To prepare to export, first confirm that buyers in a specific country want your product at a price that can cover production, compliance, packaging and delivery. Then classify the product, check Indian and destination-country rules, put core business and export documents in order, and choose packaging and logistics for the route. The details depend on the product, destination and sales channel: this is a readiness sequence, not a universal list of permissions or paperwork.
1. Choose what to sell and where to sell it
Start with a product-market pairing, not the assumption that a product that sells in India will sell abroad. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) recommends assessing overseas demand, comparing similar products and prices on destination-country e-commerce platforms, and meeting prospective buyers at trade fairs or buyer-seller meetings. Its 2023 E-Commerce Exports Handbook for MSMEs identifies textiles and apparel, leather goods, handicrafts and home décor, beauty and personal care, jewellery, automotive parts, AYUSH and herbal products, spices and foods, tea and coffee, engineering goods, and religious artifacts as potential areas. These are broad suggestions, not evidence that a particular product has demand or will be profitable in a particular market.
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Test the market before scaling
- Identify the likely buyer: for example, a consumer, retailer, distributor, manufacturer or sourcing agent. Their order size, specifications and buying process may differ.
- Check comparable products, local shopping habits and competitor prices in the destination market. Compare products of similar quality and pack size, and account for the costs of getting your product to the buyer.
- Ask potential buyers about specifications, expected volumes, packaging, delivery timing and any required certifications. A buyer’s requirements can reveal constraints that a general market overview misses.
- Consider seasonality and whether the route can meet the buyer’s delivery expectations. A promising sale is not viable if the product cannot arrive in saleable condition or on time.
Use these checks to decide whether to test a small order, revise the offer or investigate another market. Market prices and opportunities change; the handbook’s market examples and figures should not be treated as current market-size estimates.
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2. Classify the product and check market access
Before accepting an order or committing to a shipment, identify the product’s Indian Tariff Classification under the Harmonised System (ITC(HS)) code. Use the classification to check the current Indian export policy and the importing country’s rules. A broad product name may not be enough to determine the correct classification, so confirm the code for the actual product and its composition or intended use.
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Check both sides of the transaction
- Indian export policy: DGFT’s handbook describes goods as free, restricted or prohibited. Restricted goods may require export authorization. The handbook’s examples explain the framework; they are not a live determination for your product.
- Indian regulatory requirements: Check whether a partner government agency or other authority requires a licence, registration, inspection, testing or certification for the product.
- Destination-market requirements: Confirm applicable product standards, labelling, safety, import permissions and certification with the relevant authorities or a qualified importer. Rules can vary by destination and product.
DGFT gives pharmaceutical and organic products as examples of categories with certification requirements. That does not establish which certificate, if any, applies to your specific goods. Verify the operative requirements for the product, destination and date of shipment before setting a delivery date or quoting a landed price.
3. Put core business and export documentation in place
In its e-commerce export guidance, DGFT lists a firm PAN, an Indian bank account and its AD code, GSTIN, and Importer Exporter Code (IEC) among general requirements. Treat this as a starting checklist for the e-commerce context, not a complete answer for every product, channel or transaction. Check current official procedures and your own tax, banking and product-specific obligations.
Keep the details consistent across business records, bank information, registrations and shipment documents. Confirm with your bank how to obtain or use the AD code associated with the account, and check that the details needed by your chosen logistics provider and customs process are available before dispatch.
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4. Select a sales and shipping route that fits the order
Small businesses may export through e-commerce parcels, courier services, postal exports or other freight arrangements tied to a buyer or supply-chain contract. The best option depends on the destination, order size, delivery promise, product restrictions and return arrangements. Ask providers for route-specific terms rather than choosing on a headline delivery time alone.
Compare the service on the factors that affect your shipment
- Coverage and limits: Does the service accept the destination, product, parcel dimensions and weight?
- Delivery and tracking: What delivery estimate applies to this route, and what tracking information will you and the buyer receive?
- Customs support: Who prepares or submits the shipment information, and what support is available if customs requests more details?
- Returns and claims: Can undeliverable goods be returned? What compensation or claims process applies if a shipment is lost or damaged?
- Total cost: Include collection, transport, handling, customs-related service charges, insurance if relevant, and likely return costs. Compare like-for-like service levels.
For e-commerce, DGFT’s 2023 handbook discusses postal, courier, international logistics, integrated pickup-and-delivery and fourth-party logistics (4PL) options. These are service categories, not endorsements of a provider. Its practical emphasis is that reliable delivery and customs clearance in India and at the destination matter to cross-border e-commerce. Confirm present-day procedures and service terms directly with the provider and relevant authorities.
5. Design packaging around the product and journey
Packaging is part of export readiness: it must protect the goods through repeated handling while meeting the route’s size, weight and content requirements. Plan it alongside the transport choice, not after the shipment has been booked.
- Consider fragility, moisture or temperature sensitivity, leakage risk and any special handling needed for the contents.
- Account for the full journey and likely transfers between handlers, not only the first leg from your premises.
- Check the carrier’s current limits and packing instructions, and confirm any destination-specific packaging or labelling rules.
- Estimate packaged dimensions and weight before quoting shipping costs; packaging can affect both protection and the chargeable shipment size.
If you use postal or courier exports, prepare shipment labels to the current carrier specifications. A thermal shipping-label printer may be convenient if you regularly print parcel barcodes, but it is optional; confirm label dimensions and requirements with the carrier before buying equipment or printing labels.
6. Follow the shipment workflow for your chosen channel
The exact process depends on channel and current rules. As one example, DGFT’s 2023 handbook describes an India Post workflow for e-commerce and other exports. Treat these form references as guidance from that handbook and verify the current process with India Post and the relevant authorities before shipping.
- Register using the IEC, GSTIN and bank AD code details specified by the applicable India Post process.
- Choose the Postage Bill of Export form indicated for the shipment: PBE III for e-commerce exports or PBE IV for other exports, as described in the handbook.
- Submit the shipment details and invoice through the applicable process.
- Attach the generated barcode label to the parcel as instructed.
For courier shipments, the handbook describes working with an authorized courier and providing shipment details. Confirm which documents and data that courier needs for your goods and destination. Keep copies of invoices, shipment records and any required approvals in an orderly file so that you can reconcile the order and respond to queries.
7. Check MSME export support before budgeting for it
The Ministry of MSME’s RAMP International Cooperation page, last updated 3 July 2026, describes support that includes capacity building through international fairs and buyer-seller meetings, market intelligence, and reimbursement of certain export-related costs. A Ministry first-time exporter page lists possible reimbursement categories such as Registration-Cum-Membership Certificate (RCMC) charges, export insurance premiums, and testing or quality-certification fees.
These categories do not guarantee that a business or expense qualifies. Before relying on support in a cash-flow plan, read the current official scheme guidance for eligibility, ceilings, operative dates and application steps. Confirm whether an expense must be approved or incurred within particular dates and what evidence is required.
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Use a shipment-readiness gate before accepting the order
Before you promise a buyer a price or dispatch date, make sure the essential decisions are resolved for that specific product and route:
- The target buyer and market are credible, and the proposed price accounts for the likely export costs.
- The ITC(HS) classification and current Indian export policy have been checked.
- Applicable Indian and destination-market permissions, standards and certifications are identified.
- Your business, bank and export details are ready for the chosen channel.
- The packaging protects the product and meets carrier limits.
- A suitable logistics provider has confirmed coverage, customs support, tracking, delivery terms, returns or claims, and costs.
- The shipment documents and channel workflow have been confirmed against current instructions.
If any item is unresolved, pause the commitment and verify it with the relevant government authority, bank, buyer or logistics provider. Export procedures can change: recheck DGFT, customs, GST, destination-market authorities and scheme portals when preparing an actual shipment.
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