Short answer
If you are working out how to sell stretch film overseas, make it easy for a distant buyer to trust and compare you: publish a clear catalogue and technical data sheet for each product, quote per kg net on a named Incoterm with validity and lead time, offer samples of the exact spec, and have your export registrations and documents ready. A live video of your line often replaces the factory visit.
Good film is not enough to win export orders. Overseas buyers can’t easily visit, so they judge you on what you send: catalogue, spec sheet, quote, samples and how quickly you answer. Here is how to sell stretch film to overseas buyers so that your offer is the easiest one to say yes to.
1. Build an export-ready catalogue
Your catalogue should let a buyer find the right film without a phone call. For each product, list:
| Field | Example of what to state |
|---|---|
| Product and application | Machine stretch film for powered pre-stretch wrappers |
| Process and structure | Cast, multi-layer |
| Thickness range and tolerance | 17–30 µm, with stated tolerance |
| Widths | 450 mm, 500 mm, 750 mm |
| Cores | 76 mm paper core; 38 or 50 mm for hand rolls; extended core option |
| Roll sizes | Weights and lengths available |
| Variants | Clear, coloured, UV-stabilised, vented, pre-stretched |
| Packing | Rolls per carton, per pallet, loading per container |
| MOQ | Per spec, not just per company |
| Capacity | Monthly capacity you can commit to export |
Use real photos of your rolls, cartons and line, with descriptive names. Keep figures honest: a buyer who finds one exaggeration will doubt everything else.
2. Publish a proper technical data sheet
A technical data sheet (TDS) is often the first document an overseas buyer forwards to their operations team. Include thickness, tensile strength, elongation at break, puncture resistance and cling, with the test method for each (ASTM or ISO references) and the conditions. Add storage advice. Issue a batch test report or certificate of analysis with each shipment.
3. Quote in a format buyers can compare
- Price basis: per kg of net film, or per roll with net film weight stated. Never mix in core weight silently.
- Currency: usually USD for export, unless the buyer asks otherwise.
- Named Incoterm: FOB Mundra, CIF Jebel Ali and so on.
- Validity: be clear, especially if your price follows resin markets.
- Lead time, payment terms, packing, MOQ and sample availability.
Answer exactly what the buyer asked, then add alternatives. If they ask for 23 µm and you recommend a thinner high-performance film, quote both.
4. Make samples easy and serious
Keep sample rolls of your main specs ready to ship. State courier time and cost, and consider crediting the sample cost against the first order. Label each sample with the exact spec and batch, and send the TDS with it.
5. Get your export paperwork in order
- IEC (Importer Exporter Code) from DGFT, and GST registration.
- Your bank set up for export receipts (including the AD code registration your bank and customs require).
- Many plastics exporters also hold an RCMC from PLEXCONCIL, the Plastics Export Promotion Council.
- Templates for the commercial invoice, packing list and certificate of origin.
- ISPM 15 compliant pallets if you ship on wood.
Requirements change, so confirm current rules with DGFT or your export advisor.
6. Offer a live video walkthrough
A short, live video call showing your line, quality lab, roll packing and warehouse answers most trust questions in fifteen minutes. Prepare a route through the factory, have a roll of the buyer’s spec ready to show, and keep a person available who can answer technical questions.
7. Follow up and deliver what you promised
Follow up personally, on the date you said you would. After the first order, send photos of packing and loading, the documents on time, and ask for feedback on how the film ran. Repeat orders come from the second shipment being as good as the first.
Common mistakes that lose export orders
- Quoting gross weight against competitors’ net weight.
- Answering a CIF request with an FOB price, or the reverse.
- Sending a generic brochure instead of the TDS for the requested spec.
- Slow replies to clarifying questions.
- Overstating capacity, certifications or export history.
For finding the buyers in the first place, see stretch film buyers: how to find export customers.
How Zradona helps manufacturers
Zradona gives Indian stretch film manufacturers and converters a channel to bulk buyers abroad and in India without building a field-sales team. Apply on the For suppliers page, go through vetting, review the catalogue listings AI builds from your range, and receive matched, spec-complete RFQs. The Zradona team handles follow-ups personally, and buyers can meet you on live video calls.
Frequently asked questions
What should a stretch film technical data sheet include?
Product name, process (cast or blown), resin type, layers, thickness and tolerance, available widths, cores and roll sizes, mechanical properties such as tensile strength, elongation at break and puncture resistance, cling, the test methods used, and storage advice.
Which registrations does an Indian exporter need?
At minimum, an Importer Exporter Code (IEC) from DGFT, GST registration and a bank account set up for export receipts. Many plastics exporters also hold an RCMC from the Plastics Export Promotion Council (PLEXCONCIL). Check current requirements with DGFT or your export advisor.
Should I send free samples to overseas buyers?
Samples are often expected, but many exporters ask the buyer to pay the courier cost or credit the sample cost against the first order. This filters out casual requests while keeping serious buyers happy.
How should I quote stretch film for export?
Quote per kg of net film (or per roll with net weight stated), in USD or the buyer’s requested currency, on a named Incoterm such as FOB Mundra or CIF Jebel Ali, with validity, lead time, payment terms, packing and MOQ.
