The Canton Fair, Alibaba and Global Sources: The Major Sourcing Platforms, Summarized and Compared.

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The bi-annual fair season is here once again with the Canton Fair & Global
Sources Show starting in a couple of days.

If you are an Amazon Seller, this is also time for the Bi-Annual Global Sources Amazon Summit as well as the Cross-Border Summit.

(You can use the code A2M100 to get a $100 discount at the Global Sources Summit and code tsb9931 for a 20% discount at the Cross Border Summit)

I have written about trade shows in China a fair bit, for e.g. Here and Here. I have also written a couple of eBooks on the Subject, one focused on the Canton Fair in Guangzhou and the other focused on The Global Sources Show that takes place in Hong Kong.

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The Ultimate Guide to Global Sources Hong Kong Exhibition – Free eBook Tools, Tips & Strategies to get the most out of your Global Sources Show Visit

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I still remember the first time I came to China. I used to work in Beijing and was looking to set up a business that had something to do with international trade but that’s pretty much all I knew. I had no clear plan for my business model or an understanding of what value I could offer.

Click Here to Download The Ultimate Guide to Global Sources Hong Kong Exhibition eBook

What I did know was that the best way to look for answers and inspiration would be by attending a lot of trade fairs. Global Sources show & the Canton Fair were some of the first ones I attended because they are by far the biggest and strategically timed in a way that with the right planning, visitors can attend both of them in a single visit.

This was a real eye-opening experience for me & I went back with tons of inspiration and some knowledge.

Fast forward a few months from these visits. I moved to Guangzhou and have since attended both these trade shows on countless occasions. At my company, IMEX Sourcing Services, we don’t really use the fairs so much for sourcing but they are a great source of information about how the market is changing & the general mood of the market.

I have shared everything I had to share about the Canton Fair in an eBook earlier, which you can find here, so it was high time I did one for my other favorite sourcing exhibition, i.e. the Global Sources Hong Kong Exhibition, and hence this eBook.

Click here to Download “The Ultimate Guide to the Global Sources Hong Kong Exhibition”

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How to Spot genuine Manufacturers at a China Sourcing Fair 5 Tips to Differentiate traders from manufacturers at China Sourcing Fairs

China Import and Export Fair -by Taro Taylor from Sydney, Australia

China Import and Export Fair -by Taro Taylor from Sydney, Australia

We have a lot of existing and new clients visiting our office every time the Canton Fair is on. Quite a number of them are taking some time off the hustle and bustle of the fair for a one-on-one consultation that we offer for free at this time. Every year during these meetings, one of the questions that many importers, especially new importers tend to ask, goes something like this:

“I have heard there are lots of trading companies at the Canton Fair, how do I ensure I am dealing with genuine manufacturers only.”

This question stems from the belief that it is better to deal with manufacturers than traders. This is true in many cases, however, under many circumstances, it is better to deal with traders than manufacturers but that’s a whole post in itself so I will leave that for another day.

With the help of this post, however, I would like to share some pointers an importer can use to differentiate between manufacturers and traders at most Chinese sourcing fairs and not just the Canton Fair. But before you book your China ticket, you may want to make sure if Canton Fair is right for you.

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