Importing sounds simple: buy from a supplier, ship it over, start selling. In reality, your first pallet is a crash course in freight, duties, and compliance.
Learn how to build freight into your business model, keep value consistent even when product changes, and use scarcity as a feature, not a flaw.
For founders who are:
Importing products for the first time
Navigating freight, duties, and compliance without a logistics background
Building consumer trust in a crowded market
1. Start small and scrappy
A small batch of product (smaller than you think) is enough to prove pricing, packaging, and demand. Even if you have to pay more per unit, it decreases risk and gives you enough feedback to move to the next step.
Run the smallest possible batch before committing to scale
Treat early sales as both revenue and real-time research
Use small wins as proof points, not failures
2. Build freight into your business model
Customs, FDA codes, and duties can sink your margins before your product ever reaches a shelf. Freight isn’t just logistics, it’s part of your cost of goods. Ask yourself:
Do you know the true landed cost of your product?
Who can handle compliance so you don’t have to?
What expertise is worth paying for now to save time, stress, and risk later?
What to try: Work backwards from landed cost. Price and margin decisions must include freight and compliance from day one.
3. Make variability a strength
Seasonal or perishable products naturally change. Without context, it looks like inconsistency. With education, it builds trust. Here are ways to educate the market:
Be transparent about how supply cycles affect your product
Build education into your packaging, marketing, and demos
Frame variability as a reason to engage and educate, not an excuse
What to try: Turn seasonality into a story. Educate customers why change means freshness and quality, not inconsistency.
4. Turn scarcity into demand
Agricultural and seasonal products can’t always scale on demand. Limited supply creates urgency when framed as exclusivity.
Position limited supply as premium, not a shortage
Plan adjacent SKUs or extensions to smooth seasonal gaps
Use scarcity to drive anticipation and loyalty
What to try: Treat scarcity like luxury. Frame it as special access, and use limited drops or extensions to keep customers engaged year-round.
Checklist: Are you ready to bring a product overseas?
Have you chosen a freight partner you can actually trust?
Do you know your true landed cost (product + freight + duties + compliance)?
Have you tested demand with a small run before scaling?
Do you have a go-to-market strategy ready when your product lands?
Can you explain your product to the local market in one simple sentence?
Bottom line: Imports can sink founders who scale too fast. Start small, price with freight, and turn seasonality into strength.
Know someone trying to get their food brand off the ground? Do them (and us!) a favor and pass along this playbook.
