The interest in exports and imports, initiatives and efforts of individuals and companies to export have increased exponentially in recent years. As global communication, sales, marketing and logistics processes become easier and costs decrease, as the procedures regulating foreign trade between countries become easier, exporting becomes easier to start exporting.

With the increase of sites that can be advertised and sold on the Internet, even a person who manufactures something in his home with his own hand can find a customer from the other side of the world and sell his products without even a company owner.

Exports create opportunities for small entrepreneurs to do business in the global market with minimum costs, growth opportunities for small companies, and for large companies to overcome the economic crises and recessions experienced in the local market by selling goods to different geographies.

Who Can Export

Is it necessary to establish a company in order to export? Can natural persons export?

Legal or natural persons with a tax number can export. There is no obstacle for a natural person, that is, any person who is not a company owner, to export after obtaining a tax number, hiring an accountant, giving a power of attorney to a customs broker and becoming a member of an exporters association operating in the region.

How Do Natural Persons Export?

After a natural person meets the above-mentioned conditions, the export procedures are completed when the authorized customs broker submits the customs declaration to the customs office where the export will be made, in order to sell the products they have procured domestically to a customer abroad. (www.ihracat.co)

Benefits of Starting to Export as a Legal Entity

Natural persons can export. However, if you see this as a business, not a one-off business, it will be more advantageous to establish a sole proprietorship and export. In this way, you can get VAT refund and benefit from the various supports provided by the state to exporting companies. On the other hand, it is important for a person with an export target to see that their customers are dealing with a company by establishing at least one sole proprietorship for reliability and continuity.

Which Exporters Association Should You Register?

You can register with an exporter association located in your region or suitable for your product group. For example, a company located in Istanbul can register with the "Istanbul Exporters Union". Again, a textile company based in Istanbul will have to register with the Istanbul Textile and Apparel Exporters Union.

How to Register to Exporters' Unions, What Documents Are Required

Real or legal persons who will export for the first time must apply to the export association operating in their region with the documents listed below. 

• Statement of signature (natural persons),
• Signature circular (legal persons),
• Certificate of Activity (legal entities),
• Trade registry gazette (legal entities),
• Tax liability letter (legal persons),
• Power of Attorney (to make your transactions through representation),
• Identity card of the real person or the identity card of the legal person, ie company officials.

How to work with a customs broker, how to choose a customs broker.

The customs broker is authorized to open declarations and make transactions on your behalf at the customs within a period of time determined by you. You can work with a customs broker in the city where your business is located and where you will make shipments. If you are using different locations for shipment If, Turkey, with offices in the port city, may be more advantageous to work with a customs brokers that operate nationally.

Sales and Marketing Studies for Export

Exporting basically takes place with the sale of a good or service to another country. Therefore, international sales and marketing efforts are required in order to export and sustain.

There are many methods for finding customers for companies, including market research to find potential customers, browsing B2B sites and online catalogs and posting advertisements in these channels, fair and customer visits, e-mail and telephone communication, catalog and sample delivery.

However, this guide covers the process starting from the initial price and offer phase, until the export product reaches your customer's warehouses, assuming you have found a potential customer for your export product.