How a Sialkot exporter finds buyers in the USA and Europe.

Who this guide is for

This guide is for manufacturers and exporters in Sialkot and the rest of Pakistan who want new buyers in the USA and Europe. Sialkot is known for sports goods, surgical instruments and leather goods, and the steps below fit those products and other products too.

It is a process, not a promise. Nobody can guarantee orders, and this guide does not. What it gives you is a clear order of work: choose a market with data, check the rules, describe your buyer, get your website ready, reach buyers through several channels, check each buyer, and keep a simple record.

Step 1 of 8

Choose your market with data, not a feeling

“Europe” is many countries with different languages, rules and buyer habits. “The USA” is one large market with its own rules. Starting with one or two target countries is easier than starting with all of them. Free trade statistics help you choose.

Find your product code

Trade data is sorted by Harmonized System (HS) codes. The first six digits are the same in almost every country, and each country adds more digits for its own tariff. For example, sports goods are often in Chapter 95, medical and surgical instruments in Chapter 90 and leather articles in Chapter 42, but the exact code depends on the product. Ask your freight forwarder or customs agent for the exact code of your product, and check it in the official tariff of the country you sell to. In the USA, only U.S. Customs and Border Protection gives binding classification advice.

Look at the market

The International Trade Centre (ITC) runs Trade Map. It shows export performance, demand, alternative markets and competitors, by product and by country. ITC says its market analysis tools are free for users in developing countries, and you may need a free account. Menu names change from time to time, so look for the lists of importing markets for a product exported by Pakistan, and of supplying markets for a product imported by a country.

For each country you consider, write down the answers to these questions:

1. Size. How much does the country import of your product code?
2. Direction. Is that going up, down or flat over the last few years?
3. Competition. Who supplies it today, and is Pakistan one of them?
4. Price level. What is the typical value per unit? This tells you where buyers are used to paying, but check it against your own costs.
5. Duty. What duty applies to your product from Pakistan? See Step 2.
6. Rules. What registrations, labels or tests are needed? See Step 2.

Keep it in a simple table like this one. Fill the cells yourself from the sources. Do not guess.

Trade statistics mostly show products and countries, not company names. You will find company names in Step 5.

Step 2 of 8

Check the rules before you send one email

A buyer will ask about duty, paperwork and registrations in the first or second message. Knowing the answers early makes you look serious and keeps you from promising something you cannot deliver.

Tariffs and product rules

• EU. The European Commission’s Access2Markets shows tariffs, rules of origin, product requirements and customs steps for a product and a country. Use it for each EU country you plan to sell to.
• USA. The U.S. International Trade Commission publishes the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. Duties and trade measures can change, so check the current schedule for your code and ask your customs agent before you quote.
• The UK is separate from the EU. It has its own tariff, the UK Trade Tariff, and its own product rules. Do not assume that an EU answer is also a UK answer.

Surgical instruments and other medical devices

• USA. The rules in 21 CFR 807.40 say that a foreign establishment that makes devices for the USA must register with the FDA, list its devices and name a U.S. agent. The FDA states that registration and listing do not mean the FDA has approved, cleared or authorised the facility or its devices. Depending on the type of device, it may also need clearance or approval before it is sold, or it may be exempt. Ask a regulatory adviser about your device.
• EU. Under Article 11 of the Medical Device Regulation (EU) 2017/745, a manufacturer outside the Union must appoint an authorised representative in the Union before its devices are placed on the EU market. Devices also need CE marking, and the route to it depends on the device’s class.

Duty advantages: GSP+ for Pakistan

Pakistan has had the EU’s GSP+ status since January 2014, which can mean lower or no duty on some products. It is not automatic. It depends on conditions, and each shipment needs proof of origin.

The rules are changing. A new EU GSP Regulation, (EU) 2026/1395, was published on 22 June 2026 and applies from 1 January 2027. The European Commission says that countries with GSP+ today are not rolled over automatically: they must apply again under the new rules, and a transition period runs to the end of 2028. So do not promise long-term duty advantages in your quotes. Check your product in Access2Markets, read the Commission’s summary of the changes, and ask your freight forwarder or customs adviser which origin document you need.

Incoterms: say who pays and who carries the risk

Incoterms are the International Chamber of Commerce’s trade terms. Incoterms 2020 is the current edition and has 11 rules. Always write the rule, the named place and the edition together, for example “FCA [named place] Incoterms 2020”. Agree this in writing before the order, because the terms decide who pays for transport and who carries the risk at each point.

Quick map of where to look

Step 3 of 8

Describe your buyer

“Everyone who buys sports goods” is not a buyer. A clear picture of one type of buyer makes every later step easier: the website, the list, the message and the follow-up. Write one paragraph for each product line:

My buyer is a [type of company: importer, distributor, brand, retailer, institution] in [country or region] that buys [product] for [use]. They care most about [price, quality, certificates, lead time, small orders]. The person I should reach has a title like [purchasing manager, sourcing manager, category manager, owner]. They would switch supplier if [real reason, such as delivery time or quality problems].

The buyer types below buy in different ways, so decide which one you want first:

• Importers and distributors buy in volume and sell on to shops, clinics or hospitals.
• Brands that design a product and want a factory to make it for them, often with their own label.
• Retailers and chains that buy directly, usually in larger and more regular orders.
• Institutions and clubs, such as hospitals, schools and sports clubs, which often buy through tenders or approved supplier lists.

Step 4 of 8

Get your website and proof ready

A buyer who has never met you is likely to look at your website before they reply. If it is unclear, they will quietly move on. Our guide on what to put on an exporter’s website so buyers trust it lists what to show and what never to show.

Have these ready before you start to reach out:

• A clear company page with real address, phone and contact email.
• Product pages with specifications, materials, sizes, packing and the minimum order.
• Real photos of your own products and factory.
• The certificates you really hold, with their number, issuer and scope.
• A short catalogue or product sheet buyers can download.
• Your usual lead time, sample policy, shipping terms and payment terms.
• A clear way to ask for a quote.

You can check your site for free with the Exporter Buyer-Ready Score. It gives a score out of 100 and the fixes that matter most.

Step 5 of 8

Reach buyers through several channels

No single channel works for everyone, and each takes time. Using two or three together is a sensible start. Keep the ones that bring real conversations.

Where do the company names come from?

From trade fair exhibitor and visitor lists, industry association member lists, B2B directories, your own searches and LinkedIn. Paid trade-data providers also sell lists. If you pay for a list, test a small sample first, because quality varies. Whatever the source, remove wrong addresses before you send. The free Email Verifier checks lists, and the Email Finder helps find the work email of a named person.

Cold email: what the law says in short

The rules differ by country. This is a short summary, not legal advice.

Sending from Pakistan does not remove these duties, because the rules of the country you write to can still apply. If email is a main channel for you, ask a lawyer in your target market to check your plan. Before you send any cold email, set up your domain correctly with our guide to SPF, DKIM and DMARC set-up.

Step 6 of 8

Write the first message

A good first message is short and about the buyer. It has one true point of proof, one easy question and a simple way to say no.

• Subject line: plain and specific, with the product. Test it with the subject line tester.
• First line: why you are writing to this company, in a few words.
• Proof: one fact that is true and checkable, such as a certificate you hold, a specification or a type of customer you really serve.
• Question: one small request, such as “May I send you our catalogue?”
• Opt-out and details: your name, company, website and postal address, a line that says it is a commercial message, and a line that says they can tell you to stop.

Here is an example. It is an illustration only. Fill every bracket with a true fact, and do not claim certificates, clients or numbers you do not have.

Subject: [Product] from a Sialkot manufacturer, catalogue on request

Hello [First name],

I am [Your name] at [Company], a manufacturer of [product] in Sialkot, Pakistan. I am writing because [one real reason, such as: your company sells [product line] in [country]].

[One true proof: a certificate you hold with its number, or a specification, or a type of customer you really serve.]

May I send you our catalogue and a price list for [product]?

This is a commercial message. If it is not relevant, tell me and I will not write again.

[Name, title, company, phone, website, postal address]

Our free Cold Email X-Ray, 3-Second Skim Test and spam word checker show what is weak in a draft. The Buyer Panel uses AI to play three buyers who react to your email. It is a role-play, not real buyers, so treat it as a rehearsal.

Follow up, then stop

A first message is easy to miss, so a short follow-up gives the buyer a second chance to see it. A simple pattern is one follow-up after about a week that adds something new (a product photo, a certificate copy, an answer to a likely question), then one more after a further week or two, then stop. This is a suggestion, not a rule. Always respect an opt-out.

When a buyer replies, reply fast

A reply from a buyer is a valuable moment. Answer within hours, not days, and think about time zones. The Slow Reply Cost Meter shows what late replies cost you, using your own numbers, and the meeting time zone helper finds a time that works for both sides.

Step 7 of 8

Check every buyer before you ship

Some buyers are not who they say they are, and a shipment is expensive to lose. Do these checks for each new buyer, before you send a large order or accept unusual payment terms.

• The company exists. Look it up in an official register. In the UK, Companies House is free to search, but it does not check that the information filed is accurate. In the EU, use the national company register of the country. In the USA, use the business registry of the state where it says it is based.
• The VAT number is valid. For EU companies, the VIES tool checks whether a VAT number is valid. For some countries it also shows the registered name and address. If it does, compare them with what the buyer gave you.
• The people are real. Find the contact on the company’s own website. Call a phone number you found on the official register or website, not one from the email.
• The email address matches. Be careful with a large company that writes from a free address, or from a domain that is spelled almost like the real one.
• You have references. Ask for trade references, such as other suppliers they pay, and contact them.
• The payment terms protect you. Payment in advance carries the least risk for you. A letter of credit from a bank is a middle option. Payment after delivery (open account) carries the most risk. Ask your bank which options fit your first orders.

Buyers check you too. They will want proof that you are real, so keep your own company details, certificates and references ready.

Step 8 of 8

Keep a simple record and learn

A shared sheet is enough to start. Give each buyer one row with these columns:

• Company, country and contact person
• Where you found them
• Date of first message and date of last contact
• Stage: new, replied, catalogue sent, sample sent, quote sent, negotiation, order, or lost
• Next step and the date
• If lost: the reason, in their words

Once a week, spend an hour on the sheet. Count your own numbers: messages sent, replies, quotes and orders for each channel. After a couple of months you will see which channel and which buyer type work for you, and you can do more of that. Do not copy anyone else’s numbers. Your product, price and timing are your own.

Common mistakes

Want help with the website, the outreach or the follow-up? VENOVIQ builds B2B lead generation and websites for companies in Pakistan, the USA and Europe. See the related service below.