diff --git a/exporter/exporterhelper/common.go b/exporter/exporterhelper/common.go
index 5b8a2a51767..6e609af8810 100644
--- a/exporter/exporterhelper/common.go
+++ b/exporter/exporterhelper/common.go
@@ -106,19 +106,11 @@ func WithQueue(config QueueConfig) Option {
 			o.exportFailureMessage += " Try enabling sending_queue to survive temporary failures."
 			return nil
 		}
-		qf := exporterqueue.NewPersistentQueueFactory[Request](config.StorageID, exporterqueue.PersistentQueueSettings[Request]{
+		o.queueCfg = config
+		o.queueFactory = exporterqueue.NewPersistentQueueFactory[Request](config.StorageID, exporterqueue.PersistentQueueSettings[Request]{
 			Marshaler:   o.marshaler,
 			Unmarshaler: o.unmarshaler,
 		})
-		q := qf(context.Background(), exporterqueue.Settings{
-			DataType:         o.signal,
-			ExporterSettings: o.set,
-		}, exporterqueue.Config{
-			Enabled:      config.Enabled,
-			NumConsumers: config.NumConsumers,
-			QueueSize:    config.QueueSize,
-		})
-		o.queueSender = newQueueSender(q, o.set, config.NumConsumers, o.exportFailureMessage, o.obsrep)
 		return nil
 	})
 }
@@ -136,7 +128,7 @@ func WithRequestQueue(cfg exporterqueue.Config, queueFactory exporterqueue.Facto
 			o.exportFailureMessage += " Try enabling sending_queue to survive temporary failures."
 			return nil
 		}
-		o.queueCfg = cfg
+		o.exporterQueueCfg = cfg
 		o.queueFactory = queueFactory
 		return nil
 	})
@@ -261,7 +253,10 @@ type baseExporter struct {
 
 	consumerOptions []consumer.Option
 
-	queueCfg     exporterqueue.Config
+	// QueueConfig and exporterqueue.Config come in from different APIs.
+	queueCfg         QueueConfig
+	exporterQueueCfg exporterqueue.Config
+
 	queueFactory exporterqueue.Factory[Request]
 	batcherCfg   exporterbatcher.Config
 	batcherOpts  []BatcherOption
@@ -293,6 +288,31 @@ func newBaseExporter(set exporter.Settings, signal component.DataType, osf obsre
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
+	// Set up queue sender if queue is enabled
+	if be.marshaler != nil && be.unmarshaler != nil && be.queueCfg.Enabled {
+		q := be.queueFactory(context.Background(), exporterqueue.Settings{
+			DataType:         be.signal,
+			ExporterSettings: be.set,
+		}, exporterqueue.Config{
+			Enabled:      be.queueCfg.Enabled,
+			NumConsumers: be.queueCfg.NumConsumers,
+			QueueSize:    be.queueCfg.QueueSize,
+		})
+		be.queueSender = newQueueSender(q, be.set, be.queueCfg.NumConsumers, be.exportFailureMessage, be.obsrep)
+	}
+
+	if be.marshaler == nil && be.unmarshaler == nil && be.exporterQueueCfg.Enabled {
+		set := exporterqueue.Settings{
+			DataType:         be.signal,
+			ExporterSettings: be.set,
+		}
+		be.queueSender = newQueueSender(be.queueFactory(context.Background(), set, be.exporterQueueCfg), be.set, be.exporterQueueCfg.NumConsumers, be.exportFailureMessage, be.obsrep)
+		for _, op := range options {
+			err = multierr.Append(err, op(be))
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Set up batch sender if batching is enabled
 	if be.batcherCfg.Enabled {
 		bs := newBatchSender(be.batcherCfg, be.set, be.batchMergeFunc, be.batchMergeSplitfunc)
 		for _, opt := range be.batcherOpts {
@@ -304,17 +324,6 @@ func newBaseExporter(set exporter.Settings, signal component.DataType, osf obsre
 		be.batchSender = bs
 	}
 
-	if be.queueCfg.Enabled {
-		set := exporterqueue.Settings{
-			DataType:         be.signal,
-			ExporterSettings: be.set,
-		}
-		be.queueSender = newQueueSender(be.queueFactory(context.Background(), set, be.queueCfg), be.set, be.queueCfg.NumConsumers, be.exportFailureMessage, be.obsrep)
-		for _, op := range options {
-			err = multierr.Append(err, op.apply(be))
-		}
-	}
-
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}