International Trade

by Craig Snyder (extrader@wavenet.com)

As we all know, the Internet is a worldwide network of computers. This network, and especially the World Wide Web, automatically lends itself to doing business around the globe. Hundreds of sites claim to be "international." Some really have useful information or services; many are nothing more than links to the same links on every other trade-related Web site. This column will guide you to the best resources of the Web, as well as to provide real-world examples and tools to use the Web to find new markets, locate overseas partners, and conduct business. Whether you are a beginner or have been importing and exporting for years, the Web has some excellent trade-related resources. Familiarize yourself with them and the content they have to offer.

So, where to start? The best and biggest of the general-purpose international trade sites are Trade Compass, TradePort, and the U.S. Trade Point. You'll find a multitude of market research reports, contact lists, trade-related databases, lists of trade shows, trade events, and more. You can learn how to export or to import, locate trade financing information and sources, as well as how to choose the right freight forwarder. These sites are well organized and are continuously adding new content to their already extensive databases. Check them out and make sure to add them to your bookmark files.

Another set of sites with useful content is the Michigan State University CIBER Home Page, IMEX, Market Link, and The Trading Floor. While not as exhaustive as the Trade Compass, TradePort, and the U.S. Trade Point, they do have a lot to offer. As an example, The Trading Floor offers real-time online trading and discussion forums. We'll explore using the Web to find buyers in a later column.

No discussion of international trade can be complete without including the resources available from government and international organizations. Where does all that trade information come from? Mainly the U.S. Dept. of Commerce's International Trade Administration. You'll find general trade information, as well as specific industry and country intelligence., for example the Central and Eastern Europe Business Information Center and NAFTA OnLine.

How about trade statistics? The U.S. Bureau of the Census, an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, handles the collection and dissemination of all U.S.-gathered data.

The U.S. International Trade Commission has industry specific information as well as reports on unfair trade practices and dumping (selling below cost) of products into the U.S. market. The U.S. Bureau of Export Administration is the agency that administers the U.S. Export Administration Regulations and issues export licenses (one of the organizations controlling encryption software). The U.S. Export-Import Bank has programs to help companies locate and secure sources of trade finance.

Isn't there one centralized source for all this information? No, but a large portion of it can be located at the Web sites listed in this column. In most cases, the direct source is STAT-USA, a subscription service which provides online access to the National Trade Databank (NTDB), as well as government collected trade leads. Many of the existing Web sites use U.S. government information and reports from the NTDB and offer it to the public for free.

Another resource, especially for importers, is the Web sites of other countries. Accessing the Canadian Government Trade Information site is an excellent method of using someone else's tax dollars to further your company's trade objectives.

A multitude of international organizations exists, the most well known being the United Nations. The UN has established a large number of Trading Points throughout the globe. You can access trade leads and information on the World Trade Organization (WTO) at the UN Trade Development Site. Other well known international organizations are the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund (yes, it really is a gopher site), Inter-American Development Bank, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO-9000 information), and the North American Development Bank. We'll discuss the development banks in more detail in a future column, but they are a source of more than US$40 billion in projects and consulting.

That's more than enough to absorb until the next issue, when we'll focus on using the Web to locate international partners, suppliers, distributors and representatives.

Craig Snyder is the President of Dolphin Marketing International (DMI). DMI uses Web site design, training, marketing assistance, and a multitude of trade tools and contacts, to help U.S. and overseas companies utilize the Web to conduct international business. DMI also conducts a biweekly review of the best international trade Web sites.