Use case: buyer discovery
Buyer discovery: find companies already importing your product
CargoFax buyer discovery helps exporters find the companies that already import their product, ranked by real shipments. Search your HS codes in Atlas Explorer, see each importer's volumes, origins, and current suppliers, and save the best prospects to Vault. US bill of lading records update daily and name both the US consignee and the foreign shipper. Haiti customs records name the importer and show weights, containers, vessels, and ports, updated weekly.
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Step by step
How does buyer discovery work in Atlas?
- 01
Define the product.
Enter your HS codes or a product description in Explorer, and choose the markets.
- 02
Rank the importers.
Sort importers by shipments, containers, weight, or declared value, and filter by origin, port, and period.
- 03
Qualify each prospect.
Open an importer's records to see how often it buys, from which origins, and from which current suppliers.
- 04
Keep and follow up.
Save prospects to Vault, get email updates on their next shipment, and export the lists you need.
In the records
What do you see for each importer?
| Field | Use in prospecting | Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Company name | Who to contact | Every market: the importer on each record, plus the consignee and shipper on US bills of lading |
| Products and HS codes | Whether they buy your category | Every market |
| Volume over time | How much they buy and how often | Every market |
| Origin countries | Where they source today | Every market |
| Current suppliers | Who you are replacing | United States (shipper names) |
| Ports | Where goods arrive | United States, Haiti |
Atlas searches and downloads are unlimited in every market, Haiti included, so any prospect list can be exported.
In practice
Examples by market
- United States: every importer of porcelain tile (HS 6907.21) in the last 90 days, ranked by container count, with their current suppliers.
- Haiti: the importers of edible oils that bought from an origin other than yours this quarter, by weight.
- Mexico and Colombia: the partner countries supplying instant noodles (HS 1902.30), with declared values, to size each market before a sales trip.
Selling a service rather than a product? Logistics providers, service firms, and suppliers who prospect importers and exporters use Sales and lead generation to build, prioritize, and export prospect lists from trade activity.
Need the raw data instead? Teams that want to run buyer discovery in their own systems receive the records in bulk through Files, by FTP or API.
FAQ
Buyer discovery: frequently asked questions
How do I find importers of my product?
Search your HS codes or product description in Atlas Explorer and rank the importers by shipments, containers, weight, or declared value. US bills of lading and Haiti records name the importer.
Which markets can I search for buyers?
Every CargoFax market: the United States, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Colombia, Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. Importers are searchable by company name, product, and HS code in each market.
Can I see who supplies a buyer today?
Yes. US bills of lading name the foreign shipper on each shipment, and every CargoFax market shows the origin country of a buyer's imports.
What is the difference between buyer discovery and sales and lead generation?
CargoFax buyer discovery is for exporters looking for companies that already import their product. CargoFax sales and lead generation is for any sales team, such as a logistics provider, service firm, or supplier, that wants a prioritized list of companies active in a trade flow.
Can I export a buyer list?
Yes. Atlas plans include unlimited downloads in every market, Haiti included, so you can export any buyer list you build in Explorer.
How current are the buyer lists?
US bill of lading records update daily with about a one-day lag, Haiti and Peru weekly, and the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Colombia, Uruguay, and Argentina monthly.
How much does buyer discovery cost?
Atlas plans are monthly or annual and priced by market and team size. See the pricing page or book a demo for a quote.
Keep exploring
Related use cases
By company type
Trade data by company type
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Find the suppliers, buyers, and shipping companies you need to grow your business. CargoFax trade data helps you identify real companies, discover new opportunities, and make your next move with confidence.