<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIn the furniture wholesale markets, you can find hundreds, if not thousands, of shops for office furniture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some shops are directly owned by factories, while some are only wholesalers that buy from furniture factories.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nFor common designs, they usually produce some stock so that they can sell it to domestic and international buyers right away when the customer needs stock only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For some designs, they only show a sample in their store. And when you order, they can produce in 2-15 days for most items<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you have your own design or if you need to make modifications to their existing samples, they can also tailor for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The general lead time for bulk production is usually around 30 days<\/strong> for your own designs, counting from the day all details are confirmed and deposit payment (usually 50% of order amount) <\/strong>is paid.<\/p>\n\n\n\nEfficient logistics system<\/h3>\n\n\n\n In Foshan, there are thousands of logistics companies that cater to all transportation needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since furniture is quite heavy and takes up a lot of space, it’s usually shipped by sea.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nFor bulk orders, factories can book containers from Guangzhou, Nansha and Shenzhen ports and load the products directly in the factories, then have them shipped globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For stock purchases, shop vendors will usually book from Huolala who can load the products from the vendor’s warehouse and deliver them to our warehouse almost instantly after we pay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The speed and efficiency are unbeatable “China speed”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The difficulties of buying office furniture from multiple vendors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nGiven all the advantages Foshan offers, when purchasing office furniture, you may still face challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most common ones include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can’t find the products you need in the market<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Foshan has several wholesale markets, just for furniture. It’s a huge place and you need to spend weeks, if not months, exploring the whole area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And to make things worse, even though the wholesale markets are gradually organizing the different sections for different styles of furniture, it’s not perfect yet.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nYou will find different furniture, like hotel furniture, home furniture or office furniture, in the same area, which isn’t easy for visitors to navigate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And most of the time, you’re just betting on luck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can’t communicate with the vendors clearly due to language barriers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n If luckily, you find shops for your preferred furniture, communication may become another layer of challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fact is: most vendors don’t speak English<\/strong>. Some of them speak basic English like “Hello, how are you?” and then they will start using a calculator to show you the price of your chosen items.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you know exactly what you need and you’re an expert in what you’re buying, then knowing the price is good enough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But more often than not, you want to ask more questions, like the materials, finishing techniques, if they can change part of the design as per your liking, and all the details etc. That’s when the conversation stops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because they can’t understand it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can’t make RMB payments to vendors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n Another important point is payment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In China, RMB is the only official currency<\/strong> and that even though USD cash is accepted by some shops, they still need to exchange it to RMB with private exchangers, which is like a grey area that sellers try to avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBut again, you can’t carry much cash<\/strong> either.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSo, for security and convenience considerations, it’s better to make wire transfer to one agent in China and have them pay different vendors in RMB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And that’s the way many businesses are following.<\/p>\n\n\n\n