Who This Is For
- Korean-made brands ready to sell outside Korea for the first time
- Overseas founders producing in Korea who need to bring stock into their home market
- Brands that have received distributor inquiries and want to evaluate them
- Companies expanding from one export market to several
- Teams unsure how export costs will affect retail pricing
Common Challenges
- Trying to enter too many markets at once without the regulatory or marketing resources to support them
- Choosing between an exclusive distributor and selling direct without clear criteria
- Labels that meet Korean requirements but not those of the destination market
- Shipments delayed by missing or inconsistent documents
- Retail prices that leave no margin once freight, duties, and partner margins are added
How We Help
Market prioritization
We help you compare candidate markets on regulatory effort, channel structure, competitive landscape, and fit with your brand, then choose a realistic order of entry rather than everywhere at once.
Channel model: distributor, direct, or hybrid
We outline the trade-offs of working with an importer or distributor, selling direct to retailers, or running your own online store and marketplace accounts, and help you decide which model to start with in each market.
Distributor evaluation
When you have distributor candidates, we help you assess their channel coverage, marketing capability, and fit, and build a list of terms to discuss, such as territory, exclusivity, minimum purchases, and marketing responsibilities.
Documentation and labeling readiness
We help you assemble the documents export partners and customs commonly request, and review your labels and packaging against the main requirements of each target market with your regulatory advisers.
Logistics planning
We help you think through shipping mode, Incoterms, consolidation, and storage, including temperature-sensitive products and dangerous goods considerations for items such as aerosols or alcohol-heavy formulas.
Export pricing structure
We build a price waterfall from factory cost to shelf price for each market so you can see where margin goes and whether the final price is competitive.
Our Process
-
1
Export readiness review
We review your products, documents, labels, capacity, and budget to see what is ready and what needs work.
-
2
Market and channel selection
We prioritize markets and decide on a channel model for each one.
-
3
Compliance and labeling
We coordinate market-specific regulatory steps and label adaptation with qualified advisers in each market.
-
4
Pricing and partner terms
We set the price structure and help prepare distributor or retailer discussions.
-
5
First shipment
We help plan the first shipment, confirm documents, and review lessons for the next order.
What You Receive
- Export readiness assessment
- Market prioritization summary
- Channel model recommendation per market
- Document and labeling checklist per market
- Price waterfall model
- First-shipment planning checklist
Choosing export markets and channels
A focused start usually beats a broad one. Each new market brings its own regulatory filing, label work, partner management, and marketing spend. Good first markets are those where your positioning is understood, your claims can be supported under local rules, and you can realistically fund marketing for long enough to build sell-through. Products also need to suit local climate and skin habits; a rich cream built for Korean winters, for example, may need a lighter companion for humid markets, as discussed in summer skincare.
Distributors bring local knowledge, retail relationships, import handling, and sometimes marketing, in return for margin and often exclusivity. Selling direct, whether to retailers or to consumers online, keeps more margin and customer data but requires you to handle importing, compliance, customer service, and marketing yourself. Many brands use a distributor in some markets and a direct approach in others. For the US specifically, see our US market entry consulting, since US channels and rules differ in important ways.
Documents and labels that commonly come up
Export partners and customs brokers commonly ask for a commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin where it affects duties, ingredient lists, safety data sheets for some products, and certificates of analysis or manufacturing certificates. Destination regulators or retailers may also ask for evidence such as a product safety assessment or test reports. Having these organized before the first shipment prevents delays.
Labeling is one of the most common reasons products must be repackaged. Requirements differ by market in language, ingredient naming conventions, the responsible company name and address, net content format, warnings, and batch or date coding. A Korean-language label, for example, does not satisfy US or EU rules on its own. We help you plan a packaging design that can be adapted per market efficiently, often with a stickered or market-specific outer carton, and our regulatory consulting covers the underlying frameworks. Requirements change, so final labels should be confirmed with qualified regulatory professionals in each market.
Building an export price structure
Start with the factory cost per unit, then add export packaging, inland transport in Korea, international freight and insurance, import duties and taxes in the destination, customs brokerage, warehousing, and fulfillment. Then add the margins of every partner between you and the customer, such as an importer, distributor, and retailer. The result is often a shelf price far above what a founder first expects.
Working backward from a target shelf price is usually more useful. If the customer will pay a certain price, subtract each partner margin and landed cost to see what factory cost you can afford. That number then informs formulation and packaging choices during OEM and ODM manufacturing. We build this model with you for each market so pricing decisions are made with the full picture. Brands at an earlier stage can find the full launch sequence in how to launch a K-beauty brand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I start with a distributor or sell direct?
It depends on your budget, team, and market. Distributors reduce your workload but take margin and may require exclusivity. Selling direct keeps control but means handling importing, compliance, and marketing yourself.
Can I use my Korean label for export?
Usually not without changes. Most markets require local-language information, a locally responsible company, and specific formatting of ingredients and warnings. Plan packaging so it can be adapted per market.
Which documents do I need for a first shipment?
Commonly a commercial invoice, packing list, and ingredient information, plus market-specific items such as safety documentation or certificates. Your freight forwarder, customs broker, and buyer will confirm exactly what they need.
Do you handle shipping and customs directly?
We help you plan logistics and prepare documentation and work alongside your freight forwarder and customs broker. Licensed brokers and forwarders remain responsible for customs filings.