Yiwu Market: Sharing 15 Years of Insider Tips and Experience

 

Yiwu, a word you’ve likely encountered frequently in recent years when talking about wholesale markets, trade business or cross-border e-commerce. You might have heard about this city in television news covering global trade or China-US and China-Europe trade relations.

You may also find videos on YouTube where YouTubers introduce Yiwu’s wholesale markets and urban scenery.

Perhaps you’ve even spotted promotional advertisements for Yiwu and Yiwu Market on the giant screens of New York’s Times Square.

Yiwu has undeniably captured global attention.

All in all, the name, Yiwu, has been appearing more and more frequently in our eyes, sparking growing curiosity / interest about the city behind the name. At the same time, more and more buyers, small and micro-business owners, Amazon e-commerce sellers, tourists, backpackers, and YouTubers are flocking to this city – some come for buying products for their businesses, some to explore as tourists, and others to seek business opportunities.

Today, drawing on my 15 years (2011-2025) of work and life experience in Yiwu, I’d like to share some personal insights and useful advice to help those planning (and considering) to visit Yiwu for purchasing and sourcing.

1. What Makes Yiwu (Yiwu Market) So Famous?

When it comes to Yiwu, many people wonder: Why does a small city have such significant international recognition and influence? The main reason is one and only – the Yiwu Market, officially known as the Yiwu International Trade City.

The Yiwu Market is a massive one-stop wholesale complex covering over 6.4 million square meters, with 26 major product categories, 75,000 stalls / vendors, and more than 2.1 million types of products. Just imagine – 75,000 stalls (if you make a 3 minutes stop at each stall, 8 hours a day in the market, it would take over a year to visit them all) and 2.1 million products (covering nearly every aspect of daily life). This is why the Yiwu Market is recognized by authoritative international institutions like the UN and the World Bank as the world’s largest wholesale market and the global distribution center for small commodities.

2. What Products Are Sold in Yiwu Market?

The Yiwu Market offers over 2.1 million products, a dazzling array that seems to include everything imaginable. The goods available are primarily daily necessities. Below is a partial list of product categories of Yiwu Market for your reference. If you’re interested in something not listed here, please feel free to contact us – I will be very happy to update you a detailed one with booth numbers for your reference:

• Fashion Jewelry & Jewelry Accessories: Stainless steel jewelry, copper jewelry, alloy jewelry, acrylic jewelry, woven accessories, hair clips, headwear; stainless steel jewelry making supplies, stainless steel jewelry findings / accessories, copper jewelry parts, DIY acrylic beads, natural stone beads, glass beads, imitation pearls, jewelry wires, etc.
• Home Décor and Kitchenware: Christmas trees, X-mas garlands, Santa Claus crafts, ceramic ornaments, glass crafts, crystal crafts, resin decorations, coffee shop ornaments, table runners, tablecloths, candles, tourist crafts, souvenir, artificial flowers; ceramic tableware, non-stick pans, mugs, silicone cake molds, etc.
• Toys: Plush toys, plush keychains, educational toys, toy figurines, building blocks, remote-control planes, RC cars, etc.
• Beauty and Personal Care: Cosmetics, wigs, hair accessories, nail art products, nail care products; razors, towels, combs, hair dryers, etc.
• Stationery and Office Supplies: Various pens (ballpoint pens, fountain pens, markers, highlighters); notebooks, memo pads; bookshelves, folders; staplers, school bags, stickers, etc.
• Sports Goods and Outdoor Supplies: Soccer balls, basketballs, swimming gear, fitness equipment, flags, medals, trophies, fishing gear, camping tent, hammock, outdoor chair, camping lantern, etc.
• Electronics Products: Phone cases, headphones, speakers, dash cams, small appliances, flashlights, lamps, LED light strips, etc.
• Apparel Accessories: Scarves, shawls, square scarves, leggings, socks (long socks and sockettes), hats, gloves, underwear, swimwear, belts, ties, etc.

3. What Are the Prices in Yiwu Market?

In addition to its vast selection of over 2.1 million products, the Yiwu Market also boasts significant price advantages, with prices far lower than those on major global wholesale and retail platforms like Alibaba, Made-in-China, Global Sources, Amazon, and eBay. This further solidifies its position as the world’s largest wholesale market. High quality, low prices, enormous product variety, and rapid product updates keep Yiwu a giant magnet for global buyers – both new and returning!

While Yiwu Market is known for its low prices, but this doesn’t mean poor quality. The main reasons behind the low prices include:

• Direct Sales from Manufacturers: Many stalls in Yiwu Market are operated by manufacturers, offering very competitive pricing.
• Supplier’s Large Stock Inventory: Some suppliers purchase goods in large quantities, securing better cost rates.
• Fierce Market Competition: Some products have overlapping suppliers (e.g., 2-3 vendors selling the same mug), making price transparency and minimal price deviations.
• Complete Industrial Chain: Yiwu has a comprehensive and well-developed industry chain, making product development cycle (Design-to-Production Timeline) extremely short. From raw materials to design, mold-making, sampling, and finally to manufacturing, the entire processes can be completed in 3-7 days. Some copper jewelries can be even developed from an idea or concept to design, to mold-making, to finished pre-production samples in just 1-2 days. This complete industry chain significantly reduces product development and manufacturing costs.
• Efficient and Extensive Logistics Network: Yiwu has one of China’s most efficient and advanced logistics systems. This extensive network enables both low transporting costs and speedy transportation from / to Yiwu.

4. What Are the Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs) in Yiwu Market?

MOQs vary depending on the product and requirements:

• Regular Products: Items like stainless steel jewelry (necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc.) are often available off-the-shelf, allowing orders by the dozen or even half-dozen. Similarly, products like keychains can be taken by the dozen as well. Toys, crafts, and decorative products generally have an MOQ of just one carton, that’s to say you can buy in carton lots.
• Non-standard Products: Customized products with modified designs or packaging typically require larger MOQs. Large-sized items may also need higher MOQs, though still lower quantity than customized products.
• Store-Wide MOQ: there is another case: some vendors set a total minimum order amount rather than per-item requirements, requiring only that the total order meets their threshold regardless of individual product quantity. This usually happens in toys, home décor items.

By now, you likely have a general understanding of Yiwu. So, you’re probably wondering: Where is Yiwu located? And how to source products in Yiwu Market? Let’s explore more.

5. Where Is Yiwu?

Yiwu is a county-level city located in central Zhejiang Province, China, under the jurisdiction of Jinhua. Its 2024 GDP reached ¥250.35 billion ^[1] (USD 34.77 Billion, exchange rate: 7.2), year-on-year growth of 7.5%, with a population of 1.918 million (as of 2024) ^[2]. Yiwu’s postal code: 322000.

• Distance from Shanghai: Yiwu is approximately 220 kilometers from Shanghai in a straight line; the road distance is about 300 kilometers (driving time approximately 3.5-4 hours). By high-speed rail, the distance from Yiwu Station to Shanghai Hongqiao Station is about 246 kilometers, with a travel time of approximately 1.5 hours.

In short: ~220 km as the crow flies; ~300 km by road (~3.5–4 hours by car); ~246 km by high-speed train (Yiwu Station to Shanghai Hongqiao Station, bullet train ~1.5 hours).

• Distance from Hangzhou: The straight-line distance from Yiwu to Hangzhou is about 120 kilometers; the road distance is approximately 135 kilometers (driving time around 1.5-2 hours). By train or high-speed train (bullet train), the distance is about 140 kilometers, with a travel time of approximately 30 minutes to Hangzhou.

In short: ~110 km as the crow flies; ~135 km by highway road (~1.5–2 hours by car); ~140 km by train/high-speed train bullet train (~30 minutes).

6. How to Source Products in Yiwu Market?

1. Know Exactly What You Need: Prepare and make a product / item list or interest list and estimate a total budget for your Yiwu visit. For the interest list, you can discuss with your Yiwu Buying Agent then you both sides work on this list, this will help you get a very organized, profitable and trending item list.
2. Market Visit & Price Inquiry: Locate the relevant market section (e.g., Zone 1, 1st floor for toys), explore stalls, and request quotes from vendors based on samples in their stall, order quantities, and customization needs. Taking notes on prices, MOQs, packaging details, dimensions/weight, and lead times.
3. Confirm/Place Orders: You can confirm orders directly in the stall / booth (usually requiring a deposit of 10%-30% or a specific cash amount on the spot). However, it’s wiser to finalize your order after completing your entire Yiwu trip and returning home for careful consideration on the notes you took or we took. First-time buyers often get overwhelmed by the vast product selection and low prices, leading them to over-order and increase inventory, or find better styles or price but difficult to cancel the original confirmed orders.
4. Payment Method and Terms in Yiwu: Common terms: 30% upfront, 70% before goods collection, most of payments via wire transfers (T/T).
5. Production: After confirming orders with suppliers, lead times range from 7–22 days (ready-made / stock items can be pickup or delivered the same day or next day).
6. Delivery and Inspection: For delivery, the supplier will deliver the goods to your specified warehouse at the agreed time. For inspection, for example, our warehouse workmates will carefully do quality checking / random goods inspection and make collection reports for your reference.
7. Shipping: Options include 20GP, 40GP, or 40HQ sea freight for large volumes; air freight or express will be recommended for smaller, time-sensitive orders.
8. Customs Clearance at Destination Port: A freight forwarder handles this process with the documents (mainly CI – Commercial Invoice, PL – Packing List and B/L – Bill of Lading) we provided after boat has shipped.
9. Final Delivery to Your Warehouse / Address: After clearance complete at your port, your freight forwarder will deliver the container (if full container – FCL – Full Container Load) / your goods (LCL – Less than Container Load – means sharing a full container with other shippers) to your specified warehouse / address.
10. Verification: Verify that the received items / quantities match the orders you bought from Yiwu.

 

I hope this article provides useful tips and helpful information for friends who are considering or planning to visit Yiwu Market and enhances your understanding of Yiwu and Yiwu Market.

For more information about Yiwu Market, please feel to contact us. We’d be very happy to help you with. Thank you!

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Sources:

[1] Report on the Work of the Yiwu Municipal Government (2025), General Office of the People’s Government of Yiwu Municipality, Feb 20^th, 2025

[2] Bulletin of Major Data on Population in Jinhua City (2024), Statistics Bureau of Jinhua Municipality, March 10^th, 2025