List of Things to Know before Visiting Yiwu Wholesale Market

History of Yiwu Market  

Yiwu, originally a small town in Zhejiang Province, China, is famous all over the world for its small commodity wholesale. Yiwu Wholesale Market, now known as Yiwu International Trade City, locally known as Futian Market (because it is located in Yiwu Futian ), is the world’s largest small commodity market! Here is the history of it.

• The 1st generation of Yiwu Market

The Yiwu Small Commodity Market originated in NianSanLi Street in the late 1960s in China. In the special era, the superior banned business, the semi-legal “chicken feathers for sugar” needed to exist in the conflict of the market.

• The 2nd generation of Yiwu Market

In the 1980s, China implemented reform and opening up, and Yiwu Small Commodity Market formed a “hollow effect.” After the opening of the second-generation market in Yiwu, nearly 2,000 stalls were quickly laid out, and more than 10,000 people came to trade every day.

• The 3rd generation of Yiwu Market

The Yiwu Market continues to expand. In 1986, the third-generation market was officially opened. Its turnover has exceeded 100 million yuan.

• The 4th generation of Yiwu Market

The 4th generation of Yiwu Market was built in 1992. Yiwu Small Commodity Market was renamed ” China Zhejiang Province Yiwu Small Commodity City”. In 1994, its turnover exceeded 10 billion yuan.

• The 5th generation of Yiwu Market

Then there is the 5th-generation market Bin Wang Market and the present Yiwu International Trade City. According to official statistics, it would take about a year and a half to complete every shop in Yiwu International Trade City!

From “chicken feathers for sugar” to “world supermarket”, Yiwu, a city built on the market, has completed a beautiful transformation in the past 60 years!

Who Needs to Go to Yiwu International Trade City?

Knowing the purpose of your trip is necessary indeed. Who is suitable for the Yiwu Wholesale Market? (Official website)

1. Entrepreneur
2. Not demanding on product details and quality (If need better quality or customized products, need to go to the offline factory you know well to negotiate）
3. Price sensitive (Most Yiwu wholesalers will upload their products on Alibaba or other wholesale platforms. The prices you negotiate online can be compared with the prices you see offline.Enjoy your bargain onsite ! Do not be intimidated by high prices, but also pay attention not to buy goods at too low a price, to avoid poor quality of goods. But be careful not to bargain too much, otherwise it may affect the quality of the goods.
4. Purchase spot goods
5. Various and numerous categories. A total of 28 categories, mainly including clothing (including ties and socks, etc.), accessories, toys, hardware, zippers and clothing accessories, indoor goods, home appliances, footwear, crafts and cosmetics etc.
6. People who like to have a shopping based sightseeing (English-friendly)

How to Get to Yiwu International Trade City ? 

Plan your visa, clothing, housing and transportation in advance before you go to Yiwu International Trade City. You can either take a flight directly from home to the Yiwu International Airport if flights available，or to Shanghai Pudong International Airport first, then taking an hour and a half high-speed train to Yiwu from Shanghai Hongqiao railway station, 20 minutes by taxi from Yiwu high-speed train to Yiwu International Trade City。

The business hours of Yiwu Small Commodity Wholesale Market (Yiwu International Trade City) are 8:00am to 5:00pm, except Spring Festival. The general time is open at 8 in the morning, close at 5 in the afternoon, and almost leave one main door closed at 5:30. But a thriving market like District 1 doesn’t close until 5:30. Schedule your time before you go.

When purchasing goods in Yiwu,  pay attention to the local traffic security.

Product Area Division of Yiwu International Trade City

Yiwu International Trade City is a huge commodity distribution center, divided into five themed areas, each of which sells different product categories.

① Area: toys, jewelry, headwear, ornaments, flowers, handicrafts

② Area: umbrella, hardware tools, electronic products, small household appliances, clocks

③ Area: Cultural and creative goods, sporting goods, zippers, buttons

④ Area: general merchandise, gloves, leggings, shoes, bras and underwear

⑤ Area: imported goods, bedding, textiles, accessories

Please note that the above is only a rough breakdown of the five regions, and the market supply and the variety of goods may be adjusted as time and demand changes. Before going to Yiwu International Trade City, it is recommended to do sufficient market research and planning in advance in order to better find the required goods. It is best to carefully search and select the right area and business in the trade city to ensure that you can find the products you need.Yiwu Trade City is a large area, it is recommended to visit the market according to the category of goods, which can save time and energy, but also can better compare the price and quality of similar goods.

How to Choose the Right Suppliers at Yiwu International Trade City ?

• Credit – The most important thing in business is credit, but some people don’t have it. This requires us to conduct a certain level of investigation of the merchants. Credit includes things like whether a business delivers goods on time and meets standards.
• Quality – If the quality of the raw materials is not good, then it is difficult to make a product that satisfies consumers. If the suppliers want to cooperate for a long time, they must provide the same specifications and quality products as agreed in the contract.
• Price –  In principle, we will choose those suppliers that meet the requirements of the company and the price is low, which is the most ideal partner
• Time – Time is also one of the factors to measure whether a supplier is reliable. It includes the delivery time of the product and the payment date.
• Service – In the process of product delivery, it is inevitable that the product will be broken, if some suppliers provide free return and repair services, and some suppliers do not provide these services, then the more thoughtful service suppliers may be more reliable.

Pay Attention to Flexible Bargaining and Purchasing Skills at Yiwu International Trade City

In Yiwu market, price negotiation is a common way of trading, and some purchasing techniques can be flexibly used to get a better price:

• Bulk purchase – Through bulk purchase can get more favorable prices and better service. Try to concentrate the purchase to increase the bargaining chip.
• Multi-party price comparison – Before negotiating with suppliers, first understand the prices and conditions of other suppliers, and have a reference can be more confident in negotiations.
• Emphasize long-term cooperation willingness – Express long-term cooperation willingness to suppliers, you can get better prices and services.

Is It True That You Will Be Scammed Easily at Yiwu International Trade City?

This question itself is not a definite answer, it depends on the buyers’s own ability to take goods and the degree of understanding of the source of goods. The operation under the mature delivery channel can effectively avoid all kinds of unnecessary troubles.

1. Due to the different ways of sourcing by merchants and the different experience and ability of purchasing teams, the market prices we see will also be different. If the business is more understanding of the supply of goods on the market, choose the right delivery team and experienced buyers, and develop a reasonable and scientific delivery plan, it will not be easy to be pitted.
2. Pay attention to the temptation of “relatively low prices”. In such a distribution center as Yiwu, there is indeed a relatively cheap source of goods, but at the same time, businesses should also be wary of some cheap sources of goods, to understand the origin behind and the quality of the source of goods is up to standard.
3. For some new buyers who are not familiar with Yiwu market, they can find some experienced pickers to cooperate with, so as to better understand the market situation and avoid fraud and traps due to unclear channels of picking up goods. In the process of choosing a partner, you can determine whether to choose the right carrier by asking other buyers for recommendations or conducting online surveys.

Some Commonly Seen Intrigue Happens in Yiwu Market for Your Reference

• Intrigue 1: there is only a so-called facade, no actual source of goods, warehouse, basically is a second road dealer. There are a lot of samples in the store, but basically a few to dozens of pieces. You talk about the order, he said he will send from the warehouse to deliver you.
• Intrigue 2: you buy product a in this shop,  then he deliver the goods to you from place b, because he does not have the goods at all, and then he will deliver the goods to you from his friend or peer, who is also in Yiwu. Of course the shipping address is his.
• Intrigue 3: after the order found that the price is high, the general price difference will be about two to three pieces. Don’t underestimate the difference of a few dollars, if you want a lot of goods, then this is a significant amount. If you just run for two or three more days, or find two more sophisticated local people to lead the way, you may pay a lot less.
• Intrigue 4: The product and the list ratio are inconsistent. If the offline amount of goods is relatively small. Directly in the store to negotiate the price of packaging and shipping.

Some Picking Skills You May Want to Know When You Shopping at Yiwu Wholesale Market

1. About bargaining terms when purchasing, such as the “whole piece” term, shops are usually packed the goods into a box to ship, referred to as “piece”, if you do not say “whole piece” and say “whole box” “whole package”, the seller sees is a rookie, will raise the asking price or directly do not batch.

2. Regional layout: The north of Zone E on the second floor of Phase I and Phase II are connected by corridors, so there is no need to go out from the north gate of Phase I and then go over the steps of the motor vehicle lane before entering the shops in Phase II, which is troublesome. The second floor of Zone G and Zone H are also connected, and there is no need to go over the motor vehicle lane from the first floor to enter Zone H.

3, loading principle: heavy volume of goods that are not easy to crush should be placed at the bottom of the bag, like jewelry and other fragile and valuable on the top or carry.

Other Tips You May Want to Know When You Shopping at Yiwu Wholesale Market

• Start by dressing up as a boss, like a business person.Try to understand some of the “lingo” of the purchase before you buy, at least pretend that you are very experienced.
• Carry a cart or some samples with you.
• Invite friends to purchase goods together, and when you look at goods in a store, speak loudly, let the people next door see that you want goods, are buying goods, then he will greet you to her store to see。It doesn’t hurt to shop around。
• Find some young bosses, usually the older the more difficult, hard to talk and hard to bargain.If you are a little sophisticated, might buy a low price。

All in all, Chinese Yiwu Market, Futian Market or Yiwu International Trade City for now, is the largest small commodity wholesale market in the world ! And the best place for sourcing agents! Many entrepreneurs call Yiwu a paradise for entrepreneurship! Its large scale, rich variety of commodities, affordable prices, and unique commercial characteristics have amazed businessmen and tourists around the world! Enjoy your shopping in Yiwu Market!