We’ve helped all kinds of clients find suppliers from ready-ship products to custom projects. After years in this business, we thought it might help to share what’s been selling well and what’s losing traction in the market.
Markets Getting Too Crowded
Fashion & Footwear
Fashion looks tempting, huge traffic, high margins. But it’s one of the hardest categories to survive in now. Too many colors, sizes, and too much seasonality. Returns are high, inventory piles up fast, and once a style goes out of season, it’s dead stock. If you’re just reselling generic items, it’s almost impossible to compete. Big platforms like Temu and Shein have already pushed prices to the floor, a cotton shirt sells for just a few dollars.
There’s still a way in, but only if you move upmarket. Focus on small runs, original design, or vertical brands that speak to a specific audience like activewear, workwear, or even pet apparel. In those niches, design matter more than price.
Random Gadgets & Trinkets
Phone cases, charging cables, little trinkets. sure, they’re low-cost and easy to source. But the truth is, prices are too transparent now. If you’re buying at $2.5, someone else is getting it for $1. And margins are razor-thin, and you’ll get crushed competing on price alone. The only real way out is to go premium, build a brand. Think of Casetify for custom phone cases or PopSockets for grip stands. Both turned simple 3C accessories into fashion statements. But that takes time, capital, and marketing muscle.
Actually, we’ve seen an interesting business model absolutely blowing up on TikTok lately — the “Scoop Order.” Buyers place an order, and the seller literally scoops colorful beads from a big bowl or cup on camera. Each bead represents a tiny item, a keychain, bracelet, flashlight, pen, or notebook. Then they get packed live, piece by piece, right in front of the viewer.
A single scoop order sells for about $15–20, while the cost of goods is minimal. Most are built around a theme, cute, aesthetic, goth, or even Harry Potter, borrowing from famous IPs to grab attention. The real hook isn’t the product itself — it’s the mini performance that keeps people watching and buying.
Spaces Still Worth Betting On
Smart Gadgets & Small Tech
Over the past few years, everything from robot vacuums and air fryers to massage guns and beauty devices has exploded in sales. One factory owner we work with told us about one of his clients selling portable to-go blenders, the rechargeable kind you can take anywhere. The factory price was under $6, but it retailed for $29.99 out of China market, moving around 3–4k units a month.The demand come from people love smoothies and healthy juice, but hate cleaning big blenders. A small, grab-and-go version solves that pain point perfectly.
The key is differentiation: better battery life, smarter blade design, a built-in safety lock, or an easy-to-clean structure. There’s still good margin if you focus on these details. There’s also growing demand for smart home gadgets like smart plugs and smart bulbs. Consumers are getting used to them fast since the convenience and reasonable price.
China’s supply chain for small home appliances is already very mature. So manufacturers can iterate quickly, and keep costs low while ensuring stable delivery. What’s interesting is that Chinese young people also love convenient, compact, and tech-driven products, from smart plugs and robot vacuums to countertop water purifiers. Everywhere, people just want things that make life easier at a fair price.
The only thing to keep an eye on is compliance. Make sure your products pass the proper certifications, CE for Europe, FCC or UL for the U.S. Don’t skip them, and one product issue could wipe out your whole business.
Outdoor Camping Gear
Outdoor gear has gone absolutely crazy over the past few years in the whole world. When we visited the Canton Fair last year, several outdoor factories we work with were doing incredibly well. Tents, sleeping bags, hiking packs, folding chairs, portable stoves, all selling fast. Especially anything with a tech twist: inflatable tents that are automatically set up in minutes, or solar-powered magnetic lights that double as lanterns.
But here’s the catch, this category now runs heavily on content. On Amazon, TikTok, and Instagram, buyers get hooked through short videos showing cozy camp setups and glowing outdoor lights. It’s the mood and visuals that spark desire to buy. If you’re just listing products without content, brand, or visual storytelling, it’s hard to gain traction.
Fishing is a different story. The category is extremely fragmented — from hooks and holders to storage bags, waterproof boxes, lamps, and tripods. You can’t win by selling everything. The trick is to go deep instead of wide, specialize in one segment like night fishing, then build a full lineup around it. Once you own that niche, you’ve got a steady base of loyal buyers.
Pet Supplies
The global pet industry is worth over $300 billion in 2024 and is still growing fast. People spend more on their pets every year, not because they have to, but because they want to. That emotional spending drives everything from automatic feeders and smart litter boxes to pet backpacks and strollers.
One factory owner we know built his business around pet strollers, the kind made for walking cats and dogs outdoors. Unlike baby strollers, these are designed with deeper baskets, better balance, and lighter frames for small pets. They’re also easier to launch, since pet gear doesn’t require as many compliance certifications as baby products. Their best-seller costs under $30 to produce and retails for about $89 in the U.S., moving 1,000+ units a month.
The real advantage of this category is repeat purchase. Pet owners keep buying collars, leashes, poop bag holders, chew toys. Once they wear out, or new designs drop, and people buy again.
But yes, competition is heating up. There’s still plenty of mid-to-high-end demand, but those buyers expect real quality. You’ll need to stand out through materials, function, or design. Think anti-slip socks for senior dogs, or ramps for beds, couches, even boats. Or look at Tuft + Paw, they turned cat bed into interior design furniture with a signature aesthetic that’s hard to copy. On the other side, if you’re competing on price, efficiency decides everything: production speed, new launches, and inventory turnover.
Beauty Tools & Health Tech
We’re not talking about cosmetics here, we mean tools. Cosmetics come with layers of regulation: FDA in the U.S., CPNP in the EU, SCPN in the U.K. It’s a high barrier to entry. But beauty tools are much easier. Things like facial cleansing devices, beauty massagers, LED masks, or face-lifting gadgets. All have a big audience, especially among consumers who love beauty tech.
One of our clients sells beauty devices on Amazon, moving 2,000–3,000 units a month with margins of around 40%. These products look high-tech, but the actual production cost is often $10–25, and they retail for $40–50. The catch? Looks matter a lot: beautiful packaging, sleek design, and polished videos. If it doesn’t look premium, consumers simply scroll past.
Markets With Real Potential
Auto Parts & Accessories
Auto accessories aren’t exactly new, but they remain one of the most consistent markets. In 2024, U.S. consumers spent around $52.65 billion on car modification and accessories. There’s a strong DIY culture in Western markets: people love customizing and maintaining their own cars.
Essentials like dash cams, car chargers, and seat covers are always in demand, especially those with a touch of tech, like solar-powered tire pressure monitors or wireless charging mounts. One of our clients started with car vacuums and now makes over $1.5 million a year, and the business runs solid.
But this category is also becoming more brand-driven. Companies like Baseus (car chargers) and Veepeak (OBD diagnostic tools) dominate the top of the market. The real opportunity lies in going deep, or build a recognizable sub-brand, and serve one car community really well. For example: Tesla accessories, interior lighting systems, or in-car storage systems.
Gardening Tools
The gardening tools market is driven by everyday use. Pruning shears, sprayers, weed trimmers, demand for these essentials stays steady year-round. What’s growing now are power-saving and smart features, such as electric pruning shears, automatic irrigation systems, and even robotic weeders.
But there are a few challenges. Most gardening tools are bulky, which means shipping and storage costs add up quickly. Some products also fall under stricter safety regulations, especially those combining blades, motors, and batteries.
Marketing garden tools is very different from selling pet strollers. People aren’t looking for a “pretty garden scene”, they want to see how the tool actually works. Show them how to prune faster, change blades safely, or automate watering in minutes. In this space, a good how-to video or knowledge-sharing clip often sells better than a polished lifestyle scene or a hundred product specs.
Musical Instrument & Accessories
Music always attracts learners and hobby musicians, a huge, ongoing consumer base. Once they start, they keep investing time and money to practice and upgrade their gear. They’re consumables or upgrade parts, which means steady repeat sales.
Easy-entry instruments such as ukuleles or electronic drums also do great, since they’re simple, affordable, and fun to learn. On TikTok and YouTube, music content naturally builds emotion and connection. Riding on trends, covers of popular songs, or movements like the “bedroom musician” wave keeps engagement high. When musicians or teachers recommend a product, it feels authentic and the conversion rates can look great. If you’ve got musical ability and can build that kind of trust and storytelling around your products. It’s worth a try.
A Few Hard-Learned Lessons
1. Don’t chase trends
By the time you see others making money, the market is usually already saturated. Jumping into every hot product only leads to endless catch-up, constant updates, crowded categories, and no solid brand foundation. Stick to what you know, or where you have real resources.
2. Differentiate, or don’t bother
Stand out through unique functions, great design, strong value, or a clear brand identity. Even if a niche feels saturated, find a way to make it 10% better.
3. Value your supply chain
A good supply chain saves you many mistakes — stable quality, reliable timelines, fewer after-sales issues. Cheap products often come with expensive problems.
4. Compliance isn’t optional
Get the right certifications, and insurance if your product needs it. We’ve seen too many sellers get suspended, seized, or even sued for skipping compliance. The cost of cutting corners is always higher than doing it right.
5. Forget quick money, build depth instead
The real way forward is to go deeply — build a brand. It’s a slow game: high upfront cost, slow results, but once it works, it’s steady. Those chasing fast cash rarely last.
Right now, it’s all about who truly understands products, users, design, and branding. If your only edge is price, don’t bother. But if you’re willing to take the time to build better products and a real brand, there’s still plenty of opportunity ahead. On the execution side, China’s manufacturing strength still gives you a real edge, fast prototyping, quick adjustments, and efficient delivery.
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