The AMZ Tracker team recently made a big move. A move to the heart of the action — Shenzhen, also known as the Silicon Valley of Hardware.
With our new home base, we’ll be able to give sellers unique insights and connections for doing business in China.
We’ll be bringing you content from experts here in ground as well updates and news from all things Amazon. Our first post will spotlight the upcoming Canton Fair in Guangzhou.
Why Sellers Should Attend Canton Fair
The Canton Fair is a trade fair held in Guangzhou, China in the spring and autumn seasons each year. It ‘s a long standing tradition, and has has been an annual event since 1957. This year the fair takes place during April 15-19.
The fair is the largest trade show in China attracting over 180,000 buyers and 60,000 suppliers. If you’re new to Amazon, it’s generally recommended to use Alibaba and Global Sources to find suppliers. But if you’re looking to level up and gain an advantage — visit trade shows. This is where you can find reputable suppliers, sample products, and — most of all — build strong, lasting relationships.
Experts Weigh in on the Importance of Attending the Canton Fair:
“Traveling to the Canton Fair gives you a competitive advantage. Many of the products won’t be on Alibaba and many of the suppliers at the fair aren’t in China. This can give you a 6-8 month advantage on your competitors that don’t go.” — Danny McMillan
“Canton Fair is an absolute goldmine for importers looking for new product ideas.“ — Ashish Monga
To help you get the most of the Canton Fair, we’ve created the Definitive Survival Guide.
How to Get There
If you’re flying into Guangzhou, the Guangzhou Baiyun Airport is located approximately 45 kilometers away from Canton Fair Complex. But it’s worth to consider flying into Hong Kong instead, as the flights are more affordable. From there it’s only a 1.5-2 train ride to Guangzhou.
If you’re taking the train, the Canton Fair is on Line 8 Kecun Station — Xingang Dong Station (Area A of Canton Fair Complex) or Pazhou Station (Area B & Area C of Canton Fair Complex).
See Canton Fair’s own instructions on how to get there for a more comprehensive guide.
And don’t forget to get your visa!
Get Your Game Plan in Place
The Canton Fair is big. Huge. It covers 1,125,000 square meters which it the size of 5 NFL football stadiums.
Come unprepared and you’ll be left wandering aimlessly. The key is preparation. Your goal is to see as much as possible in a limited amount of time and then narrow down the right suppliers you want to follow up with.
Here’s a video to give you an idea on what to expect:
Seems overwhelming? Don’t worry — here’s what you need to know to get ready.
Get Ready: Canton Pre-Show Checklist
- Pick a hotel near the metro and book 3-4 weeks in advance.
- Get the business card of the hotel with their name and address in Chinese for taxi drivers (insist on drivers that use the meter).
- Have the hotel write down any landmarks in case the taxi driver gets lost.
- Pre-register online and print out a confirmation code. This way you’ll skip the long registration lines.
- Arrive on time. The earlier the better, as there will be less people around you’ll attract more attention from the suppliers.
- Sleep early and don’t get drunk the night before. Trust us, you’ll regret it later.
- Get a VPN (We recommend Express VPN). Anything Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube is blocked in China.
- Consider booking a translator. Most of the time, this isn’t necessary. 90% of the booths will have someone that speaks reasonable English. You can book an interpreter at the show for 500-800 RMB ($100-$150 USD).
- Determine what products you are looking for beforehand. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and distracted on the ground.
- Research and target 20-30 potential suppliers (with booth numbers) beforehand. Use the Canton Fair website to can plan your visit. Doing this research will save you hours down the road.
- Schedule a face-to-face meeting beforehand if you have suppliers or vendors you wish to meet.
What to Bring
- Comfortable shoes and clothing. (Temperature should be around a pleasant 19 °C (66 °F) to 25 °C (77 °F). But it can be quite damp as the monsoon season begins in April.)
- Wheeled luggage or a backpack to carry your gear (catalogs, business cards, samples, etc.)
- A lot of business cards. A lot.
- Your badge and registration approval.
- Your cellphone for taking photos along with a power bank for backup.
On the Ground: How to Talk to Suppliers
Photo credit: llee_wu via VisualHunt / CC BY-ND
It’s important to make a proper introduction to build confidence and make suppliers more comfortable working with you.
Here are 7 things you should ask suppliers:
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- Do you manufacture X product? If yes, then continue. If no, thank them and move on.
- Are you a factory or a trading company? Ideally, most sellers want to work with the factory directly. Most of the time if you ask the question they will tell you. You can easily tell if a factory is based on their product selection. Factories tend to specialize in selling one specific category. If they are selling products in different categories, they are more likely to be a trading company.
- Which countries do you export to? Beware of factory that export to countries like the Africa or the Middle East. Some countries have huge differences in quality standards. Pick suppliers that have serve markets like the North America, Europe, and Australia.
- What other products do you produce? This will allows you to discover new products to add to your brand.
- Are you able to private label for me? Very important if you are selling on Amazon since you can find out from the beginning.
- What is the cost and minimum order quantity (MOQ)? Asking this now is just to get an idea on the price from the supplier. You can also get a more accurate quote later. Make sure it’s in your home currency and not in RMB.
- Ask for a sample. You’ll be able to get an idea on the quality right away.
During this process it would be ideal to take a couple of notes on a notepad while speaking with them. You should take their business card and attach it to the page to keep things organized.
What to Avoid: First Canton Fair Pitfalls
- Don’t waste time on unqualified suppliers. Thank them and move on.
- Don’t spend too much timing talking about pricing. Just get a rough quote and move on you can always get a firmer quote when talking to them later.
- Don’t forget to follow up. Take the initiative and send them a simple email.
Post Show: Follow Up With Suppliers
- Filter your list. So you’ve got your notebook with a tonne of notes and business cards at your disposal. You should organize the suppliers into 3 categories.
- Follow Up
- Don’t Follow Up
- Back Up
- Create a spreadsheet. Include suppliers, their contact information, the initial quote and any extra notes you took
- Prepare an email template. Use this to send to the follow up-suppliers and include your company name in the subject line.
Pro Tip: Don’t give them your primary email. Otherwise prepare to get endlessly spammed with offers and requests down the line.
The essential components of a follow up email should be:
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- Request for quotes based on your requirements (packaging, logo, color etc)
- Ask additional questions about the company and the product.
- Try to get samples delivered.
- Arrange a trial order with them.
Remember you are here on a mission to get to the right suppliers to maximize your chances of success.
We hope we’ve handed you some useful tactics to help you hit the ground running.
Have you ever been to the Canton Fair? Got any tips to share? Let us know in the comments below!
