If you’ve ever thought about growing your dropshipping business, you already know that the first step is to make more money. Getting your products from a China wholesale market is one of the best ways to do this.
Dropshippers have known for years that China is the largest online market place. But serious dropshippers know that the best prices are at China’s offline wholesale markets.
Large businesses aren’t the only ones who can buy from the largest wholesale markets. Dropshippers can also buy from these markets if they work with sourcing agents in China who can go to these markets directly.
So, let’s get started and see how to find products at a wholesale market in China!
Ultimate China Wholesale Markets
Many of China’s biggest wholesale markets are in the provinces of Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Liaoning, among others.
Here are some of the best and most famous wholesale markets in China:
Yiwu International Trade City, Yiwu, Zhejiang Province
When people talk about the wholesale market in Yiwu City, they usually mean the Yiwu International Trade City.
Even though Yiwu city has a lot of wholesale markets, this one is one of the biggest in China, if not the whole world.
The Yiwu wholesale market is spread out over 4 million square meters and has more than 100,000 sellers. If you don’t know where you’re going, it can be hard to find your way around.
Here’s a rough breakdown of the types of products by district:
- District: Toys, Jewelry, and Decorations
Bags, suitcases, electronics, hardware, umbrellas, and different tools are sold in the second district.
Eyeglasses, beauty products, cosmetics, buttons, and zippers are sold in the 3rd district.
Accessories and underwear are in the 4th district (hats, caps, socks, gloves, bras, belts, underwear, shoes, etc.)
Parts for cars, food, health care, and supplements are all in the 5th district.
This wholesale market is always available to people, no matter what time of year it is. Also, it’s known for having low prices on its products. But in Yiwu, sellers can be either manufacturers or trading companies, so choose carefully.
Guangzhou Baima Costume Market, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province
Because it is in a great location, the Baima Costume Market has become the most well-known Chinese wholesale market for sellers outside of China.
The Baima wholesale market is near the train station in Guangzhou. Its main focus is on clothes, and it has the highest turnover rate of any market in Guangzhou.
The wholesale market in China
Even though the Baima market has all kinds of clothes, its main focus is on high-end women’s clothes, which means the prices are a bit higher (but still wholesale).
Huaqiangbei Electronic World, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province
Welcome to the biggest wholesale market for electronics in the world, which is in China.
With more than 50 smaller electronics markets inside the Huaqiangbei market, it is the biggest place for small and medium-sized businesses around the world to buy electronics.
Over 70% of these smaller markets sell electronics like cell phones, cell phone parts, and cell phone accessories.
So, if you have an online store that sells phone electronics, you need to go to the Huaqiangbei Electronic World in Shenzhen.
The Electronic World of Huaqiangbei
Some dropshippers even say that you can buy different phone parts or components on this China wholesale market and put them together to make your first phone yourself.
China Technology Hardware City, Yongkang, Jinhua, Zhejiang Province
The China Technology Hardware City is the third largest wholesale market in the world and the biggest hardware market in China.
On an area of 1 million square meters, you can find products in the categories of Machinery, Decoration Hardware, Tool Hardware, Building Hardware, Electrical Hardware Equipment, and more.
To show how important such a big wholesale market is, people say that if Yongkang stops making hardware for just one day, the world will run out of at least 100 different kinds of goods.
Wanling Plaza, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province
The Wanling Plaza wholesale market is like a fairytale paradise for online toy, gift, and decoration stores.
Wanling Plaza
In Wanling Plaza, which has seven floors (-1 to 6), you can find all kinds of decorative toys, boutiques, remote controls, educational toys, gifts, and so on.
Even just walking around here makes you feel like you’re in a magical place, so buying things here is sure to be fun.
Evergreen Clothing Market, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province
The Evergreen Clothing Market deserves to be on the list of China’s five best wholesale clothing markets.
Evergreen Clothing Market
Inside the Evergreen Market, there are smaller markets like the New Hangpai clothes market, Zhidi International, Yifa clothing market, and so on.
No matter what kind of clothes you want to dropship, you can find them all in the Evergreen Clothing Market.
Over 80% of the sales at the Evergreen Market come from large orders. The rest comes from smaller orders.
Ladies’ Market (Ladies’ Street), Kowloon, Hong Kong
The Ladies’ Market is in the Kowloon neighborhood of Hong Kong. It takes up the southern part of Tung Choi Street. The Ladies’ Street is the name of this part of the street.
At the Ladies’ Market, you can find all kinds of clothes, shoes, accessories, jewelry, watches, scarves, and so much more!
Even though it’s called the Ladies’ Market, it doesn’t just sell things for women. It also sells things for men, children, etc.
Shuibei International Jewellery Exchange Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province
Shenzhen is the top city in China for making gold jewelry, which is worth more than 50 billion yuan a year.
Jewelry company Shuibei International
The Shuibei International Jewellery Exchange Center is one of the 500 places in Shenzhen that make gold jewelry.
You can find gold, platinum, silver, pearls, gems, precious metals, and more at the Shuibei Jewellery Center.
So, Shenzhen is where you should go if you want to dropship jewelry.
Baigou Bags & Cases Trading Market, Baoding, Hebei Province
Huqiu Bridal City is China’s first and best-known chain complex for wedding and bridal goods.
Huqiu City of Weddings
This wholesale bridal market is in Suzhou’s Huqiu district. Both dropshippers who buy in bulk and individual shoppers come here.
A wedding dress from Huqiu Bridal City, for example, can cost anywhere from 700 to 4,000 yuan or more.
Of course, you can bargain the price down to half, just like in most other Chinese markets.
China Wholesale Markets FAQs
Now that we’ve told you about some of the biggest wholesale markets in China, it’s time to answer some of the most common questions people have about them.
What Is a China Wholesale Market?
When people talk about China’s wholesale markets, they might be talking about either of the following:
The Yiwu International Trade City, which is the city’s best-known market, is known as the world’s largest small-goods market.
They could also be talking about more than one wholesale market in China, since there isn’t just one. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different wholesale markets in China. Some sell all kinds of goods, while others focus on a certain niche.
What Are the Best China Wholesale Markets for Clothes?
Yiwu International Trade City, Evergreen Clothing Market, Guangzhou Baima Costume Market, Guangzhou Thirteen Hongs of Canton, and China Light Textile Industrial City are some of the best-known and biggest wholesale clothing markets.
Many dropshippers also buy clothes from Guangzhou Shisanhang Clothing Wholesale Market, Huanbei Small Commodity Market, Hangpai Boutique Costume Market, and many other places.
Which China Wholesale Markets Are in Guangzhou?
Guangzhou is known for its many wholesale markets where you can buy almost anything.
Visit these wholesale markets in Guangzhou: Shahe Clothes Wholesale Market, Baima Clothing, Guangda Vast Foreign Trade Shoes Plaza, Huimei International Clothes City, Shisanhang Clothes, Liwan Toys, Beauty Exchange Center, etc.
How to Buy from China Wholesale Markets?
If you are not from China, it will be hard for you to buy from any wholesale market there. Even people who live in the area need help and time to get around the huge maze markets.
As a dropshipper from outside of China, the best way to buy products from wholesale suppliers in China is to hire a local dropshipping agent who will find the products and take care of logistics on your behalf.
Bringing things from China to another country can be a pain, especially if you have to go through customs and pay import taxes on a large order. This is another reason why it is important to have a product sourcing agent in China.
Along with a product sourcing company, it can be very helpful to have local help or meet with someone who has been to these markets before.
Where to Store Products Purchased from a China Wholesale Market?
If you’re reading this, you’re probably a dropshipper who wants to buy a lot of orders from a wholesale market in China. As you already know, every bulk order needs a place to be kept until it can be shipped one at a time as orders come in.
Depending on where your customers live, you can store your products in China or the United States.
The best way to store inventory would be to work with a dropshipping agent that has warehouses in both the US and China. So, your buyers can enjoy faster shipping times, which will make them more loyal and happy.
Can a Dropshipping Agent Help Me Source Products from a China Wholesale Market?
Most often, yes! Depending on where your dropshipping agent is located and what you want, they can go to different wholesale markets and find niche products for you.
Or, you can tell your dropshipping agent exactly what the product is and how it works. Then, you can let them find the best quality-to-price ratio for the product.
In any case, a good dropshipping agent should be able to find products for their serious dropshipping clients in China wholesale markets.
What Are the Most Common Difficulties When Buying Offline from China Wholesale Markets?
When you try to buy Chinese products directly at wholesale markets, you’ll probably run into problems like:
Language barrier: Some sellers are used to selling to people from other countries, but most of them are focused on selling to people in their own country, so don’t be surprised if you have trouble with the language;
Cultural differences: A Chinese seller nods and seems to agree with you. No, not always! They may not know what you’re talking about, but they’re just being nice. Ask for everything to be in writing;
Overstocking: When you buy in bulk, you always run the risk of having too much stock and not being able to sell it all;
To avoid these problems, you can work with a sourcing agent in China. This person can buy, store, and ship orders to your end customers.
Is It Better to Buy Offline from China Wholesale Markets or Online from Wholesale Websites?
How you answer this question will depend on how big and new your business is. If you have grown your business and want to grow it even more, keep reading!
For example, new dropshippers will have less risk and less money to spend up front if they use sites like AliExpress, Alibaba, Made-in-China, etc.
But if you are an experienced dropshipper who wants to grow your business by making more money, buying in bulk from a China wholesale market can be very helpful.
You could hire a dropshipping agent in China and tell them to get products from Taobao or 1688.com as a middle ground between these two options.
Both 1688 Taobao and 1688 are websites with low prices, but they are only available in Chinese because they are mostly for selling things in China. So, you have to have a dropshipping agent who speaks the language.
What Are the Advantages of Sourcing from a China Wholesale Market?
The most important benefits or advantages of buying offline from China’s wholesale markets are:
Touching the product is a better way to figure out how good it is;
Being able to negotiate in person and get the price down;
At first, much lower prices were good for domestic sellers;
Possibility to see the seller’s facilities or production halls;
Chance to meet the seller in person and get a feel for how they do business and what kind of person they are;
A wide range of products (at wholesale markets in China, you can find anything you can think of);
What Are the Disadvantages of Sourcing from a China Wholesale Market?
Even though there are a lot of good things about buying offline, there are also a lot of bad things:
Costs and risks at the beginning are much higher;
Risk of having too much stock because of buying in bulk; Loss of time and effort;
Misunderstandings due to language barriers;
Problems with shipping goods to and from China;
Transport and shipping problems;
In a maze of streets and sellers, finding the exact location of a seller;
Especially dangerous for new dropshippers with products that haven’t been tested;
Costs of travel and time lost;
It’s not worth it for smaller orders or purchases;
What Are Some Tips for Buying from a China Wholesale Market?
Finding products at China wholesale markets requires research and planning ahead of time. Here are some suggestions to make it easier:
If you can, hire a dropshipping agent. They are close by and can help you a lot.
Do your homework and find out about different suppliers, the quality of their products, where they are located, etc.;
Get in touch with suppliers ahead of time. This is important because you don’t want to deal with the person they hired to sit at the market booth, but with the seller;
Plan import and shipping ahead of time. You don’t want to get a large order and have nowhere to store it.
Get maps, guides, or help from people in the area. China’s wholesale markets are huge, so you’ll need some direction;
Make sure you have a local or a sourcing agent who can help you who speaks Chinese. This will help you avoid misunderstandings caused by the language barrier.
To Sum Up
Last but not least, we hope that these ten wholesale markets in China will help you find your way through the huge maze of booths you’ll find there.
So, if you are an experienced dropshipper who is ready to buy in bulk and knows what you can sell, feel free to try sourcing products from a China wholesale market.
If you need help with local translation, finding products, storing inventory, or shipping, we are here to help. Get in touch with us, and we’ll show you around China’s wholesale markets.
