Made “at the fair” in China
Where does all this amazing toy and novelty stuff come from?
We have all seen the tags and product markings; likely it’s “Made in China”. In fact, according to a recent report from the US Department of Commerce, about 85% of all toy and novelty products come from China.
Below is a list of other goods that are produced in China:
| Percent of worlds umbrellas made in China | 70 % |
| Percent of worlds buttons made in China | 60 % |
| Percent of Chinese goods sent to the U.S. that go to Wal-Mart | 9 % |
| Percent of U.S. shoes made in China | 72 % |
| Percent of U.S. artificial Christmas lights made in China | 85 % |
| Percent of U.S. kitchen appliances made in China | 50 % |
So where in China does this production happen?
Factories that produce goods are scattered across the country but heavily concentrated on the Eastern seaboard. Although over the past 10 years it has spread further North and West, the area of the country most heavily concentrated is Southeast China. In fact, geographically speaking, if you were to compare it to the USA, most production and export is in the region of Georgia up to Virginia.
If you wanted to become an importer of any commodity, what should you do? First, bear caution; importing is difficult, expensive, and very risky among a host of other challenges with the cultural barriers, language differences, business etiquette, and time changes. There are compliance laws to consider for different items, quality issues on all aspects, and both origin and destination Customs issues to navigate. Importing is certainly not like ordering out of the Sears catalog!
Where do you find goods? Most people start at the biggest trade show in the world, China Import and Export Fair, better known as the Canton Fair. Held in Guangzhou China, twice a year, both trading companies and factories exhibit their goods much like the photo below.
Each fair period is extended over three phases, each of which includes specific products from household goods, to ball bearings, to chairs, to shoes and, of course, Virginia Toy and Novelty Company novelty, gift, and toy items.
The fair is held in a huge mega complex with thousands upon thousands of exhibitors per phase (see image below). Bring your comfortable walking shoes!
Why are we giving away our secrets? These are not really secrets, but a basic introduction to the process we endure on a regular basis. This article merely scratches the surface. We believe your education is key. The more we educate our customers (and competitors) you can appreciate the time efforts made to delivering fun, creative, and outstanding products on a regular basis.
The Pazhou Complex in Guangzhou China where the Canton Fair is held.
An example of one the 54 exhibitors area, per phase, at the Canton Fair exhibiting commodities to the world.
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