Working with international suppliers

Trading within the UK and trading with suppliers in international markets is significantly different. If you're working with an overseas supplier, you will have to manage the relationship carefully to secure the benefits and overcome the challenges of international supply chains.

This guide outlines the advantages of sourcing overseas. It also discusses the most common difficulties that you may encounter when dealing with overseas suppliers. Typically, these include language, cultural and business etiquettes, different payment methods and increased paperwork requirements.

This guide also takes you through the key steps involved in finding, choosing and working with overseas suppliers and agreeing overseas supplier contracts. Finally, it explains how to pay international invoices through the four common methods of paying overseas suppliers.