Yiwu International Trade City (义乌) is the world’s largest small-commodity wholesale market: 5 districts, more than 75,000 booths and over 2 million product lines on one site. Guangzhou is the hub for garments, bags and shoes, Shenzhen for electronics, Keqiao for fabrics, Foshan for furniture. This guide covers what each market sells, how a buying trip differs from remote buying, how to consolidate goods through GSR Logistics’ Yiwu warehouse, and the 2026–2027 seasonal calendar.

Yiwu’s Futian market: what do the five districts sell?

Yiwu International Trade City (义乌国际商贸城, known locally as the Futian market) is a wholesale complex of 5 districts in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, opened in stages between 2002 and 2011. Each district has 3–5 floors, each floor is assigned to a product group, and a booth number tells you the district and floor at a glance. The market runs seven days a week, roughly 9:00–17:00, and closes for an extended period only at Chinese New Year. Its official online platform is Yiwugo — handy for finding a seller by booth number and for reordering after a trip.

District Main products Who it suits
District 1 Toys, artificial flowers, jewellery and accessories, hair accessories, souvenirs Toy shops, Uzum and Instagram sellers
District 2 Hardware and tools, electrical goods, umbrellas, bags and luggage, clocks and watches, locks, kitchenware Housewares, building-supply shops
District 3 Stationery, sports goods, eyewear, cosmetics, buttons and zips, paper products School-season traders, sports and beauty shops
District 4 Socks, gloves, hats, towels, underwear, footwear, daily necessities Chorsu and Abu Sakhiy wholesalers
District 5 Imported goods, bedding and home textiles, car accessories, curtains, knitted fabrics Home and auto shops

Beyond the five districts, Yiwu has separate specialised markets: the Huangyuan garment market (budget clothing), the production-materials market and hundreds of small factories on the outskirts. Most booths in Yiwu are a factory’s showroom: samples in the booth, warehouse and workshop at the edge of town.

Three rules become obvious within an hour. The minimum order is usually one carton (一箱起批): 12, 24, 48 or 100 pieces. Prices are quoted in yuan per piece and fall as the lot grows. Most products come in 2–3 quality grades — the seller shows them if you ask, and hands you the cheapest if you don’t.

Guangzhou: where are the garments, bags, shoes and electronics?

Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong province and the largest wholesale city in southern China. Its markets are split by product group into whole streets and neighbourhoods:

  • Bags and leather goods — the Baiyun (白云) World Leather Trading Center and the Guihuagang markets in the Sanyuanli area. Bags, wallets, belts, luggage — from the budget end to quality unbranded pieces.
  • Garments — the Shahe (沙河) markets: the cheapest wholesale clothing, trading starts at 5 a.m. and runs until noon. Shisanhang (十三行) — women’s fashion, the range turns over weekly. Baima (白马) — next to the railway station, mid to upper price segment.
  • Shoes and watches — the trade centres around Zhanxi Road (站西路).
  • Toys, stationery, festive decorations — Yide Road (一德路) and Wanling Plaza.
  • Cosmetics and beauty — Xingfa Plaza on Guangyuan Road.
  • Fabrics and trims — the Zhongda (中大) fabric market in Haizhu district: fabric, thread, buttons and zips for garment workshops.
  • Electronics — the Gangding computer malls in Tianhe district and Dashatou (second-hand electronics). For volume electronics, Shenzhen is more convenient.

The Canton Fair (广交会) runs twice a year at the Pazhou complex — April–May and October–November — in three phases by product group: phase one is electronics, machinery and building materials; phase two is home goods and gifts; phase three is garments, shoes, bags and food.

Shenzhen, Keqiao and Foshan: the specialised markets

Huaqiangbei (华强北), Shenzhen is the largest electronics market in the world: SEG Plaza and Huaqiang Electronics World (components, cables, chargers), Mingtong (phone accessories), Yuanwang (phones). Earbuds, smartwatches, power banks, cameras, car electronics — all within a few blocks. Two caveats: anything with a lithium battery cannot fly and goes by truck only; copies of well-known brands are counterfeit and we do not accept them (see Prohibited goods).

Keqiao (柯桥) — China Textile City, in Shaoxing, roughly 90 km from Yiwu. Fabric is sold by the roll, usually with a one-roll minimum; curtains, bedding fabrics, knits, denim. The primary address for garment workshops. Fabric is dense cargo: a cubic metre of rolls runs 300–500 kg, so the per-m³ rate comes from the upper density bands — roughly $200–290 per m³.

Foshan, 30 km from Guangzhou: the Lecong (乐从) furniture market in Shunde district (several kilometres of showrooms — sofas, beds, office furniture), and ceramics and tiles in the Chancheng and Nanhai districts. Neighbouring Zhongshan has Guzhen, the lighting hub. Furniture is light, bulky cargo: density is usually under 100 kg/m³, so it lands in the cheapest band — from $110 per m³; a large lot is cheaper still in a 20ft or 40ft container.

City and market Goods and pricing rule To the nearest receiving point (approx.)
Yiwu, Futian Small commodities — per m³, band set by density, from $110/m³ Same city, 0–1 day
Guangzhou, Baiyun and Shahe Bags, garments, shoes — per m³; the band follows how tightly the cartons are packed Same city, 0–1 day
Shenzhen, Huaqiangbei Electronics — dense cargo, per m³; battery goods by truck only Guangzhou, by domestic express
Keqiao Fabrics — dense cargo, roughly $200–290 per m³ 1–2 days, about 90 km
Foshan, Lecong Light furniture — from $110/m³; ceramics denser; or container Guangzhou, about 30 km

There are three receiving addresses in China: Yiwu (义乌), Guangzhou (广州) and Kashgar (喀什). Your manager tells you which one applies. Lots from different sellers are consolidated into one shipment at the Yiwu warehouse.

Buying trip or remote buying: which fits you?

Criterion Buying in person Remote buying
Time and cost At least 7–10 days, flights, hotel, interpreter A message and links; agent commission from 3%
Quality control You handle the goods and negotiate face to face Sample by air in 5–10 days, photo and video report from the warehouse
Range The whole market, new products 1688, Yiwugo and your manager’s shortlist
Best for A new product line, a large lot, furniture and equipment Repeat orders, items available on 1688

If you plan a trip, the process looks like this:

  1. Plan. List the markets, districts and floors. Tashkent has direct flights to Urumqi and Beijing; Yiwu is reached via Shanghai or Hangzhou by high-speed rail (Hangzhou–Yiwu about 1 hour). Check visa requirements before you travel.
  2. On the market floor. Log every booth in one place: booth number, business card, product photo, price, minimum order, lead time. You will see more than 100 booths in a day — nothing survives without notes.
  3. Payment. Sellers take yuan via WeChat Pay or Alipay; a foreign card can be linked, but wholesale amounts are normally paid from an agent’s account. GSR Logistics pays in yuan at the Central Bank rate — Buying from 1688 & Taobao.
  4. Address. The seller gets the receiving address your manager names — the Yiwu warehouse, Guangzhou or Kashgar — and your GS code (shipping mark) to write on every carton before dispatch. Within Yiwu, sellers usually deliver in 1–2 days free of charge; from other cities, by domestic express.
  5. Warehouse and departure. Every carton is weighed, measured and numbered; the photo report lands in your Telegram; the cargo reaches Tashkent by truck in roughly 15–25 days or by air in 5–10.

For remote buying, step 2 is replaced by sending a link, a sample or a spec; everything else is the same. If the product is not found yet — the Product & supplier sourcing service and the guide on finding a supplier in China.

The Yiwu warehouse: how does consolidation work?

Consolidation means combining one client’s lots from different sellers into a single shipment at the warehouse in China. Goods from 5 booths at the Yiwu market, 1 seller in Keqiao and 2 in Guangzhou are gathered under one GS code and leave on one departure — far cheaper than shipping each lot separately.

At the warehouse every carton is weighed, measured, numbered and photographed; when needed it is opened, counted and checked for condition. The photo report arrives in Telegram. Estimated service prices as of September 8, 2026: photo report $1, repacking $0.40/kg, detailed inspection $1/kg; 14 days of free storage in China. Truck cargo is priced per m³: the density of the lot (kg ÷ m³) picks the band the cubic-metre rate comes from — from $110 per m³ up to 100 kg/m³ and rising with density, while cargo at 1,000 kg/m³ and above is charged at $0.55 per kg. For example, 300 kg in 1.2 m³ → 250 kg/m³ → 1.2 × $180 = $216, whereas 180 kg in 2 m³ → 90 kg/m³ → 2 × $110 = $220: almost the same money, but 2 m³ instead of 1.2 m³. The minimum billable volume is 0.1 m³. Prices are indicative and duty and VAT are separate; the rule is on the Pricing page and the number for your cargo comes from the Calculator. Full warehouse services — Yiwu warehouse & quality control.

Seasonal calendar: when to buy and when to wait?

Dates Event What it means for markets and cargo
Late January – February (February 6, 2027) Chinese New Year Markets closed 2–3 weeks, factories 3–4. The warehouse stops receiving about a week before the holiday; the first departure follows 2–3 weeks after. Uzum sellers need 2 months of stock
April 15 – May 5 Canton Fair (spring), 3 phases Expensive hotels in Guangzhou, new products; May 1–5 Labour Day holiday
June 18 618 sales day Express carriers busy, sellers ship 1–3 days late
October 1–7 Golden Week (National Day) Markets closed 3–7 days, border queues, roughly 5–7 days added to transit
October 15 – November 4 Canton Fair (autumn), 3 phases New collections; sellers are at the fair and reply slowly
October 21–25 Yiwu International Commodities Fair Expensive hotels and taxis in Yiwu
November 11 11.11 Factories and express carriers overloaded, sellers ship 3–7 days late; cargo promotions; departures full until December

The practical takeaway: for January and October departures, order 3–4 weeks before the holiday; in November–December space is booked in advance. Transit times are indicative and count from departure from the China warehouse; route details — China–Tashkent routes.

Practical tips

  1. Walk in with a clean list: product, quantity, target price. The market will hand you 10 new ideas — the list protects the budget.
  2. Photograph the booth number: it encodes the district and floor, and reorders through Yiwugo are placed by that number.
  3. Buy a sample and mark it: the wholesale lot must match it — the warehouse will have something to compare against.
  4. Confirm whether a price is per piece or per carton — this is where most confusion starts.
  5. Note the lead time: in-stock goods 1–2 days, made to order 7–15 days.
  6. Put the GS code and carton number on the label — the seller writes them before dispatch, and the warehouse finds your goods by that code.
  7. Price dense and light goods separately: both go by the m³, but plush toys fall in the cheapest band (from $110 per m³) while a tightly packed carton of socks lands in a dearer one — how cargo prices are calculated.
  8. Stay away from branded marks: customs seizes counterfeit goods, and we do not accept them.
  9. For a commercial lot, check in advance whether a certificate and an Uzbek-language label are required — Uzbekistan customs duties 2026.
  10. Put the holiday calendar into your plan: a 2–3-week delay in February and October is normal.

Manager’s tip. On a first trip, don’t try to see everything in one day: a single Futian district has more than 10,000 booths. Give one day to one district, sort your notes in the evening, and go back the next day only to the 5–10 booths you shortlisted to negotiate prices. If you tell the seller straight away to ship to the Yiwu warehouse address, the photo report will be in your Telegram before you are back in Tashkent.