Companies export in order to expand sales, diversify sales, or gain international experience.
Direct exporting occurs when a company sells its products directly to buyers in a target market. Indirect exporting occurs when a company sells its products to intermediaries who then resell to buyers in a target market. Countertrade is another form of an international business transaction. Sometimes companies are unable to import merchandise in exchange for financial payment, so they exchange goods or services. Countertrade can provide access to markets that are otherwise off-limits because of a lack of hard currency.