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16 Best Import Export Franchises [Cost, Fees]

Do you want to start an import export business by buying a franchise? If YES, here are 16 best import export franchise opportunities for sale and their cost. If you are the kind of person that enjoys interacting with people and other cultures, then you should consider this business. If businesses want to export their goods, you can simply help them locate buyers. And if companies want to market specific merchandise, you help them find sellers.

There are three basic types of import/export businesses, namely: Export management company, Export trading company and Import/export merchant (or free agent). Also have it in mind that you can start your own import/export business with little upfront costs. At a minimum, you need a phone and a reliable Internet connection. You’ll also want to invest in business cards, a website and a fax machine.

Immediately you’ve decided on the type of import/export business you want to run and calculated your startup costs, it’s time to narrow your market focus. Remember that by niching down, you can focus your attention on a market you can serve best. Take your time to think about the customers you want to serve, the areas of the world you will target and the type of goods you’ll offer.

Meanwhile, your target customer will be someone who wants to trade globally. They’ll either want to sell goods overseas or buy goods from international sources. Beyond that, you can choose any type of customer you wish. If you can identify a need, you can target a group of companies as customers. It is also a good idea to identify the countries you want to do business with.

In this business, you need to send and receive goods from other countries, so you’ll need to arrange shipping details. First and foremost, contact a freight forwarder, that is a company that helps you transport goods safely and efficiently. They will help you in handling shipping documents, finding cargo space and securing cargo insurance. You can find a freight forwarder by looking in state-specific business directories.

Staying organized and partnering with a reputable freight forwarder will help you ship goods without a hitch. You should also conduct a thorough research on the market before entering into this business. Consider hiring experts who understand the tastes and cultures of your specific market.

Customs rules aren’t uniform throughout the world. Instead, you’ll encounter a mass of different regulations while transporting goods. To avoid drowning in a swamp of border regulations, hire experts in customs law and trade compliance.

Do you speak a foreign language? Do you have connections abroad? Have you lived overseas before? Maybe you simply love the culture of another country. Below are top import and export franchises to consider.

16 Best Import Export Franchise Opportunities for Sale and Their Cost

  1. Zippy Shell

Zippy Shell Incorporated offers portable storage and moving services to individuals and businesses offering local and long distance moving, mobile storage, on-site storage, loading, unloading, and packing services. The company was founded in 2009 and is based in Washington, District of Columbia.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment: $657,450 – $1,219,830
  • Net-worth Requirement $250,000 – $500,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement $250,000 – $500,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee $75,000 – $150,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee $16/container/mo.
  • Ad Royalty Fee $650/mo.
  1. Postal Connections

They are the antidote to an all-too-common phenomenon in today’s retail products and service industry. All Postal Connections stores, operated by local business owners, serve their neighbors with a personal touch, convenience and reliability.

All stores are the “back-office” for small business people and an invaluable time saver for households on the go. All franchisees are expected to “become” their customers’ personal mailroom, photocopy department, gift shop, packer and shipper, outpost for passport photos, and communication center where everything from notarizing documents to receiving personal and business faxes are done.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment: $55,925
  • Net-Worth Requirement: $200,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement: $42,000
  1. InXpress

As a home based business, InXpress provides franchisees a low cost of entry. There’s no need to start off with equipment or employees, so your costs to get started are modest. The most successful franchisees won’t spend too much time sitting in their home office — especially not initially.

Instead, they will spend their time introducing themselves and their solution to as many businesses as possible. Their value proposition is simple: Lower costs on shipping, and much stronger service than big carriers can offer. Signing up clients is how you hit break-even, and build a highly profitable, highly scalable business.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment: $79,300
  • Net-worth Requirement: $150,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement: $25,000
  • Total Investment: $79,300 – $169,200
  1. The UPS Store

The UPS Store network is the world’s biggest franchisor of retail shipping, postal, printing and business service centers. Today, there are more than 5,000 independently owned UPS Store locations in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada. The UPS Store, Inc., franchisor of The UPS Store brand, is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Parcel Service (UPS).

UPS Store franchise locations offer business services to small-office/home-office (SOHO) marketing, corporate offices and consumers. In addition to traditional locations in shopping centers and commercial complexes, The UPS Store locations can be found on college campuses, military bases, convention centers, hotels and urban renewal areas/empowerment zones.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial investments: $168,885 – $398,323
  • Liquid Cash Requirement: $60,000 – $100,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee: $29,950
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee: 5%
  • Ad Royalty Fee 2.5%
  1. AIM Mail Center

AIM mail center is one of the six brands franchised by Annex Brands, Inc., headquartered in San Diego, California. The others are PostalAnnex+®, Navis Pack & Ship®, Handle With Care Packaging Store®, Sunshine Pack & Ship®, and Annex Copy Center.

All together, there are over 400 retail and commercial shipping locations in the Annex Brands franchise family. Unlike service counters at each of the major carriers, they offer you a price comparison for UPS shipping, FedEx shipping and USPS shipping. It’s your package, your choice.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment: $151,500
  • Net-Worth Requirement: $200,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement: $50,000
  1. Uzel

Uzel is an easy IT-platform and a mobile application for searching for a cargo carrier. They help to implement office or home moving, and also to carry construction, cargo, agricultural goods, and even cars. The service is absolutely free for their customers; you need to pay only for the cargo carrier service. Just place an order – and immediately get a response, save time and money and get an excellent service. The service is available for individual and legal entity.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment: $5,320
  • Initial Franchise Fee: $6,260
  1. Navis Pack & Ship

With more than 30 years’ experience as our foundation, Navis Pack & Ship has grown a reputation as the gold-standard in packing and shipping companies, founded on the principle of treating every object with the same care as if it were their own.

They are experts in packing and shipping equipment, artwork, furniture, antiques, machinery, electronics, medical equipment or just about anything else across the country or around the world. Their superior packaging techniques, partnerships in the transportation industry and exceptional customer service is why people recommend Navis to their friends and business associates.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment: $96,950
  • Net-worth Requirement: $200,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement: $50,000
  1. SUPPLY POINTe

This company is a top of the line transportation logistics, environmentally-friendly waste removal services, a vast resource of packaging supplies and the largest selection of new and used pallets in the Cincinnati, Ohio and Charlotte, North Carolina areas.

SUPPLY POINTe offers more than 35 years of industry experience to help clients meet their needs. From packaging supplies to transportation services, and much more, SUPPLY POINTe helps create efficiencies in your business operations.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment: $80,000 – $150,000
  • Net-Worth Requirement: $150,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement: $50,000
  • Total Investment: $80,000 – $150,000
  1. BlueGrace

When Bobby Harris founded BlueGrace in 2009, he saw that even the top logistics firms were overlooking the true heart of their job. So, he built a company that puts its people and its customers before profit. The proof of that is evident in the company’s core values, its caring culture, countless community efforts, and in the heartfelt testimonials from their customers.

If companies want superior supply chain management services and best-in-class technology, they turn to BlueGrace®. Why? BlueGrace progressive approach to transportation management helps customers of all sizes drive savings and simplicity into their supply chains.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment: $39,500
  • Net-worth Requirement: $100,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement: $100,000
  1. SOHO HERO

This business is better known as an innovative, yet established franchisor of business services headquartered in Atlanta. The new look and feel of the business service center provides a comfortable and creative environment for the owner/operators and the customers they serve: their neighborhood SOHOs (Small Office/Home Office Professionals).

SOHO HERO has recently evolved from the Mail and More franchise, answering the demands of the SOHO market for more relevant and meaningful services. While the franchisor continues to provide similar (and expanded) services, the focus has shifted completely to meeting the unique needs of these professionals. With over 17 million SOHOs, this quickly expanding market is poised for tremendous growth.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment: $199,000
  • Net-worth Requirement: $30,500 – $34,500
  • Liquid Cash Requirement: $500,000
  • Total Investment: $199,000 – $267,000
  1. Packaging And Shipping Specialists

This company was established by Mike Gallagher in 1981 in Hobbs, New Mexico. With an awareness of the increased scattering of families across the nation, Mike saw a gap that needs developing. Along with the remarkable expansion of mail order companies and the need of consumers to return unwanted merchandise, Mike recognized the gap between the limited hours, locations, and services offered by standard package carriers and the needs of the shipping public.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment: $91,300
  1. Safe Ship

Your Safe Ship® Store provides many ways to get your domestic and international shipments from here to there. The Safe Ship® Store Franchise Concept is a successful pack and ship store franchise business opportunity available today. The company has more stores at the end of the year than they did at the beginning of the year. Every other franchise organization has lost franchisees and have less stores at the end of the year than they did at the beginning of the year.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment: $54,900
  • Net-Worth Requirement: $75,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement: $55,000
  1. PACK & SEND

This establishment provides a complete range of freight, courier, packing and removal services operating through a national retail network. It manages courier, packaging and freight services for businesses of all sizes, as well as householders and tourists. The company was founded in 2008 and is based in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment: $210,000
  1. PostNet

PostNet International Franchise Corporation is the franchisor of PostNet centers which offer graphic design and printing services for businesses and consumers. In addition, PostNet centers offer professional packing services and shipping with UPS, FedEx, DHL and the U.S. Postal Service, as well as private mailbox rental, direct mail services and more. Since the company was founded in 1992, PostNet has grown to 660 locations in 9 countries.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial investments: $174,767 – $217,275
  • Net-worth Requirement: $350,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement: $60,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee: $35,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee: 5%
  • Ad Royalty Fee 2%
  1. Pak Mail

Pak Mail Centers of America, Inc. offers packing and shipping services in the United States and internationally. The company was founded in 1983 and is based in San Diego, California. Pak Mail also provides franchising opportunities. As of 2018, the company operates 206 franchises in the United States and 176 ones outside the country.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial investments: $153,500 – $230,450
  • Net-worth Requirement: $200,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement: $50,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee: $29,950
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee: 5%
  • Ad Royalty Fee: 2%
  1. PostalAnnex+

PostalAnnex+ offers complete shipping and business-services solutions for consumers and business alike. The company was founded in 1985 and is based in San Diego, California. PostalAnnex+ also offers franchising opportunities.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial investments: $153,500 – $230,450
  • Net-worth Requirement: $200,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement: $50,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee: $29,950
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee: 5%
  • Ad Royalty Fee: 2%