Who this is for
We provide technology solutions for import and export businesses that buy in one country and sell in another, and that manage the gap between the two with email and spreadsheets: exporters, importers, wholesalers and marketplace sellers.
Typical starting points:
- A homewares importer in Western Sydney tracking every container in a spreadsheet only one person understands.
- A food exporter preparing the same commercial invoice and packing list by hand for each shipment.
- A wholesaler taking trade orders by phone and email, then checking stock before confirming each one.
- A marketplace seller whose own store, two marketplaces and warehouse each show a different stock figure.
We work with small and medium enterprises in Australia and overseas, so a project can include your suppliers, agents and buyers in other countries. Truly Ceylon, a related business in Sri Lankan export, is described on our products page, and an online marketplace and a point-of-sale and stock system are among the systems we have built.
Common technology challenges in import and export
- Stock held in a warehouse, in transit and on order, with no single figure for what can be sold
- Landed cost (the product price plus freight, insurance, duty and exchange rate) worked out in a spreadsheet after the goods have been priced
- Commercial invoices, packing lists and labels retyped for every shipment
- Supplier bills and customer invoices in several currencies that are slow to reconcile
- Trade customers ordering by email and phone, with prices that differ by customer
- Shipment status buried in emails from forwarders, carriers and suppliers
- Documents that must be kept for years stored in personal inboxes
How we help
Custom software
Purchase orders, shipments, documents and landed cost in one system, with a portal where trade customers see their own prices and order.
Business systems and integrations
Your store, marketplaces, inventory system, carriers and Xero or MYOB connected, so an order updates stock and accounts without retyping.
Websites
An online store or wholesale catalogue on Shopify or WooCommerce, with product details and trade terms written for buyers in each market you sell to.
Data and dashboards
Margin by product after landed cost, stock on hand and on the water, and sales by market, refreshed from your own systems.
Cloud migration and hosting
Files and systems moved off an office server, so staff, agents and suppliers in different time zones work from the same records.
Cyber security
Protection for email and payment approvals, where a forged supplier invoice or changed bank details can send a payment to the wrong account.
A typical project for a trading business
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Discovery call | A free conversation that follows one shipment from purchase order to customer payment, and lists the systems, spreadsheets and people it passes. |
| 2. Plan and quote | A written plan and a fixed or staged quote agreed before work starts, usually beginning with the stage that removes the most retyping. |
| 3. Build and test | Work is delivered in stages with regular demos, tested against real past shipments so the figures can be compared with your records. |
| 4. Launch and train | A secure go-live, products, customers, suppliers and open orders migrated, and training for office, warehouse and overseas users. |
| 5. Ongoing support | Monitoring, updates and help, with changes as you add products, markets, sales channels or suppliers. |
Systems we commonly integrate
These are tools we connect to, not products we resell.
Accounting
Xero and MYOB: sales invoices, supplier bills and payments posted from orders and shipments.
Online stores
Shopify and WooCommerce: products, prices, orders and stock levels kept in step with your other systems.
Marketplaces
Marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay, so orders from every channel draw on one stock figure.
Inventory
We connect to inventory systems such as Cin7 and Unleashed where you already run one.
Payments
Stripe and PayPal for online payments from buyers in Australia and overseas, matched to the right order.
Carriers
Australia Post, DHL and other courier services: shipments created, labels printed and tracking returned to the order.
Australian rules that affect trading systems
Imports. The Australian Border Force (ABF) says declarations for imported goods are made by importers, or by licensed customs brokers acting on their behalf. An Import Declaration is required when a consignment has a combined value of over AUD1,000 and is being cleared into home consumption. The ABF encourages first-time or infrequent importers to use a licensed customs broker.
Exports. The ABF says you need to lodge an export declaration for goods you export unless an exemption applies, and that after making one you must keep all relevant documentation for five years.
Biosecurity. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) provides the Biosecurity Import Conditions system (BICON) to determine whether a commodity is permitted, is subject to import conditions or needs a biosecurity import permit.
Tax records and online selling. The ATO says you need to keep most business records for 5 years, in English or easily converted to English. The ACCC says that when a consumer shops online, all the usual consumer rights apply.
Our systems keep the figures and documents your customs broker, freight forwarder and accountant ask for. They do not lodge declarations, and they do not replace a licensed customs broker.
Questions from importers and exporters
Can your software lodge customs declarations?
No. Declarations are made by you or your licensed customs broker. What we build keeps product, value and shipment details accurate and in one place, so the information your broker needs is ready when they ask.
Can you connect our online store, inventory and Xero?
Usually, yes. An order can reduce stock, create the invoice and book the shipment without being retyped. See business systems and integrations.
Can trade customers have their own ordering portal?
Yes. Each customer signs in to see their own price list, available stock, past orders and invoices, and orders arrive in your system already checked against stock.
Can the system work out landed cost?
Yes, from the freight, insurance, duty and exchange rate figures you enter or import. The system does the arithmetic and spreads costs across a shipment by the rule you choose. Your broker and accountant confirm the rates.
Our suppliers and agents are overseas. Can they use it?
Yes. Overseas users sign in with multi-factor authentication and see only what their role allows, such as their own purchase orders and documents.
Who owns the system and the data?
You do. Clients own their code, data and documentation. To describe how you trade, use the quote form.
