, changes, where do they go?

You stop looking at exports as “find a buyer → send emails”.

Instead you start seeing is a food chain.

Where:

• suppliers keep entering and exiting

• procurement teams keep scanning

• and opportunities are always circulating

Most people miss it because it feels obvious.

But once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

Every business already sits somewhere in that chain.

You just have to look closely, understand it properly, find your spot, and take it.

Hey everyone,

I’ve just registered my export company today and I’m starting my journey from India.

I’m not looking for textbook info — I’d really value practical insights from people already in the game:

- What was the hardest part of getting your first buyer, and how did you crack it?

- Any mistakes you made early on that cost you time/money?

- If you had to start again, what would you do differently in the first 3–6 months?

- What actually worked for you in getting consistent shipments?

Would really appreciate honest, ground-level advice. Thanks!

I have a reliable sourcing channel for yellow maize and can handle large-scale requirements. I’m currently focusing on export opportunities. If you're a purchase manager or looking for a supplier, feel free to send me a DM!

We've been making men's bottomwear fabric — for chinos, cargos, trousers, etc — for years. Good quality, solid relationships, great scale. All local.

Now I want to build an export division. I have the manufacturing backbone. What I don't have is the roadmap.

If you export textiles from India, or you've helped someone do it — I genuinely want to learn from you. Not looking for a pitch. Just real conversations with people who've been there, done that.

Indian exporter here. Need to ship 1x40' dry container (perishable) to Dubai. All routes look broken — need real-world advice.

Current options:

• Jebel Ali direct: Only 2/10 vessels actually making it. Constant rollovers.
• Khor Fakkan: Booking open but 10-14 days port congestion.
• Sohar + Green Corridor (Notice 04/2026): Bonded transit Sohar → Hatta → Dubai in 3-4 days, but USD 3,000 Hormuz surcharge + USD 2,500 land transit costs.

Questions:

1. Anyone shipped via Sohar Green Corridor recently? Real transit time?
2. Khor Fakkan congestion — easing after April 8 ceasefire or still bad?
3. Any carrier giving guaranteed no-rollover Jebel Ali slots (premium ok)?
4. Salalah worth the longer road for no Hormuz surcharge?

Perishable cargo. Rollover risk hurts more than freight cost. Need what's actually working, not sales pitches.

Thanks.

Helo,

We recently started our export business from India and would love some practical advice from people ding it already.

little bit about us: we are both manufacturers and traders in wood and furniture. We work with teak, sal, sheesham, mango, acacia, etc., or whatever your demand is and also do custom furniture. we handle the full process which means: sourcing raw wood (local + imported), processing it at our sawmill (about 20 km outside the city), and manufacturing in our workshop in the city. This gives us good control over quality and consistency.

We’ve just got our export license and are now trying to expand internationally. but for the start we prefer working as suppliers.

ould really appreciate insights on:

• Which countries/markets are currently good for Indian wood or furniture exports?
• What kind of products are actually moving like raw wood or timber finished vs finished furniture vs semi-finished?
• Any specific compliance/certification that buyers are insisting on right now?

We’re also planning to move our workshop outside the city and set up an in-house kiln this year.

Happy to connect and thanks!

DM me and let's connect on Linkedin

In most industries, advance payments are a standard practice.

Buyers pay advances while purchasing machinery.

They pay advances when booking properties.

Even in multiple large-scale commodity trades, advance commitments are normal.

So why is it treated differently when it comes to 100% broken rice?

When we offer:

✔️ A formal contract

✔️ Dispatch of goods against advance within 48 hours

✔️ 100% payment security via LR

✔️ Full transparency — buyer can be present during loading

✔️ No insistence on advance PO

…then what exactly is the hesitation?

Trust is a two-way street.

Serious business requires serious commitment from both sides.

If the intent is genuine and the process is transparent, advance payment shouldn’t be a concern — it should be a standard.

#RiceTrade #BrokenRice #CommodityTrading #AgriBusiness #RiceMillers #RiceSuppliers #B2BTrade #SupplyChain #Procurement #BulkBuyers #FoodIndustry #EthanolIndustry #Breweries #ExportBusiness #IndiaTrade #TrustInBusiness #BusinessEthics #SeriousBuyers #TradeTransparency #Logistics #AgriCommodities

DM me an intro / linkedin and lets setup a call!

I started building a simple lead tracker for my export business (SS-304 floor traps, FOB Mundra)… and it kind of spiraled

First it was just:

* Leads + stages (new → negotiating → closed)

* AI to generate cold emails / follow-ups

Then I added shipment tracking:

* B/L, ETA, status (booked → delivered)

* Basic progress view

Then payments:

* Invoice builder

* Multi-currency

* Track paid / pending / overdue

Now I’m merging everything into one system where one “deal” has:

buyer + shipment + invoice + payment

So instead of jumping between tools to track, it’s: lead → shipment → payment in one place

Trying to keep it simple and not turn it into a bloated ERP

What do you currently use to manage all this?

is this worth to create a app or web or is just a trash i need help your help

and i created a simple ui with claude and i have share the screenshot with the post

https://preview.redd.it/5x5zt5dedsvg1.png?width=529&format=png&auto=webp&s=c7557a2f558b7d5be6af2be4c49f9d34619f39b8

https://preview.redd.it/wbke0bdedsvg1.png?width=499&format=png&auto=webp&s=b551fd63c92027ce9ba4314b174bdd0d8c75262a

https://preview.redd.it/w4xjccdedsvg1.png?width=332&format=png&auto=webp&s=bc55ceaae35dbb1a7c7779a1337fd15ae4827fde

https://preview.redd.it/gjatlcdedsvg1.png?width=497&format=png&auto=webp&s=e059e353445b073ef899c7426bbad6d535e8b697