First off, let's take a look at the players. While you've got your importers and your exporters, there are many variations on the main theme:

Export management company （EMC）: An EMC handles export operations for a domestic company that wants to sell its product overseas but doesn't know how （and perhaps doesn't want to know how）. The EMC does it all--hiring dealers, distributors and representatives; handling advertising, marketing and promotions; overseeing marking and packaging; arranging shipping; and sometimes arranging financing. In some cases, the EMC even takes title to the goods, in essence becoming its own distributor. EMCs usually specialize by product, foreign market or both, and--unless they've taken title--are paid by commission,salary or retainer plus commission.

Export trading company （ETC）: While an EMC has merchandise to sell and is using its energies to seek out buyers, an ETC attacks the other side of the trading coin. It identifies what foreign buyers want to spend their money on and then hunts down domestic sources willing to export. An ETC sometimes takes title to the goods and sometimes works on a commission basis.(www.daowen.com)

Import/export merchant: This international entrepreneur is a sort of free agent. He has no specific client base, and he doesn't specialize in any one industry or line of products. Instead,he purchases goods directly from a domestic or foreign manufacturer and then packs, ships and resells the goods on his own. This means, of course, that unlike the EMC, he assumes all the risks （as well as all the profits）.

目前希望做进出口业务的中国境内企业，有两种运营进出口业务的形式，即自营或找其他有外贸经营权的公司做外贸代理。所谓外贸代理，就是由其他的外贸企业充当国内客户和供货部门的代理人，按照双方的约定，代其处理相关进出口业务工作，收取一定的佣金或手续费的做法。实际业务中，代理是一个弹性很强的词汇，外贸代理也是如此，代理关系的达成取决于双方开出的条件，因此，选择哪种运营方式企业根据业务情况而定，如选择外贸代理，具体代理协议的内容也要根据具体业务与市场情况而定。