Yiwu Wholesale: The Guide to Reduced Buying in China
Yiwu is a city located in the wealthy province of Zhejiang (south of Shanghai).
Despite not possessing the manufacturing companies of Shenzhen or the financial power of Shanghai, Yiwu over the years has become one of the favorite destinations for small and medium-sized importers as here you can find a huge choice of products to buy in small quantities directly “off the shelf”, thus winning the title of “Chinese wholesale market”.
What does “off the shelf” mean?
The term “Off the shelf”, which literally means “off the shelf”, refers to the fact that in Yiwu wholesale it is possible to find ready-made products, that is, they can be purchased on the spot. Contrary to popular belief, most Chinese suppliers do not keep any goods in stock and will agree to go into production only after paying a deposit on the total price of the goods.
Yiwu wholesale is an exception as here you can enter a so-called “wholesale market”, choose the products you are interested in and buy them on the spot.
The Reason Why Yiwu Can Make Sense for Small and Medium Business Owners
As we will see later in this article, Yiwu is not a possible solution for all types of goods; However, it is the perfect place to buy small quantities of goods such as watches, accessories, or some types of fabrics, just to give a few examples.
A wholesaler in Yiwu could also be an excellent partner for all those types of businesses – e-commerce for example, – that in addition to having two or three main products (perhaps purchased from a manufacturing company in Shanghai or Shenzhen) need various additional products to “fill the shelves.”
Yiwu Wholesale Markets and Trade Fairs
Although it is possible to contact wholesalers based in Yiwu on trade portals such as Alibaba.com, if you are thinking of buying goods directly then the best strategy is undoubtedly to go to Yiwu in person and select the goods yourself (provided you are buying large enough quantities of goods to justify a trip to Yiwu).
Aside from the obvious benefit of being able to test the quality of goods firsthand, visiting a Yiwu market will allow you to get in touch with a large number of suppliers in a single day. Yiwu’s most important market is called “China Commodity City“: it is a permanent fair that covers 4 million square meters and hosts more than 60,000 wholesalers.
Yiwu Agents (and Their Function)
While finding interesting products isn’t all that difficult, negotiating the best price, managing payment, and shipping products can be more complicated. If you don’t have too much experience or lack the time to handle the whole process yourself, you might want to think about contacting a sales agent to accompany you during your visit to Yiwu.
After you have selected the products you are interested in, the Yiwu agent will take care of coordinating purchases, verifying the quality of the products and making sure that all goods, perhaps purchased from different wholesalers, are loaded in the same container and shipped to Italy.
Most Yiwu agents work on commission. This means that you will have to pay them a percentage, usually between 2% and 8% of the order value. Obviously, the more goods you buy, the lower the percentage.
Cases in which Yiwu wholesalers should be avoided
While finding interesting products isn’t all that difficult, negotiating the best price, managing payment, and sending products can be more difficult.
If you regularly read our articles, you will already know that, if you want to buy goods subject to specific regulations such as RoHS for electronics, REACH for chemicals, EN 71 for toys or others, then you should absolutely avoid wholesalers and contact a manufacturing company.
The reason is that Chinese wholesalers rarely own goods that comply with European certification standards as their products have been designed for the Chinese market (which has far fewer constraints, at least as far as certification standards are concerned).
Transport and Hotels
Yiwu does not have an international airport; the easiest way to get there is to land in Shanghai and then take a high-speed train from Hongqiao Station. The train journey takes about two and a half hours and tickets can be purchased directly at the station.
As for hotels, I can recommend Motel 168 if you are traveling on a budget and Crowne Plaza or Tian Heng International hotel if you prefer a higher level hotel.
Once you arrive in the city, you can get around by taxi; Don’t expect drivers to speak English though. If you have contacted an agent, he will accompany you everywhere. Otherwise, if you don’t speak Chinese, you’ll have to make do with cards containing addresses in Chinese characters (a smartphone is just fine!).
Need help importing products from China?
Our agency can offer you professional 360° import advice and can assist you at every stage of your project!
Rely on the experts at ImportazioneFacile.it, they will support you step by step by putting their many years of experience at your service, to face all the possible pitfalls that lie behind an import.
Fill out the form to get a free consultation now, describe your project and they will contact you to evaluate the best way to make it happen!
