Yiwu wholesale market is the World’s Largest trading platform for small commodities. Every year, over 550,000 buyers come to Yiwu to source small commodity products.

Many people are wondering about What makes Yiwu Markets so different and popular across the world? What should I pay attention to if it is the first time visiting Yiwu markets? And how to source products from Yiwu markets during the global pandemic?

As a Yiwu local, I’m running a sourcing agency with over 100 staff members, helping clients from all over the world to source reliable suppliers in China. In this post, I’m happy to uncover the secrets about Yiwu in the following chapters. Enjoy reading!

  1. Where is Yiwu Wholesale Market?
  2. Guide to Yiwu International Trade City 
  3. Seven Professional Wholesale Markets in Yiwu
  4. Fourteen Specialized Streets in Yiwu
  5. Four Secrets about Yiwu Market  
  6. How to Buy from Yiwu Market Online?
  7. How to Find Yiwu Wholesale Market Suppliers?
  8. How to Communicate with Yiwu Market Suppliers?
  9. Expert Tips about Dealing with Yiwu Market Suppliers
  10. Certifications Needed for Yiwu Wholesale Market Products
  11. How to Ship Products from Yiwu to My Country?
  12. What Can Yiwu Sourcing Agents Do for Me?
  13. How Can I Find a Yiwu Market Agent?
  14. How Much Should I Pay for Yiwu Agent Services?
  15. Three Common Tricks Used by Yiwu Agents I Need to Know

Where is Yiwu? What is Yiwu Wholesale Market?

Where is Yiwu? 

Yiwu, a central city of Zhejiang province, has developed from a small agricultural city into a city built on markets, or small commodity businesses. With over 40 years of development, it has become the world’s most famous city known for its international small commodity trading with over 200 countries and regions across the world.  And every year the Yiwu International Commodities Fair is held here.

So far there are many industrial clusters formed around Yiwu, such as Hardware Center in Yong Kang city, China Socks Center in Zhuji city, Plastic and Rubber center in Taizhou city, Textile and umbrella center in Shaoxing city, Plastic machinery center in Ningbo city, etc.

Many of the above neighborhood cities supply goods to Yiwu. Yiwu is also very close to Hangzhou and Shanghai. You can either take a bullet train or bus to get to Yiwu. It is very convenient and has many transportation methods to choose from.

From a developmental perspective, Yiwu is a legendary city. To get a full picture of Yiwu and further get to know its culture, entertainment, hotel recommendations, check our comprehensive Yiwu Page.

yiwu-location2

Yiwu Wholesale Markets, Yiwu International Trade City, Or Futian Market? What’s the difference?

Over the years, Yiwu has formed a unique “market cluster” with international trade city as the core and multiple professional markets and specialized streets supporting each other. People outside Yiwu call all those small commodity markets as Yiwu wholesale markets. In this sense, there are over 10+ small commodity wholesale markets in total.

The rest of other markets and Futian market supplement each other, in terms of product categories. Other markets specialize in categories that Futian market does not have, such as furniture, production materials, machinery, etc.

Besides the markets, the specialized streets are also an important part of the Yiwu wholesale business. The specialized streets came into shape naturally when more and more business owners chose to do business along the streets near the wholesale markets. As there were even not enough booths available in the markets for businesses to operate there or the booths are rather too small. We’ll introduce them in more detail in the following.

Yiwu International Trade City (Futian Market) Introduction. Yiwu Market Map Attached.

As mentioned above, nowadays, when it comes to Futian Market, it refers to the International Trade City, or Yiwu Wholesale Market. It is the largest and most famous wholesale market in Yiwu.

Historically, the old Futian market is very small, today, with the development of small commodities business, it has grown into what you see now, a huge, modern, and international marketplace in the International Trade City area. 

Address: No.69, Chouzhou North Road (稠州北路69号)

Opening hours: 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

The International Trade City buildings are put in use since 2002. It has 5 districts with over 50,000 booths, each district specializes in different commodity categories.  

International Trade Market District 1 (国际商贸城一区)

F1Common toys / Electric toys / Inflatable toys / Plush toys/ Artificial Flower / Flower accessories / Annex building (Toy/ornaments/craft)
F2Jewelry & Ornament / Hair Ornament / Annex building (ornaments)
F3Ornament Accessories / Porcelain & Crystal / Picture Frames / Crafts
F4Factory Outlets (Toy/flower/ornament) / Taiwan Mall (flower/ornament/craft)

International Trade Market District 2 (国际商贸城二区)

F1Suitcases & Bags / Umbrella / Rain wear & Pack / Fujian Mall (Umbrellas)
F2Vehicles / Hardware Tools & Accessories / Locks / Electric Products
F3Kitchen & Sanitary hardware / Small Home Appliances / Clocks & Watches / Guangdong Nanhai Mall / Battery/Lamp/Flash lights
F4Anhui Mall / Hongkong Mall / Sichuan Mall / Korean Mall / Electronics / Suitcase & Bags / Clocks & Watches / Hardware & Electric Appliances
F5Export agencies / Featured products

International Trade Market District 3 (国际商贸城三区)

F1Eyeglasses / Pen & Inks / Paper Articles
F2Outdoor products / Office & Stationery / Cultural & Sports products
F3Zipper & Button / Apparel accessories / Cosmetics & Beauty products
F4Factory outlets-cosmetics/beauty / Factory outlets-cultural & sports
Factory outlets-apparel accessories

International Trade Market District 4 (国际商贸城四区)

F1Socks
F2Daily Necessities / Knitted Products / Gloves / Hats / Earmuffs
F3Sewing Thread & Tape / Shoes / Lace / Tie / Towel
F4 Belt/Accessories / Scarf / Bra & Underwear
F5Tourism & shopping center / Garments / Shoes / Daily necessities / Frame / accessories

International Trade Market District 5 (国际商贸城五区)

F1Garments/Daily consumables / African Products / Jewelry & Handcrafts / Ornaments & Crafts / Food / Healthcare products
F2Beddings / Chinese knot / DIY Handicraft
F3Needle / Knitted cloth / Knitted fabric / Curtains cloth
F4Auto Accessories / Car & Motorcycle Parts / Car necessities
F5Online services

You can download the map by click the button

Download the Market Map

7 other Wholesale Markets in Yiwu, except Yiwu International Trade City

When you come to Yiwu to purchase products, most naturally you’ll go to the wholesale markets, but if you only stick to the International Trade City (Futian Market), you’ll miss other valuable sources, like the specialized markets  and streets we are going to talk about.

1. International Production Material Market (国际生产资料市场)

Unlike the Futian Market, the international production material market mainly specializes in machinery & equipment. It is also a center for lighting products and leather goods. 

Address: No.1566, Xuefeng West Road (雪峰西路1566号)

Product category: 

F1printing raw materials / industrial electrical appliances / commercial logistics equipment / flower accessories
F2food processing machinery / printing and packaging machinery / power and power / generation equipment / ribbon weaving machine / injection molding machine / cutting tool
F3home decoration lights / commercial lighting equipment / holiday lights / outdoor engineering lights / LED lights and accessories
F4leather

2. Huangyuan Clothing Market (篁园服装市场)

It is located in the most prosperous business circle-Xiu Hu. And it is the largest professional clothing market in the middle zone of Zhejiang, complementing wholesale and retail business.

Address: Intersection of Jiangbin Middle Road and Huangyuan Road（江滨中路与篁园路交叉口）

Product category:             

F1pants / jeans
F2men’s wear
F3women’s wear
F4pajamas / sweater / sportswear / shirt / and wedding / evening dress / sportswear/ women’s clothing
F5children’s clothing
F6Korea imported clothing city

3. Yiwu Furniture Market (义乌家具市场) 

It is located in the core area of the west of Yiwu City. It is the only large-scale professional furniture market approved by the government in Yiwu City. It is a modern furniture market with the largest single scale, the highest grade, the best environment and complete supporting facilities in Zhejiang Province.

Address: No.1779, Xicheng Road（西城路1779号）

Product category:

B1 common civil furniture and office furniture
F1sofa, software, rattan art, hardware, glass furniture and supporting service areas
F2 modern board, children’s suites
F3 European, classical, mahogany and solid wood furniture
F4 wonderful space management fine furniture
F5 business district, home accessories area, decoration design company

4. Digital market (数码城) 

Instead of wholesale business,it tends to do retail business for individual usage. If you want to purchase in a large order, you can turn to Shenzhen.

Address:  No.238, Binwang Road（宾王路238号）

Product category: assembled computers, brand laptops, projection equipment, etc.

5. Communication market(通信市场)

Though you can find some phone sellers in Futian Market, suppliers are more gathered in this market.

Address: No.211, Binwang Road（宾王路211号)

You can wholesale here without sufficient time to go to Shenzhen）

Product category: mobile phones, digital cameras, etc

6. Yiwu Material Market (物资市场) 

Yiwu material market has become a large-scale market for building decoration materials, and a distributor center for Aluminum, stone, and ceramic products. It has around 350 booths here. 

Address: No.199, Xicheng Road（西城路199号）

Product category: Four trading areas for metal materials, stone, ceramics, and lighting hardware. Mainly engaged in aluminum, granite, ceramics, sanitary ware, stainless steel, plumbing pipe, glass, lamps, hardware, plastic steel and other 10 categories of goods.

7. Zhezhong Timber Market (浙中建材市场) 

It is the largest and highest grade timber distribution center in the middle of Zhejiang now after a decade of cultivation and development, achieving a three-level jump in scale, structure and grade.

Address: No.266, Xicheng Road（西城路266号）

Product category: log trading and sawn timber processing

14 Specialized Streets to Buy Yiwu Wholesale Markets Products

Yiwu specialized streets are a unique characteristic of Yiwu markets and also an indispensable part of Yiwu business.

We’ve collected and summarized all the important specialized streets by their featured product categories below. I believe that you’ll find them very special when you walk on those streets.

1. Meihu Stock Street (梅湖库存专业街)

  • Street Location
  • North of Wuai Road (五爱路北边)
  • Product Categories
  • Overstock Clothing, suitcases & bags, toys, shoes, stationary, etc

2.Wuai Stock Street (五爱库存专业街)

  • Street Location
  • South of Wuai Road (五爱路南边)
  • Product Categories
  • Overstock Clothing, suitcases & bags, toys, shoes, stationary, etc

3. Changchun ornament street 1-7 (长春饰品专业街)

  • Street Location
  • Intersection of Mall Avenue and Gongren North Road (商城大道和工人北路交汇处)
  • Product Categories
  • Ornaments and accessories

4. Jinfuyuan (Xingzhong jewelry street) (兴中珠宝专业街)

  • Street Location
  • Intersection of Chengbei Road and Chouzhou North Road (城北路与稠州北路交叉口)
  • Product Categories
  • Ornaments and accessories

5. Futian District 3 (福田三区专业街)

  • Street Location
  • Intersection of Yinhai Road and Gongren North Road (银海路与工人北路交叉口)
  • Product Categories
  • Scarf

6. Huangyuan Bra & Underwear street (篁园内衣专业街)

  • Street Location
  • Lane 6,Huangyuan Road (篁园路6弄)
  • Product Categories
  • Bra & Underwear

7. Huangyuan eyeglasses street (篁园眼镜专业街)

  • Street Location
  • No.190, Jiangbin Middle Road (江滨中路190号)
  • Product Categories
  • Eyeglasses

8. Zhanqian furniture street (站前家具专业街)

  • Street Location
  • No.247,Chengzhong North Road (城中北路247号)
  • Product Categories
  • Furniture

9. Binwang cosmetics street (宾王化妆品专业街)

  • Street Location
  • No.238,Binwang Road (宾王路238号)
  • Product Categories
  • Cosmetics & Beauty products

10. Sunshine Community (阳光小区专业街)

  • Street Location
  • Intersection of Gongren North Road and Zongze Road (工人北路和宗泽路交叉口)
  • Product Categories
  • Culture, gifts, calendars, New Year pictures

11. Zhaozhai street (赵宅专业街)

  • Street Location
  • Near No.16, Zhaozhai Street 2 (赵宅2街16号附近)
  • Product Categories
  • Photo frame, Ceramic, Cigarette set, Lighter, Oil painting, decorative painting

12. Chengxin District 1 (诚信一区专业街)

  • Street Location
  • Opposite to Gate 67, Yiwu International Trade City, Chengxin Avenue （义乌国际商贸城67号门对面诚信大道）
  • Product Categories
  • Leather

13. Chouzhou North Gift Street

  • Street Location
  • No.601,Chouzhou North Road (稠州北路601号圣诞礼品专业街 )
  • Product Categories
  • Christmas goods

14. Futian District 2 Gift Street

  • Street Location
  • Near No.882,Gongren North Road (工人北路882号附近)
  • Product Categories
  • Christmas goods

4 Secrets of Yiwu Market You Should Know

1. Are All the Booths Opened by Manufacturers?

Most booths are owned by individual businesses, while others are owned by trading companies and they’ve got lots of factories that supply them on a long-term basis. If you do not want to buy in large quantities, in some cases, you may get better prices from them than when buying from the factory.

There are some booths owned by factories. These factories are mainly based in Yiwu and nearby cities. Others are based in Fujian, Guangdong, and other provinces. The scales of these factories range between 10 and 1, 000 staffs.

If it’s your first time visiting Yiwu, or you do not have much information and experience on import, you will find it challenging trying to distinguish whether these are individual businesses, small workshops, or large-scale factories. Even though most booths claim to be manufacturers, you shouldn’t trust them at all.

2. Are Yiwu Products of Poor Quality?

Some commentators on the internet allege that all Yiwu products are of poor quality, thus they cannot be exported to the United States. This is not true because of the following reasons:

Yiwu product does not mean “Made in Yiwu”. As mentioned earlier, Chinese products have industrial areas where they are manufactured from. Many products sold in Yiwu are made in other leading production areas and they are just availed in Yiwu for sale.

One of the top 3 exporting countries from Yiwu is the U.S. Many high-quality products are exported from China to the U.S every year. Yiwu also has some budget products which target developing countries, but it’s not true to say that all Yiwu products are not of good quality.

For example, most Christmas products are produced in Yiwu, but you will also find suppliers in places like Shenzhen and other areas. However, the Shenzen supplier may play a trick by not telling you that the products were manufactured in Yiwu, or even he/she may claim that what they sell is better than that made in Yiwu.  

3. Is Yiwu Wholesale Market only Suitable for Small Businesses?

Many articles on the internet are saying that Yiwu market is only suitable for small businesses, and Shenzhen or other big cities are better for big orders. But the truth is that you won’t find a market with a MOQ that’s higher than that of the markets in Yiwu.

For those individuals who want to buy one item from $1000 or more to 2-3 containers, this is the best place to source them. It’s quite difficult to persuade the booth to sell one or two cartons for one item, as this quantity is very less than their MOQ.

Usually, every product in any market needs lead time. However, some of them tend to have spot goods so that you can purchase in small quantities. But there are two conditions which you should consider before buying spot goods.

Spot goods cannot be changed. All the colors, logos, and styles, as well as packaging, remain the same as the samples that you see in the booth. If you want customized products, you will have to buy in large quantities. Because spot goods are already manufactured, their standard or design is not current, thus they are not suitable for fashion products.

4. How Does Yiwu Differ from Ningbo, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou?

Ningbo, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou are all big coastal cities in China and have ports, which is a factor that gives them many advantages of export. This is also the reason why most large international companies have set up their procurement or branch offices in these cities. Also, there are various professional trading companies that offer better services.

Yiwu does not have a port and relies on the Ningbo port, which is 200km away. Meanwhile, Yiwu supplies many goods to Ningbo, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou that you can easily find many products that are supplied by Yiwu in the  Shenzhen wholesale markets, Guangzhou wholesale markets, and Ningbo wholesale markets. Ningbo doesn’t have any market and its advantage is the port only. 

On the other hand, Shenzhen only has a market for electronic products, while Guangzhou is a popular market for jewelry, clothing, and related items. And these markets are in different places and sourcing from them is not easy. It is only during Canton Fair when suppliers congregate at one place in China.

How to Buy from Yiwu Market Online? Guide about Yiwugo

Find Suppliers Through Yiwu Online Wholesale Market – Yiwugo

Yiwugo is an online wholesale website that gathers many small commodities suppliers with nearly 50,000 shops opened on it. It is a wholesale platform targeted both at the domestic market and the overseas market.

On Yiwugo, you can find a corresponding online shop for most physical stores in the Yiwu International Trade City.  The address details of each store are easily available on the shop page of Yiwugo.

Yiwugo Shop Page

And you’ll find more contact info such as e-mail, phone number, or WeChat ID about the supplier if you click on those suppliers listed on the shop page and go to their homepage.

Another useful and fun fact you can find out on Yiwugo is that you can find a 360-degree panoramic view of the shops on the suppliers’ homepages.

Through this panoramic view, you can simulate the situation where you are standing right in the middle of the physical store, allowing you to see all the demonstrations, the indoor layout, and most of the displayed product samples.

Differences between Yiwugo and other Wholesale Platforms

There are some essential differences between Yiwugo and other general wholesale platforms such as Alibaba and AliExpress.

The most fundamental difference is that general online wholesale platforms like Alibaba are born and meant to replace the entire traditional physical business mode, while Yiwugo is actually built to help and aid the development of the Yiwu International Trade City and other physical wholesale markets.

Also, unlike Alibaba, the domestic market matters much to Yiwugo. So, it appears to be more likely to run into a supplier that doesn’t speak English at all on Yiwugo. But in this regard, you could simply hire a translator or a sourcing agent like Jingsourcing to communicate with the supplier on your behalf.

How to Find Yiwu Wholesale Market Suppliers? 

Whether you go directly to buy in the market, or go with a translator or agent, I suggest that you compare as many suppliers as possible to fix the best price among them.

Generally, the suppliers of the same product category are all situated in the same area. You only need to go around them to find similar suppliers. 

If you are not familiar with the market, you can ask for the help of an agent. They can take you to the most popular shops based on your product category.  

Also, you can check on the website of Yiwugo to find a supplier’s information and location inside the market. Once you identified some good suppliers online, you can visit their booths in the market, check their samples and inquire about the prices. 

How to Communicate with Yiwu Market Suppliers? 

Wholesalers in Yiwu markets can only understand some basic English, such as how much, price, cheap, good, and other simple English words. When you see a product at a booth, you can use your finger to point it out. And then the suppliers will show you the price of RMB with a calculator. You need to pay attention to the fact that suppliers in the market only accept RMB and reject US dollars.

Since the sellers can only communicate in this simple way, if you want to buy a small number of stock products, you can simply pay cash and they will deliver to your hotel. 

However, if you want to discuss with the supplier about how the product is manufactured, how to customize a product, or develop your private label products, you’d better find a translator or sourcing agent to help you communicate with the supplier. 

The translator is mainly to help you communicate with the supplier in the market. But as for orders, inspections, and delivery after leaving the market, that’s not their job. The cost for a translator is about 200-300RMB a day, which values $30-$50. In Jingsourcing, we can also assign you a translator free of charge, click to connect with a translator. 

However, a translator can only help you communicate with the supplier and take you around the wholesale market. If you need to purchase in bulk, customize your products or arrange shipment to your country, you’ll need a sourcing agent. 

I need a translator

Expert Tips about Dealing with Yiwu Market Suppliers

1. Choose Suppliers with Specialized Categories 

Some suppliers in the Yiwu market are specialized in doing one category, and some others do the various categories of products at the same time. For specialized suppliers, 

their prices will tend to be better, the quality of the products will be more secure, and the suppliers are more familiar with the products.

The suppliers that deal with a lot of categories often have multiple cooperative factories. Relatively speaking, the suppliers who do various categories are not as professional as those who have specialized in just one category.

2. Confirm Product Quality

While purchasing from Yiwu markets, one thing that is very important is to emphasize to the supplier that the quality of massive production must be the same as the quality of samples. Never assume as long as you place your order based on the sample seen in the market, your product quality will automatically be the same as that of the samples. 

The truth is that if you do not do the double confirmation with the supplier, in most cases, you’ll be surprised at what you receive, the product material, size, weight or color, etc could all be different from the samples.

3. Tips on Price Negotiation 

For price negotiations, the price of different quantities will not be very different. Generally, the quantity of about 1000 pieces can be offered at a great price. And sometimes, the supplier will give you a little discount of about 3-5%.

Some customers think that if they directly ask the supplier whether the price of 10, 000 pieces will be lower, they will get a low price of around 10-20%. But this is not true, as even after doing this, the price will still be the same as that of 1000 pieces.

You don’t have to be surprised, because this is normal. Since suppliers don’t believe you will buy 10,000 pieces. They just think that this is a trick of you asking them about the lowest price possible. So, when you hear that the price of 1000 pieces is almost the same as that of 10, 000 pieces, you shouldn’t be surprised.

What Certifications Will I Need for Yiwu Wholesale Market Products?

You have to gather information about the certification required for imported products in your country or region, because not all Yiwu market China wholesalers are equipped with the relevant knowledge.

Here I’ll list a few of the normally seen certifications needed at different countries and regions while importing from the Yiwu wholesale market:

  • CPC
  • FCC
  • CE
  • FDA

The CPC certificate, namely the Children’s Product Certificate, is mainly used in the US. Basically, children’s products such as toys will need to be CPC-certificated, especially when you intend to list those products on Amazon.

FCC is a mandatory certification of electronic products in the US that is mainly needed for electronic products.

FDA is the abbreviation of Food and Drug Administration, this certification may also be needed for food-related and medical devices and products.

CE marking is a mandatory requirement for products imported to Europe. It can prove your products have met all the safety and environmental standards of the European market.

Except for the above certifications, you should conduct a thorough investigation over any other regulations you must meet for importing your products and coordinate your supplier in the Yiwu wholesale market to get all necessary certificates and test results.

How to Ship Products from Yiwu to My Country?

Yiwu is a city with very developed logistics and transportation networks. Here, you can choose to ship to your country in many ways. In general, there is express delivery, air transportation, and sea shipping.

ship-by-sea-air-and-express2

1. Shipping by Express Delivery 

Express delivery is the fastest way. Frankly speaking, the goods can be sent directly to the address door that you provide within 3-5 days. But it is also the most costly way. So it is only suitable for small, high-value goods, such as electronic products, accessories, watches and so on.

If you are ready to send by express, then I suggest that you do not contact FedEx, DHL, UPS, or any other official express. Because their discounts for individuals are usually very small. A good solution would be to contact Yiwu’s express agent.

You can find a lot of such express delivery companies around the market. They have a very low discount rate because they have a large shipping volume every day. If you compare these two, you will find that using an express agent can help you save 30-50% express cost.

2. Shipping through Freight Forwarders 

If you use sea shipping or want to transport by air, you can go to the Changchun District and Futian District, which is next to the wholesale Market (Futian) to find some freight forwarding companies.

Many freight forwarding companies will claim to be able to send to any country. However, these freight forwarding companies are not the best choice. I suggest that you find some freight forwarders that are specialized in your country line. Such companies normally give you a full quote to your country right away, including customs clearance.

Some freight forwarders will tell you that they can ship goods to any country. In fact, they ship to several major countries. So, if your country is not one of those countries that they normally ship to, they will contact other freight forwarders to help you ship. Then, the quote will end up being much higher.

Especially, for some customers in the Middle East, Africa, Russia, and South America, customs clearance is not as easy as in North America, and it is more likely to have problems.

The freight forwarding companies in the special line can help you solve various problems like customs checking more professionally because of their rich experience. And a large number of these special line freight forwarding companies have been opened in Yiwu by people from your country, so it will be more convenient in communicating.

3. Shipping via Yixinou Railway 

If you are from a country along the Yixinou Railway, you can also choose to ship the goods to your country by rail. The “Yixinou railway” starts from Yiwu and passes through the following countries and regions:

  • Kazakhstan
  • Russia
  • Belarus
  • Poland
  • Germany
  • France
  • Madrid

The choice of rail transport saves about half of the cost of time, and its cost is only half or less that of air transport.

What Can Yiwu Sourcing Agents Do for Me? 

When you come to Yiwu, you’ll find you are surrounded by thousands of purchasing agents with different sizes. The largest agency normally has at least 500 people and the smallest agency usually has around 5 people or less. 

The types of services provided by different agents also vary, dependent on the agents’ capacity and resources. We categorize them into General Service Type and Value-added Service Type.  

General Services Provided by Yiwu Market Agents

General service type refers to the kind of service that most agents can provide, such as product sourcing, sample arrangement and shipping arrangement. 

1. Supplier Sourcing 

Not only can the Yiwu agents help you search for suppliers online, but also they can accompany you to go to the wholesale markets. With the local knowledge of Yiwu agents, you can really benefit a lot. 

In addition to help you find suppliers inside Yiwu markets, they can also help you find suppliers in other cities of China, if there are no suitable suppliers in Yiwu.

2. Sample Arrangement 

If you need to do some product revision or adjustment based on the existing products in the markets, you can just tell suppliers about your specific requirements, and leave the sample arrangement to the agent.

Once the sample customization is finished, the agent helps check the quality and arrange to ship to your home.

3. Shipping Arrangement 

No matter whether you purchase from one supplier or several suppliers in the market, the agent can help you consolidate all cargoes into one shipment. Usually, agents have a wide network of freight forwarders or express companies, to ship products at a better price. 

Value-added Services Provided by Yiwu Sourcing Agent

Value-added service type refers to some unique service scope that only a few capable agents can offer. As such, if you want to have below service, it is very important for you to select a reliable and good agent to help with your purchasing and exporting. 

1. Free Warehousing 

Not every sourcing agent has free warehousing service. Only those agents who have their own warehouses can provide such service, like Jingsourcing. 

Jingsourcing has a large warehouse with 5 floors. Even if you source suppliers by yourself, if you need a warehouse to store your goods for some time, you can deliver your goods to Jingsourcing’s warehouse. And it is free for 2 month. 

2. Quality Inspection 

Another great benefit to have a purchasing agent is to act as your China representative during quality inspection. If quality issues are found before shipment, agents can help you discuss with suppliers, look into the quality problems and work out solutions.

You may think you can hire 3rd inspection company, however their rate is rather high, $300 per person a day for each inspection. Also they are only responsible for issuing the inspection report, and will not help you solve the quality problems with the supplier. 

For the time and labor involved in quality inspection, a certain inspection fee will be charged, and it will be a lot less than the cost of inspection company. 

3. Product Development

The product development process is quite complicated. From concept to real products involves lots of details and requires lots of effort over a long time. 

As such, you’d better find an agent who’s experienced in product development, and understand what it takes to make your ideas happen. 

How Can I Find a Yiwu Market Agent? 

Given the benefits and service you can get from a Yiwu purchasing agent, you may wonder how to find a reliable agent to work with. 

If you are abroad but want to find a good agent in advance for visiting the Yiwu market, then you can search for “Yiwu Market Agent” on Google, where you will find some Yiwu agents. If you have already arrived in Yiwu, you will see a lot of advertisements about Yiwu agents at the airport, train station, and even at your hotel entrance. You can pick one of them after doing online research. 

Here, I also want to share something special with you. If you are a customer from the Middle East and Africa, then you can find people who can help you import products from Yiwu to your country directly. They can communicate with you in your own language and they fully understand the situation of China and your country.

How Much Should I Pay for Yiwu Agent Service?

This is a very interesting topic and one that foreigners who come to Yiwu to purchase goods are normally concerned about, especially for those importers who have no purchasing experience in Yiwu. You may not be aware that there are more than 1, 000 agencies in Yiwu! The largest agency normally has at least 500 people and the smallest agency usually has around 5 people.

There are so many agents available in Yiwu. In fact, you will not know how to choose the best agent. At this point, you may be attracted to ads that claim to offer 3% commission or even lower, and some even give 0% commission.

My advice is that you should not be misled by these ads. This is just a low-cost competitive marketing method used by agencies to attract new customers. When you contact these companies, they will also tell you that there are various other service fees to collect. Although there is no set industry standard in Yiwu, as far as I know, it is more reasonable and reliable for the agents to charge around 5-10% service fee.

You can go ahead and choose an agent with a low service fee, but you will find some of the problems that I am going to talk about in the next paragraph. They are some of the most used tricks by Yiwu agents, which many of our readers have shared with us.

3 Common Tricks Used by Yiwu Agents

In order to maintain the interests of their own company, some agencies that charge 3% or lower service fees often use some tricks to make up for the lost of service fees.

1. Change Suppliers Secretly

When you think that the quality of supplier A’s product is good, the price is acceptable, and as a result, you go ahead and place your order. But then, your agent is more likely to replace your supplier A with a cheaper supplier B, in order to benefit from it. As for you, the lower price of supplier B means that you may get a poor quality product.  

2. Ask Suppliers for a Kickback

When you go directly to the market, your agent will help you to negotiate with the supplier. During this time, the agent will use the Chinese language to ask the supplier to increase the original price by 2-5% as a quote for you. In this case, the price of the product you pay will be more expensive.

3. Force suppliers to cut prices

When you and the supplier decide on the product and price, the agent will force the supplier to cut the price when placing the order. This way, the agent receives the profit from the price difference. This situation will also cause the supplier to give you poor product quality and protect their profit.

Finally

I‘m Jing, the founder of Jingsourcing.  Having grown up in Yiwu, I am familiar with all things in Yiwu. If you want to visit Yiwu or have any queries, feel free to contact me. If you need any services like sourcing, customizing products from China, welcome to CONTACT US.

4.6 37 votes
RATING