Conducting market research outside the USA has always been a challenge, since no other country on earth has the level of openness and volume of detailed economic information about each industry and area as America has. But there are definitely several low cost ways to explore foreign markets.

Perhaps the best place to start would be the Country Commercial Guides compiled by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). These are available on the web from the US Embassy in each country, courtesy of the US Commerce Department Foreign Commercial Service. Chapters of the Guide include economic trends and outlook (including by industry), political environment, marketing opportunities for USA products and services, leading sectors for USA exports and investment, trade regulations, investment climate, business travel, financial situation, domestic economy, contacts list, trade events schedule for you to advertise, and even a listing of local newspapers so you can find out what's going on first hand.

USA customs and some foreign government web sites can give you information on USA and foreign customs regulations, licensing, fees, VAT taxes, etc.

If you are totally new to exporting, the US Commerce Department publishes an excellent book entitled "A Basic Guide to Exporting." The Small Business Administration (SBA) also has a good book covering the "nuts & bolts" of both exporting and importing.

Once you have a good idea of which countries might yield potential sales for you, the next step may be to visit your local US Export Assistance Center located closest to you. These US Commerce Department agencies offer export counseling (and can sometimes provide importing assistance). They can help you identify which countries would truly be the best to start with.

For a fee of $1,500, the US Export Administration will identify three potential agents for your company's products or services in the target country, and screen those potential agents. So you can get a substantial amount of information about where to sell and who to sell to at little cost. Then you will need to visit the country or countries you are targeting. The US Commerce Department has staff in every embassy in the world. They will set up the meetings for you, and you can ask them to coach you on local customs so you make the best impression.

An alternative method of developing potential agent contacts is to talk with an export management company in your city. Just look in the yellow pages. A number of areas have a World Trade Center. This is a network of international trade clubs or agencies for businesses and individuals involved in international commerce (either import or export). For a few hundred dollars you can obtain an annual membership, which will allow you attend educational seminars and make use of the library (for those centers that have one). The most important benefit will be all the networking contacts you will pick up. International trade seems to be even more dependent on personal relationships than domestic trade. So why not start making valuable international contacts right at home, at very low cost.