See where a company buys from
Look up customs bill of lading records to see what an overseas company imports, where it buys from and who its suppliers are, or find companies importing similar products by HS code. Understand a buyer’s sourcing before you decide how to approach them.
What bill of lading data is
A bill of lading is the shipping document a carrier issues for each consignment, naming the shipper (supplier), the consignee (importer) and the goods. Some countries make import declaration or bill of lading records public, and once compiled they can be searched by company name or HS code. This is what most exporters mean by customs data.
For export sales, the value is seeing what a company actually imports and who it buys from, rather than relying on its website: confirm that a prospect buys products like yours before outreach, and find an angle against its current suppliers.
How customs lookup works
- 01
Enter a company or code
Search by company name or by the HS code of your product
- 02
Review import records
See what the company buys, where it buys from and who supplies it
- 03
Confirm the match
When several companies share a name, check the country and products
- 04
Plan the approach
Use the buyer’s sourcing to decide whether and how to approach them
Customs lookup capabilities
- Look up by company
- See where a company buys from, what it buys and who its suppliers are.
- Find importers by HS code
- Find companies importing similar products as a source of potential buyers.
- Works with prospecting
- Understand a target’s purchasing first, then add it to your buyer profiles and outreach plan.
Who it is for
- Confirming that a prospect actually buys products like yours
- Finding out who a target customer currently buys from
- Factories looking for overseas importers by product
Customs data
FAQ
What information do the records show?
A company’s import records: what it buys, where it buys from and who its suppliers are. You can also find importers by HS code.
What if several companies share the same name?
Check the country and products to confirm you have the right company before relying on its records.
How do we find the right HS code?
The HS code is the commodity classification maintained by the World Customs Organization. The first six digits are shared by more than 200 countries and economies, which add further digits of their own. Start with the six-digit code when searching for importers to get the widest coverage.
Is the consignee always the real buyer?
Not always. The consignee may be a freight forwarder, customs broker or logistics company, so check the company’s website to confirm its business.
Do the records cover all of a company’s imports?
No. Countries publish different levels of data, air freight and small parcels are usually not included, and records arrive with some delay. Use them to verify and find buyers, not as a complete record of a company’s purchasing.
How does it relate to the prospecting flywheel?
Customs lookup is a separate research tool. Use it before outreach to understand a target’s sourcing, or to find importers of similar products by HS code, then decide whether to add them to your buyer profiles and outreach plan.