To sell in Spain as a Chinese manufacturer, the usual route is to start with a local importer or distributor that already has a customer base, stock and after-sales service, backed by a partner who can open doors in Spanish. Before contacting anyone, check your product's CE marking, prepare your materials in Spanish and decide which channel suits what you sell.
Which channels can a Chinese manufacturer use to enter Spain?
There are four main routes. They are not mutually exclusive, but it is best to pick one as your first channel:
- Importer: buys on its own account, imports, stores and resells under its own brand or yours. It takes on the stock, but demands a good price and reliable lead times.
- Distributor: sells to installers, shops or professionals in a region or sector. It brings a customer base and local support, and usually asks for exclusivity.
- Direct industrial customer: Spanish companies that buy components or raw materials from you. Sales cycles are long and technical requirements high, but relationships are stable.
- Large retail and chains: high volumes, but also demands on quality, logistics, payment terms and promotions. It is rarely a good first step without prior references in the country.
For many manufacturers, the most realistic first channel is a specialist importer or distributor: it gives you a market presence without setting up a subsidiary or your own team in Spain.
What do Spanish buyers expect from a Chinese supplier?
Beyond price, trust matters. These are the criteria that come up in almost every negotiation:
- Communication in Spanish: catalogue, data sheet, manual and emails. A buyer who has to translate your offer will often move on to the next supplier.
- After-sales service: who handles a breakdown and how warranties and spare parts are managed. According to the Spanish Ministry of Consumer Affairs, since 1 January 2022 the minimum legal guarantee on a new product is three years, and the manufacturer must guarantee spare parts for ten years from when the product stops being made.
- Lead times and stock: the importer needs to know when the order will arrive and whether you can replenish. Stock in Europe or clear lead times make a difference.
- Conformity documentation: CE marking (if your product requires it), EU declaration of conformity and technical documentation. According to Your Europe, the importer must check that the manufacturer has met its obligations before placing the product on the market, and the manufacturer must keep the documentation for ten years.
- Clear payment terms: payment method, deadlines and what happens with returns.
If an importer sells your product under its own name, it takes on manufacturer responsibilities, so it will be demanding about documentation. We do not certify products: that is a matter for your laboratory or a notified body.
How do you choose your first channel?
Answer three questions before launching any campaign:
- Who buys your product in Spain? Consumers, installers, workshops or industry. Each profile is reached through a different channel.
- Does it need installation or technical service? If so, a distributor with a workshop or its own technical team saves you from building after-sales support.
- How much can you invest? Stock, samples, trade fairs and support in Spanish all cost money. Start with a channel you can sustain for several months.
With those answers, define a specific customer profile (type of company, size, region) and focus your effort on it. If you go for distributors, this guide to finding international distributors explains the method.
How do you win your first customers, step by step?
- Prepare your offer in Spanish: catalogue, price list designed for importers, payment terms, delivery times and conformity documents.
- Build a target list: importers and distributors that already sell products complementary to yours.
- Reach out through several channels: email, LinkedIn and phone, with a short message in natural Spanish and a concrete proposal.
- Offer samples and pilot terms: a small, well-defined first order lowers the buyer's risk.
- Measure and adjust: replies, meetings and orders. Serious prospecting takes persistence; our campaigns run for a minimum of 3 months.
The most common mistakes: competing on price alone without offering service, granting exclusivity too early, sending generic machine-translated messages and giving up after the first silence.
How Vycte helps you
We help Chinese companies find customers, importers and distributors in Spain and Europe, and invoice in Spain with Holded. Our team speaks Chinese, some members have worked at Huawei and Sungrow, and we have worked with many Chinese small-appliance suppliers and Chinese EV charger manufacturers. See how we work in export and B2B customer acquisition, read our success stories or get in touch. We do not handle company registration, tax or legal advice, product certification, transport or customs: for those, use a gestoría (local administrative and tax adviser), a notified body or a freight forwarder.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a subsidiary in Spain to sell there? Not necessarily. Many manufacturers start by selling to a Spanish importer or distributor, which handles the import and distribution. If you later want to set up a company, incorporation and tax matters are handled by a gestoría.
Do I need an authorised representative in the EU? According to Your Europe, a manufacturer, whether inside or outside the EU, may appoint an authorised representative to cooperate with the authorities. Whether it is required depends on the rules for your product, so check with your laboratory or notified body.
How long does it take to win the first customers? There is no fixed timeframe: it depends on the product, the price and the channel. That is why a B2B prospecting campaign needs a minimum of 3 months to assess results with data.
