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How to Find Commodity Suppliers and Buyers Worldwide

Finding a real supplier or buyer is the hardest part of a first commodity deal. Here are the places to look and the checks to make before you commit.

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Where to look

B2B marketplaces such as Comdity, where companies post sell offers and buy requests. Trade shows and conferences of your sector. Chambers of commerce and trade associations. Export promotion agencies of producing countries. Customs and trade data, which show which countries export or import a product: every product page on Comdity has a "who trades it" table, for example for wheat, iron ore or sulphur.

What to ask for

The company name and registration number, the address of the office and the factory or warehouse, the bank details of the company (never a personal account), a reference from another buyer or seller, and a sample or a certificate of analysis. Check the registration in the public company register of the country, and check the company website and its age.

Check before you pay

Use an independent inspection company at loading to check the quantity and the quality. Pay against documents, for example with a letter of credit or a documentary collection through a bank, and not by advance transfer to a person you have not met. Start with a smaller shipment if the supplier is new to you.

Common warning signs

A price far under the market. A request for an advance payment or a fee before the first shipment. A seller with no site, no registered office or a free email address only. Documents that do not match the company name. Pressure to decide quickly. When in doubt, ask for a video call and check the answers.

How Comdity helps

Companies register with a company email, and listings are confirmed by that email before they appear. The buyer and the seller then agree the terms by offer and counteroffer and finalise the contract directly with each other. Read offer and counteroffer and FOB vs CFR vs CIF to prepare your first request.

Use trade data to choose the countries

Before you search for companies, find the countries that trade the product. The "who trades it" table on each product page shows the largest exporting and importing countries by value, for example for urea, soybeans or steel billets. A producer country with a port near your market usually gives the best freight cost and delivery time.

The first contact

Write a short, clear message: the product and the specification, the quantity and the shipment month, the destination port, the delivery term you want (for example CIF) and the payment method you can offer. Ask for a price offer, the quality certificate of a recent shipment and the documents they normally provide. Real suppliers answer with exact details; unclear answers are a warning sign.

A first small deal

If the supplier is new to you, begin with a smaller shipment or a trial, use an independent inspection company at loading and pay against documents through a bank. When the first deal works, agree on a longer relationship with an agreed price formula and regular shipments.

Ready to trade?

Post a sell offer or a buy request, or look at the active listings of the product you need.

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