Go global, cross-border
Where to sell abroad first, and how to ship and get paid across borders.
5 steps to get you moving, each with a resource worth your time and more waiting underneath
Think of this as a friendly starting line, not the last word. Each step gives you the gist, then a resource worth your time from founders who've been there. There's always more underneath, more questions and more resources, whenever you feel like digging in.
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1
Selling internationally: start here
Where to sell abroad first, and why.
I want to sell my brand internationally, where do I even begin?The gist Don't 'go global', pick one market and one channel and run a real test. The cleanest first step for most Indian D2C brands is listing a hero SKU on a marketplace like Amazon Global Selling (they handle warehousing, returns and payments in the destination country) while you learn demand, before you invest in a localized own-store. Get your export paperwork (IEC, GST, AD code) in place first, ship a small batch, and treat the first six months as expensive market research, not scale.
Export from India and Start Selling with Amazon Global Selling sell.amazon.in The canonical India-facing starting point, lays out the 18+ marketplaces, the paperwork you need, and the fulfillment/payment flow in language written for an Indian seller, not a US one. -
2
Amazon Global & marketplaces
Reach US/UK/UAE buyers via marketplaces.
How do I actually start selling on Amazon in the US, UK or UAE from India?The gist Register on Seller Central for the destination marketplace, get your IEC and GST sorted, and list one hero SKU before you touch the rest of your catalogue, Amazon Global Selling handles the marketplace mechanics, but your export paperwork is on you. Use FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) so Amazon stores, ships and handles returns in-country; that removes cross-border shipping as your first problem. Budget three to six months and treat it as a demand test, not a launch.
Export from India and Start Selling with Amazon Global Selling sell.amazon.in The canonical India-facing starting point, lays out the 18+ marketplaces, the paperwork you need, and the fulfillment/payment flow in language written for an Indian seller, not a US one. -
3
Export docs, IEC & compliance
IEC, HS codes, and staying legal to export.
What's the very first paperwork I need before I ship one export order out of India?The gist Three things, non-negotiable: an IEC (Importer-Exporter Code) from DGFT, around Rs 500, usually issued within a few working days, active GST registration, and an AD Code registered with your bank at the port or courier you'll ship from. File an LUT on the GST portal too, so you can export without paying IGST upfront and blocking your own cash. None of this is hard, but do it before your first shipment, not after a parcel gets stuck in customs.
Importer-Exporter Code (IEC): Meaning, Benefits, How to Apply sell.amazon.in The IEC is the one document you cannot export without, and this explains what it is, who needs it, and the DGFT application steps in plain language for first-time exporters. -
4
International shipping & fulfillment
Get products across borders profitably.
Should I self-ship each order internationally, use a courier aggregator like Shiprocket X, or hold stock abroad via FBA?The gist For your first 50-100 international orders, use a cross-border courier aggregator (Shiprocket X, or similar), it handles customs paperwork per parcel and needs no upfront inventory commitment abroad. Move to holding stock in-country (Amazon FBA, or a 3PL) once one market has predictable, repeat demand, because in-country storage cuts delivery time from 10-15 days to 1-3 and meaningfully lifts conversion. Pure self-ship via India Post only makes sense for low-volume, low-urgency, high-margin niche orders.
Shiprocket X, Cross-Border Shipping for eCommerce Businesses shiprocket.in The India-based way to ship cross-border with customs paperwork handled for you, relevant here because it bundles compliant export documentation with the actual shipment, reducing what you have to file yourself. -
5
Cross-border payments & pricing
Get paid abroad and price for each market.
What's the cheapest, fastest way for an Indian exporter to actually receive USD/GBP payments?The gist For B2B export invoices, export-focused platforms like Skydo now beat both PayPal and Payoneer on cost, flat fees and close to the mid-market FX rate, versus PayPal's roughly 4%+ markup and transaction fee. Wise is the strong general-purpose alternative with a genuine mid-market rate; Payoneer remains the default for marketplace payouts (Amazon-style platforms) specifically. Whichever you pick, make sure it issues an FIRC/FIRA automatically, you'll need it for GST and RoDTEP claims.
How to Receive International Payments in India skydo.com A practical, India-specific walkthrough of the actual mechanics, routing, SWIFT, FIRC, written by a company built specifically for Indian exporters receiving foreign payments.
