To start importing from India, pick one product, check what your country requires, find and verify a manufacturer, test a sample, and place a small first order with inspection before you pay the balance. Doing these in order keeps your first mistake cheap.
Most new importers do the steps in the wrong sequence: they fall in love with a sample, pay a deposit, and only then ask what customs requires. Reverse that.
1. Choose one product and write a specification
Write down what you want in measurable terms: dimensions, grade, material, packing, labelling and quantity. A vague brief gets vague quotes. If you cannot specify it, ask for samples first and write the specification from the one you like.
2. Check your country's rules before you ask for prices
Ask a licensed customs broker in your country for the product's classification, duty, and any permits, labelling or safety rules. Rules differ by country, and trade agreements change. See the guides for the US and Australia. We cannot give duty rates, and neither should a supplier.
3. Find a manufacturer, not a trader
Search through trade directories, trade shows or an agent, then check what you find. A visit settles the question. How to tell a trader from a manufacturer lists the tests. Check business registrations too, as verifying an Indian exporter explains.
4. Samples, testing and a trial order
Keep an approved sample sealed as the standard, and test it. Then order a trial quantity, small enough to afford a loss and large enough to tell you how the factory behaves on a real run. Do not scale up until the trial order arrives as approved.
5. Terms, payment and shipping
Choose an incoterm you understand; the best incoterm for a first-time importer is a good starting point. Pay the factory's own bank account, in stages, never a personal account. Appoint a forwarder and a broker.
6. Inspect before the final payment
Have goods checked before they leave the factory, ideally by someone who works for you. An inspection compares the production lot with your specification and approved sample, counts cartons and watches loading. It is cheaper than a claim.
Common mistakes first-time importers make
Paying a large deposit before checking the supplier is the most expensive. Close behind is choosing on price alone, when the cheapest quote usually leaves something out: weaker material, thinner packing or an unchecked lot. Another is ordering too much at the start. Keep the first order small, and treat it as a test of the factory as much as of the product.
What to send a supplier or agent first
Send your specification, target quantity, destination country, labelling needs and the date you need the goods. State that you will inspect and test. A serious factory welcomes that; one that resists is telling you something.
What to keep for your records
Keep every quote, specification, test report, inspection report and payment record. They protect you in a dispute and make your second order easier than your first.
A decision rule on order size
Order the smallest quantity that still tells you the truth about the factory: usually one full production run of a single item, not a mixed sample box. If that run matches your approved sample and arrives on time, repeat it at a larger size. If not, you have lost a little and learned a lot.
Do you need an agent?
If you cannot travel to India, or you are buying a product where quality varies by plant, an agent saves time and risk. If you already know a good supplier, you might need only inspection. See what a sourcing agent in India does.
We work across India and arrange audits and inspections where the supplier is. We find and audit manufacturers, shortlist five to ten real ones, check samples and documents, have lots tested, and supervise production and loading. You pay the factory directly, and we take nothing from factories. Our fee is one written amount agreed in advance. To plan your first order, book a free sourcing review.