Your First Import Order from India, Step by Step

Our Export Process page is the reference overview: the eleven steps every order passes through. This guide covers what that sequence feels like from the buyer's side on a first order: roughly when each thing happens, what lands in your inbox at each stage, which decisions are yours to make, and where first orders usually slow down. It's written for importers who haven't bought from us before, and especially for those buying from India for the first time.

What to prepare before your first enquiry

The fastest first orders start with a specific enquiry. You don't need every answer, but the more of this you have to hand, the fewer rounds of questions before a firm price:

The quote form prompts for most of these. If you're unsure about one, say so; we'd rather ask a question than guess.

How long does a first order take, stage by stage?

Every figure below is a range the site already states elsewhere; your quote replaces them with a product-specific estimate.

The "goods readied" range comes from our product buyer guides. For example, pulses ship from cleaned, graded stock in 7–12 days, while frozen seafood runs 15–20 days, subject to a production slot. Fresh produce also depends on the harvest window. Transit ranges by region are on Logistics & Shipping, from 2–7 days for South Asia to 25–40 days for Latin America.

What lands in your inbox after the first enquiry?

Within 24 business hours you hear back with one of two things. If your requirement is specific, you get confirmation of what's available at your specification, often with packaging and container-loading details. If it isn't, you get clarifying questions: grade, size, moisture, packaging format, labelling, whatever applies to the product.

That second outcome isn't a delay on our side. A requirement like "good quality rice" can't be priced honestly, because the price range across grades is wide. Answering those questions in one reply, rather than one at a time, is the single easiest way to shorten a first order.

If a product is out of season, restricted for export at the time, or in a grade we can't currently source, the first reply says so. We'd rather tell you that on day one than after a round of samples.

What should you check on the proforma invoice?

The price offer states the Incoterm with a named port ("FOB Mundra", "CIF Jebel Ali"), the quantity it applies to, packaging, and a validity window. Commodity and freight prices move, so the offer isn't open-ended. If the window passes while you're deciding, ask for a refreshed price rather than assuming the old figure holds.

Once you accept, we issue a proforma invoice. It sets out the product and specification, quantity, packaging, Incoterm and named port, price, payment terms and shipment window. Read it as carefully as a contract, because in practice it is the document everything else is checked against. Your bank will usually need it to open a Letter of Credit or release an advance, and some importing countries ask for it with an import-permit application.

Two things to check line by line: the specification matches what you agreed, and the consignee details are exactly as they must appear on the shipping documents.

Approving a sample and the spec sheet

For a first order at meaningful volume, a sample is usually worth the time. You receive the sample together with a specification sheet that states the parameters we'll ship to. Test the sample against the sheet, not against a general impression. If the parameters are right but something isn't, such as colour, pack or label, say so now.

Sample availability depends on the season and the product; perishable samples need a realistic courier window so they arrive usable, and some countries require paperwork even for sample quantities. See our Sample Policy for charges and handling.

Decisions only the buyer can make

We can recommend, but these choices sit with you, and each one affects timing:

• Incoterm and named port. FOB if you have a forwarder with good rates; CIF or CFR if you'd rather we book freight. The Incoterms Guide sets out the trade-offs. The terms themselves are defined by the ICC's Incoterms® 2020 rules.
• Payment method. An irrevocable LC at sight, an advance with balance against documents, or TT. A first order of larger value usually suits an LC; a small trial often suits TT or CAD. See LC, TT and CAD options.
• Specification tolerances. Which parameters are critical to you, and what range is acceptable. Tighter tolerances can narrow availability.
• Packaging and labelling. Bag or carton size, your brand or ours, and any language or labelling rules in your market.
• Inspection. Our standard pre-shipment check, or a third-party agency of your choice. Third-party inspection (SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek or your nominated agency) can be arranged on request.
• Documents for your market. Share your compliance checklist and we will confirm the documentation for your shipment.
• Trial or full container. Our default MOQ is 1 × 20ft container; trial orders discussed.

How you make these choices depends on where you start. A first-time importer usually does best with CIF or CFR, so we book the freight, a trial quantity, and an LC or a partial advance with the balance against documents. An established distributor with its own forwarder and inspection agency often prefers FOB, and can move straight to a full container once the sample is approved.

The timeline differs by product and lane as much as by buyer. Scenario: a South Asian distributor ordering pulses can expect goods readied in 7-12 days and transit of 2-7 days, roughly 9-19 days from order confirmation to arrival. A first-time Latin American importer ordering frozen seafood should plan on 15-20 days to ready the goods and 25-40 days at sea, roughly 40-60 days, before adding the time its bank takes to open an LC.

What does one 20ft container hold, and what is it worth?

That depends on the product far more than on the container. The same minimum of one 20ft carries very different amounts of money, using the loads and the average export values from our product guides:

These are average declared values for a year, not quotes, but the spread is the point: the same one-container order puts about 30 times more money at risk on cardamom than on onion. That changes the sensible first order. On a low-value, dense cargo, freight and port costs are a large share of the landed price and a trial container costs little in goods; TT or CAD on a single 20ft is a common way to start. On a high-value cargo, the goods dominate, a part-container or smaller trial makes sense, and the cost of an LC and a third-party inspection is small against what they protect.

While the goods are being readied

Once payment security is in place, the goods are sourced or drawn from stock, graded and packed to the agreed specification. For fresh produce this means harvest and pre-cooling timed to the sailing; for processed goods it means a production slot against your shipment window.

You don't need to do much in this phase, but a few things help. Confirm the final consignee and notify-party details. If you're on FOB, put your forwarder in touch with us so their vessel booking lines up with our packing and the port cut-off. If you nominated an inspection agency, confirm they have the inspection date. And if an import permit is pending, chase it now; a container that arrives before the permit is a costly problem.

Which documents do you receive, and when?

Export documentation prepared to match destination-country and buyer requirements — phytosanitary certificate, certificate of origin, fumigation certificate, lab test reports and more, as applicable. Before loading, we confirm the document list against your compliance checklist so nothing is discovered missing at arrival.

• Before shipment: proforma invoice, specification sheet, and the inspection report if an inspection was booked.
• At or just after loading: commercial invoice, packing list, and a copy of the bill of lading.
• As each is issued: certificate of origin, phytosanitary certificate, fumigation certificate and lab reports, for example pesticide residue tests against your market's maximum residue limits (MRLs), where your product and market need them.

Certificates of origin for trade agreements are issued through India's DGFT portal, which also administers the IEC that every Indian exporter must hold. For agricultural and processed food products, APEDA is the export development authority; some products, basmati rice for example, carry an APEDA contract registration before loading — see our basmati import process guide for how that registration's 45-day window fits into a first order's timeline.

Bill of lading to arrival at your port

The shipping line issues the bill of lading once the container is on board. It's the document of title for sea cargo, so its consignee and notify-party details matter: they decide who can take delivery at your end. We send you a copy as soon as it's issued, with the vessel name and expected arrival date.

How the originals reach you depends on the payment method. Under an LC or Cash Against Documents they travel through the banks, and you receive them once the payment conditions are met. Under TT they come to you directly once the balance is settled. Either way, we aim to get documents to you before the vessel arrives, so your customs broker isn't waiting on paperwork.

From arrival, import clearance, duties and delivery to your warehouse are yours or your broker's, under all four Incoterms we quote.

Which first-order mistakes cause the most delay?

• A vague specification. It causes more back-and-forth than any other issue, and it's the source of most disputes that happen later.
• Letting the price offer expire. Internal approvals take longer than expected, the window passes and the price has to be refreshed.
• Payment security arriving late. Goods are readied against your shipment window, but work starts when the LC or advance is in place. LC opening time depends on your bank, so start that process as soon as the proforma is agreed.
• LC terms that don't match the proforma. A documentary requirement or date in the LC that differs from what was agreed means an amendment, which costs time. Send us the draft LC before your bank issues it.
• Documents requested after loading. Some certificates must be arranged before the goods leave. Share your compliance checklist at the start.
• Consignee details changed late. Correcting a bill of lading after issue is slower than getting it right on the proforma.
• Choosing FOB without a forwarder. Booking freight as a first-time, one-off customer can cost more than the exporter's arranged freight.

Scenario: a buyer of frozen seafood has its bank issue an LC with a latest shipment date 14 days after issue, copied from an earlier supplier's credit. The product needs 15-20 days to ready, plus the vessel's cut-off for container delivery to the port. The shipment cannot meet the date, so the LC has to be amended, the bank charges for it, and the booking may roll to the next vessel. Sending the draft LC to the exporter for a check against the proforma, before issue, catches this in a day.

Why the second order is quicker

Once specification, payment terms and document requirements are agreed, a repeat order is mostly confirmation: the spec sheet, proforma format, document list and consignee details carry over. That's why we'd rather start with a trial order we can deliver well than oversell a first shipment. When you're ready, send your requirement through the quote form and we'll come back within 24 business hours.