How to find buyers for export from India

Councils, fairs, portals, embassies and importer lists, and how to turn a lead into an order.

By Saurabh Khatri · Published 17 October 2026 · 6 min read

Where Indian exporters find overseas buyers

Overseas buyers rarely find a new Indian exporter by chance. Exporters who win steady orders usually combine several of these channels:

Export promotion councils and FIEO, for trade enquiries, buyer-seller meets and delegations.
Trade fairs, in India and abroad, where buyers come to compare suppliers.
Indian missions abroad, whose commercial wings help Indian exporters.
B2B portals, where buyers post requirements and search for suppliers.
Importer lists and trade data, to find who already imports your product in a target country.
Your own website and LinkedIn page, which every serious buyer checks before replying.

Before any of these, you need an Importer-Exporter Code (IEC) from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), a clear HS code for your product, and a price you can quote with confidence.

Start with your export promotion council

India has export promotion councils (EPCs) for most product groups, among them EEPC India for engineering goods, the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) for garments, CHEMEXCIL for basic chemicals, cosmetics and dyes, and Pharmexcil for pharmaceuticals. Agricultural and processed food exporters work with APEDA, and marine product exporters with MPEDA. The Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) is the apex body and also serves exporters whose products have no council of their own.

Joining gives you a Registration-cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC), which you need to claim several benefits under the Foreign Trade Policy. For finding buyers, the bigger value is what councils do: they pass on trade enquiries from overseas buyers, run buyer-seller meets, take delegations abroad and organise India pavilions at overseas fairs, often with government support towards the cost. Ask your council which events it plans this year and how members receive enquiries.

DGFT, the Indian Trade Portal and Indian missions

DGFT issues the IEC, runs the Foreign Trade Policy and publishes its schemes and notifications on its website. Read the policy for your product before you price, because incentives and restrictions vary by product.
The Indian Trade Portal shows import duties and product requirements in many overseas markets, and the terms of India's trade agreements. Use it to see where your product enters at a lower duty.
Government trade data, such as the Department of Commerce's export-import data bank, shows which countries already buy your product from India, which helps you choose markets. Our guide to exporter and importer databases lists the free sources.
Indian embassies and high commissions have commercial wings that help Indian exporters. Write to the one in your target country with your product, HS code, the kind of buyer you want and your company profile. Many will share importer contacts or local fair dates.

Trade fairs, B2B portals and importer lists

Trade fairs put many buyers and suppliers in one place for a few days. Some draw overseas buyers to India, such as the IHGF Delhi Fair for handicrafts and home products, organised by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts. Abroad, fairs such as Ambiente and Heimtextil in Frankfurt for home goods and textiles, or Gulfood in Dubai for food, attract buyers from many countries. Visit a fair before you take a stall, and book meetings with buyers before you travel.

B2B portals such as Alibaba, and the export sections of Indian marketplaces, let buyers post requirements and search for suppliers. They bring volume, along with many casual enquiries and some frauds. Be wary of any "buyer" who asks you to pay a registration, certification or sample fee to someone they nominate before placing an order.

Importer lists come from trade data companies, which compile shipment records in the countries that make them available, from chambers of commerce and trade associations abroad, and from council and mission contacts. The most useful show who imports your HS code now and from where, so you can write to buyers who already buy from India or from your competitors.

From first email to first order

A first email to an importer should fit on a phone screen. For example: "Dear Ms Weber, we make stainless steel kitchenware in Moradabad for retailers in Europe. I see you import cookware from Asia. Could I send our catalogue and FOB prices for your best-selling lines?" Follow up once after a week.

Samples: send what the buyer asks for, labelled with your product codes, and keep an identical set. Many exporters charge for samples or courier and adjust it against the first order.
Price basis: quote using an Incoterms rule, which fixes who pays for what and where the risk passes. FOB (named port of loading) and CIF (named port of destination) are common for sea freight; EXW puts almost everything on the buyer, and DDP almost everything on you, import duty included. State the currency, the price's validity and the payment terms.
Payment: new buyers usually start with advance payment, a letter of credit, or documents against payment through banks. ECGC offers export credit insurance and can assess overseas buyers before you give credit.
Check the buyer: their company registration at home, a working website and address, and trade references.

Where our lists fit in

Starleads lists are businesses in India, so they will not give you a buyer in Hamburg or Dubai. They help in two other ways:

Sell through exporters who already ship. Merchant exporters and export houses buy from Indian makers and ship under their own name, so a manufacturer can win export orders without building overseas sales first.
Sell to Indian importers of your product. A business that imports what you make may buy locally if your quality and price match, with shorter lead times and no currency risk.

The Importers list has 1,11,110 importers in 274 cities, 97% of them with an email address and 88% with a mobile number. The All-India lists:

Freight forwarders, packers and inspection agencies use the same lists to find shippers. Our cold email templates include one written to an exporter, and the cold calling tips help when you follow up by phone.

Questions people ask

Is there a free list of foreign buyers?

Not a complete one. Councils share trade enquiries with members, missions can suggest importers, and fair catalogues list the exhibitors. Detailed importer lists by product usually come from paid trade data services.

Do I need an RCMC to export?

You need an IEC to export. An RCMC from your council is needed to claim certain Foreign Trade Policy benefits, and membership brings the council's enquiries and events.

Which Incoterm should a new exporter quote?

FOB from an Indian port is a common start for sea freight: you handle what you know, inland transport and export clearance, and the buyer arranges the voyage. Quote CIF when a buyer asks for a price delivered to their port.

How do I avoid fake export buyers?

Be wary of large first orders with no questions about quality, requests for fees before an order, and buyers who use only free email addresses. Verify the company in its own country, and insist on secure payment terms for the first shipment.