Preparing Product for Export

Exporting illustration.

Prepare Products to Meet Standards

Overview

Products and their packaging may need to be customized before selling in a new market. Your products may need to be altered to make them operable, more marketable, or legally compliant in a foreign nation.

Download Video: Prepare Your Product for Export
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Product Conformity

  • Check if your product conforms to standards, regulations or certifications of the foreign country.  For instance, if you are exporting to the European Union, your product may need to comply with the European Conformity “CE mark” or if you are exporting to China, your products may need to comply with the China Compulsory Certification “CCC”.
  • When it comes to some technical changes or regulations, free trade agreements often specify acceptance of the other country’s certifications. If certifications or regulations may be a concern, consider selling to the U.S.’s free trade agreement partner countries first.
    If your product uses electricity, you may need to adjust the voltage and/or the plug that’s used to connect to sockets in other countries.
  • Some countries also require products to conform to local environmental standards, such as energy efficiency. For less developed countries, you might need to ensure your product will not be damaged from frequent power outages or surges.  

Labeling and Marking

  • Product labeling and marking may need to be changed to reflect official languages or metric units of measurement.
  • Be sure to research local customs and languages. In some cultures, specific colors signify things you probably don’t want associated with your product, such as death or funerals.
  • In addition, check to make sure your product or company name doesn’t translate to or sound like words that mean something completely different in a foreign language. For example, the word “Nova” may refer to a type of star in English, but “No va” means “Not going” or “Doesn’t go” in Spanish.

U.S. Government Regulations 

  • As the exporter, it is your responsibility to ensure that you can legally export your product according to U.S. government regulations. A small percentage of U.S. exports require a license from a federal government agency. Also, be aware that all products may be prohibited from export to certain countries or foreign buyers.  

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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