On January 28, Steve Douge, Director of Online Sales for family-owned Hardwaresales.com in Washington state discussed cross-border trade at a panel on Capitol Hill. Congressional staff, industry representatives, and small business trade advocates heard directly from small business owners on how the Internet has opened up the global marketplace for small businesses across the country. According to a report released by the Internet Association, 97% of US technology-enabled commercial sellers export their products overseas to an average of 30 countries. However, as the panelists explained, Internet-enabled small businesses still regularly encounter trade barriers when trying to access new markets overseas.

"The Internet created immense opportunity for Hardware Sales Inc. Today about 25% of our shipments are international and that makes up approximately 30% of our overall revenue”

"The Internet created immense opportunity for Hardware Sales Inc. Today about 25% of our shipments are international and that makes up approximately 30% of our overall revenue,” said Steve Douge. “However there are still barriers that small business traders like me face every day. Low de minimis thresholds and poor harmonization of custom codes come to mind."

eBay Inc. believes that global trade agreements should be modernized to ensure small businesses can participate in technology-enabled global commerce. For instance, eBay supports legislation that would reduce customs complexity, particularly for low-value packages and retail returns. The opportunity provided by the Internet has allowed American small businesses to access the international marketplace, but the responsibility lies with policymakers to reduce trade barriers and simplify customs processes to allow these small businesses to fairly compete and thrive.

Two other business owners shared their trade stories at the panel: Patrick Ford of Ford’s Gourmet Foods in North Carolina, who uses Facebook to promote his “Bone Suckin’ Sauce,” and Etsy seller Kathryn Zeremba from the Kate Zeremba Company, based in Washington, DC. Patrick Ford began selling Bone Suckin’ Sauce out of his trunk in Raleigh, NC, but through the power of the Internet the business now exports their barbecue sauce to over 56 countries. After working as a designer for Jonathan Adler, Kathryn Zeremba decided to open her own custom wallpaper shop on Etsy – she now manages exports to customers all over the world.

Learn more about these small businesses’ trade stories.