Visiting trade shows is obviously one of the possibilities anyone would look at when seeking for products to sell online. I’ve been to several of these, with the latest being the April 2007 Global Sources China
Sourcing Fair in Hong Kong.

Logo from Global Sources

As fashion accessories and lingerie were amongst the products I was considering to sell online, China was then an obvious source. This country is synonymous with contract manufacturing, with thousands of factories selling millions of items across the world. Global Sources is, of course, great with their  marketing abilities.

I had received an attractive Global Sources brochure, and was just thrilled at the idea of meeting hundreds of China suppliers under one roof.

I was about to be disappointed. The following were the reasons why:

• The focus of the show was on Electronic Items

There were rows upon rows of exhibitors for this category. However, the Fashion Accessories section was disappointing for me. With most suppliers selling similar products, there was really not a lot of variety to look at.

• Per unit items were sold at high prices

I could buy some of these items at a lower or a similar price from the local supermarket. Let me give you an example. A digital photo frame (something like those below) was selling for US$50 a piece. It was going for the same price on eBay. Some online sellers even offered this at a bargain.

• Prices for high volume purchases were also relatively high

Armed with quotations from several suppliers for some belts I was considering, I ran a quick price search on eBay. As it turned out, it was cheaper for me to buy the same thing from eBay. Plus, I didn’t need to buy in bulk!

• Bulk purchases were needed to secure an order

One thing about china trade shows is that there are minimum order quantities of at least 1000 pieces for each item of the same design. If I wanted to sell this on eBay, I needed to be sure that I could sell 1000 pieces of the same belt or else I would lose my investment!

• No brands

If there’s one thing I learnt from researching on eBay was that there was a greater demand for branded clothing and accessories. I couldn’t find any branded clothing here, or even out-of-season
items that I could sell on eBay. I would say that all of the products here, electronic items included, were generic products.

Then, who would benefit from these trade shows?

• Wholesalers who buy in bulk and sell them via established distribution channels
• Seasoned online sellers who know exactly what sells online, and what doesn’t
• Business people seeking product extensions for existing businesses
• Retailers with retail outlet chains
• Large corporations sourcing for contract manufacturers
• And, of course, the event organizer – Global Sources