You cannot be in every market — partners can
Entering a new country alone means learning regulations, relationships, and retail reality from zero. A good agent or distributor compresses years of that into a contract. A bad one compresses your margin into their pocket.
Agent vs distributor
Factor Agent Distributor
--- --- ---
Buys your product? No — sells on commission Yes — resells at margin
Your pricing control High Low
Your inventory risk Yours Theirs
Typical cut 5–15% commission 20–40% margin
Best for Testing a market Scaling a proven market
What separates partners who sell from partners who sit
:::chart Traits of top-performing trade partners (exporter surveys)
Existing retail/buyer relationships | 34
Market knowledge and reporting | 26
Financial strength | 22
Exclusivity discipline | 18
:::
The vetting sequence
- Ask for their current portfolio — competing products are a conflict, adjacent products are an asset.
- Check trade references — two other exporters they represent, minimum.
- Start non-exclusive with targets — exclusivity is earned with sales numbers, not promised in the first contract.
- Put reporting in the contract — monthly sell-through data or the partnership is blind.
> A distributor who will not share sell-through data is not your partner; they are your customer with extra steps.
Find partners on Prebro
Prebro''s agency network connects exporters with vetted trade agents and distributors by market and category — with requests, terms, and commissions tracked in one place.