An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is an exporter; the foreign buyer is an importer.[ Services that figure in international trade include financial, accounting and other professional services, tourism, education as well as intellectual property rights.
Exporting avoids the cost of establishing manufacturing operations in the target country. Exporting may help a company achieve experience curve effects and location economies in their home country.[10] Ownership advantages include the firm's assets, international experience, and the ability to develop either low-cost or differentiated products. The locational advantages of a particular market are a combination of costs, market potential and investment risk. Internationalization advantages are the benefits of retaining a core competence within the company and threading it though the value chain rather than to license, outsource, or sell it.