Selling wholesale internationally: the pricing, currencies and intermediaries to settle before the first order

For many designer brands, the first export order arrives without anyone looking for it. An overseas buyer comes across the collection at a trade show, on social media or at a stockist, then asks to order. Sending them the French price list converted at the day’s rate means a margin eaten up by transport and a shop price out of line with the market. Pricing, currencies, intermediaries, tax, logistics and payment are decided before the first orders.

Which markets should you target first?

Rather than targeting everywhere at once, a brand does better to focus on a few countries where it already has signals: buyer enquiries, online sales, style or price affinity, accessible trade shows.

These signals are weighed against the constraints: labelling standards, customs duties, delivery lead times, language. See our guide to the EU, US and Asian rules to know in 2026.

One export price list per country, not a simple conversion

A wholesale price designed for the home market does not travel well. Between the workshop and the overseas shop, transport, customs duties and intermediaries' margins pile up all the way to the final retail price.

Most brands therefore build a price list per country or region, with a consistent recommended retail price in each market. It rests on four elements:

• a price list per country or region, instead of an automatic conversion;
• one currency per price list, so the customer sees and pays in their own currency;
• minimums adapted to the logistics cost of each destination;
• payment and deposit terms specific to each market.

Selling in foreign currency: who bears the exchange rate risk?

Selling in US dollars, pounds sterling, Swiss francs or yen reassures the buyer. The brand, for its part, is exposed to exchange rate fluctuations between order and payment.

Two approaches coexist. The first sets prices in the currency for the whole season and absorbs the differences. The second locks in the exchange rate at the time of the order. Either way, the price shown to the customer must be the one they will be invoiced.

Agent, showroom, importer or distributor: what each model costs in control

The intermediary you choose determines the margin the brand keeps and how much control it retains over its prices and customers.

The clauses of an agency contract are covered in our guide to the wholesale sales agent. Whatever the model, each intermediary must see their own customers, orders and commissions, and only theirs. That is the condition for managing an international network without losing the overall picture.

VAT, customs and Incoterms: the rules to set in your terms of sale

Within the European Union, a supply to a business registered for VAT in another Member State is in principle exempt from VAT in the country of dispatch. The brand must then check the customer’s intra-community VAT number and show it on the invoice. Outside the EU, exports are in principle zero-rated, provided the brand can prove that the goods have left the territory. These rules have exceptions, which the brand’s accountant should validate.

The Incoterm specifies who pays for transport, insurance and customs duties, and at what point the risk is transferred. The most common in wholesale are EXW (Ex Works), FCA (Free Carrier), DAP (Delivered at Place) and DDP (Delivered Duty Paid). Under FCA, the seller hands the goods, cleared for export, to the carrier nominated by the buyer at the agreed place; the risk passes to the buyer at that moment. The chosen Incoterm is written into the terms of sale and restated on every order.

How to secure payment from an overseas customer

Four precautions limit the risk of non-payment:

• ask for a deposit with the order, especially from a new customer;
• set clear payment terms, adapted to the country and to the customer’s history;
• monitor each customer’s outstanding balance and block orders beyond their limit, with the option of an override;
• consider credit insurance for the riskiest markets.

See also our guide to deposits and payment terms in wholesale.

Translating the collection is part of the export strategy

A Japanese, Italian or German buyer finds it easier to order in their own language. The content to translate first is the collection, the product sheets, the line sheet, the order summary and the emails. Translation matters as much as the price list.

Selling wholesale internationally: the order of decisions

Pick a few countries, chosen on the enquiries you have already received. For each one, build a price list in the local currency, with its minimum and its deposit, before sending out a single line sheet. Then choose the intermediary according to the control you want to keep, and set the Incoterm with your freight forwarder. Finally, translate your sales documents.