Chinavasion | China Gadgets BlogWholesale Electronics and the Gadget Business

By Ali Dayekh

There’s supposed to be a global recession on but you wouldn’t know it from the turnout at the Guangzhou Trade Fair.

With 200,000 international buyers who turned up at November 8 section of the show where deals for twenty-five percent of China’s 2008 exports, or $38 billion, were a direct result of the show.

That’s some impressive numbers, but what else would you expect from a fair hosted on the biggest exhibition space in all of Asia. The exhibition space Pazhou complex, where the fair is hosted, is 630,000m² according to Wikipedia. And it is filled not one, but three times throughout the year.

It’s not surprising then that many a budding trader has shrugged off their waged world shackles to enter the world of the self employed at this trade.

There is definitely an advantage to visiting this holy place of gathering for buyers and business men, who year after year attend this pilgrimage that is known as the Canton Fair, and source the latest that is offered in innovation and advancements in consumer electronics.

But if you’re not very careful the very scope of this fair can turn a very valuable opportunity into a monumental waste of money, time and energy.

So how can you get the most profit out of this trade show of trade shows.

Know What You’re Looking For

Trade fair trips are an adventure but they are also hard work and there are a few important things to watch out for.

As a buyer, your aim is to look for trading companies and, in most cases eliminate them from your list of actual manufacturers.

There are some questions that allow you to do this and asking potential suppliers the following things should help you in this quest.

• Lead time
• What is their MOQ (minimum quantity order) requirement?
• Where they are based in China? (This helps when you need to visit their factory)/li>
• What products they produce?
• What can they produce for your business?
• What are their prices?
• What is their quality level, and how to they maintain it?

Be Prepared

Just like when you were part of the scouts and the girl guides it always pays to be prepared.

Make sure you take along a small suitcase on wheels; this will make your life easier and not have to carry bags full of catalogs that simply just gets heavier and heavier through out the day.

On a similar note, make sure you have lots of business cards, you are wearing comfortable shoes, you have plenty of pens (Ball point pens and permanent makers) and anything you think might come in handy.

Battery life extension devices like the iPhone Solar Power Battery Case definitely come in handy when you’re handling a lot of business on the phone.

Pace Yourself

To get the most of the trip, try not to spend too much time per booth, otherwise you will never see everything that you need to seee.

Here are two valuable guidelines:

1. Spend one minute per booth if products are only interesting and you are curious, just collect the catalogue and move on.
   
2. Spend five minutes per booth if you like what you see, and want to know more, sit down and discus with the nice people in the booth, give yourself 5 to 10 minutes. Don’t give them any more of your time unless you are going to be getting the deal of a lifetime!
   

Don’t spend longer than 10 minutes at a booth unless you’re getting the deal of a lifetime

Take Notes

The Guangzhou Fair is not just about the actual day, it’s about sorting out your experience and the suppliers you are thinking of using after the show.

Make sure to write on the catalogs you collect right there and then, the information you gathered from the suppliers including:

• Prices
• MOQ
• Lead Time
• Shipping cost

If you have time, visit the supplier’s factories and check that they are legit! And make sure that you are happy and comfortable in dealing with them.

Do you homework, get prepared and you will get more out of what is for many an expensive, but essential part of their China sourcing calendar.