Most buyers who land in Yiwu for the first time face the same problem: a market the size of a small city with no clear starting point.
Yiwu Market District 1 is where most international buyers begin — and the reasons become obvious once you walk the floor.
We have worked this market since 2004, guiding buyers from more than 200 countries through its sections and supplier booths.
This guide covers what each floor sells, realistic MOQs by category, and how to buy — whether you visit in person or source through an agent from home.
| Yiwu Market District 1 is the oldest section of the Yiwu International Trade City, opened in October 2002. It covers 340,000 m² across 4 floors and holds more than 10,500 supplier booths. Products span toys, artificial flowers, jewelry, crafts, and festival decorations. Over 70% of goods ship to buyers across more than 200 countries. |
The Yiwu International Trade City spans five districts and more than 2.1 million square metres in total. District 1 is the oldest of the five. It opened in October 2002 and has run at full capacity ever since — which is part of why most first-time buyers start here rather than anywhere else.
Yiwu Futian Market District 1 is a 4-floor building covering 340,000 m², with more than 10,500 supplier booths connected by escalators and cargo lifts. It draws around 40,000 visitors every working day — roughly 5,000 of them international buyers. For a detailed section-by-section layout, see our Yiwu market guide.
Because District 1 groups toys, flowers, jewelry, and crafts inside one building, buyers can compare dozens of suppliers within a single category without crossing to another district. That matters on a short trip. You can cover your core product range in one structured day rather than three unplanned ones.
On arrival, go straight to the guide board near the main entrance before you walk a single aisle. Every product category is listed by floor and section code. Ten minutes with that board prevents two hours of wrong turns — particularly on Floor 1, where the toy and flower sections share a layout that looks identical at first approach.
Understanding the layout is the first step. The next is knowing exactly what each floor sells.
District 1 organizes products by floor, which makes category sourcing faster than most buyers expect on a first visit. Every floor has a clear focus. Walking straight to the right floor rather than browsing all four cuts sourcing time in half.
District 1 sells toys, artificial flowers, jewelry and accessories, arts and crafts, photo frames, festival decorations, and ceramics across 4 floors. Over 10,500 booths supply buyers in more than 200 countries. Floor 1 covers toys and artificial flower wholesale. Floor 2 focuses on jewelry accessories and fashion items. Floor 3 handles crafts wholesale, ceramics, and festival goods. Floor 4 holds the factory outlet and foreign trade sourcing centre.
Floor 2 moves faster than any other section in the building. Trend cycles for jewelry accessories in this section run 60–90 days — new styles replace older ones roughly every quarter. Serious buyers in jewelry and hair accessories visit at least twice a year to keep their range current.
Floor 4 gets skipped by most first-time visitors, but the factory outlet section there often carries the same items as Floors 1–3 at lower per-unit prices. If you already know your product and want the best unit cost, start at Floor 4 before working down. This works best for buyers re-ordering lines from a previous sourcing trip.
Knowing which floor to target is half the work. The numbers below give you a realistic benchmark before negotiations start.
Numbers run this market. Buyers who arrive with a clear picture of typical order sizes, visitor volumes, and payment terms close deals faster than those who work it out on the floor. This section covers the figures that matter most.
MOQs at the Yiwu wholesale market District 1 are lower than most buyers expect. Jewelry accessories typically start at 1 dozen per style. Artificial flowers run 50–100 stems per design. Toys fall in the range of 50–200 units per SKU depending on type. These figures mean small importers can fill a mixed container across multiple suppliers without hitting a wall on minimums.
Around 40,000 people walk through District 1 each day, with roughly 5,000 of them international buyers. Over 70% of goods sold here target export markets rather than domestic Chinese consumers. That export focus means suppliers here understand international packaging requirements, shipping documentation, and FOB pricing far better than suppliers in purely domestic-facing markets.
A UK gift shop buyer we worked with placed orders across 6 suppliers on Floors 2 and 3. We consolidated everything through our 13,000 m² warehouse in Yiwu before shipment. She paid one freight bill instead of six — cutting her logistics costs by more than half compared to her previous trip, when she handled shipping herself.
The numbers clarify the opportunity. The next question is whether District 1 suits your business type.
District 1 does not serve every buyer equally well. Understanding who it suits — and who it does not — saves time before you book a flight or put together a product brief.
District 1 suits Amazon and eBay sellers, gift shop buyers, small importers, and seasonal décor buyers best — particularly anyone sourcing Yiwu District 1 jewelry, toys, artificial flowers, or crafts at accessible MOQs. The product mix is globally familiar, order sizes are flexible, and the supplier density means you can compare prices within one category in under an hour.
Small and medium retailers sourcing from District 1 typically visit once or twice a year and ship 1–2 containers per trip. Buyers in this bracket consistently report stronger profit margins on jewelry and toy categories than when sourcing from domestic wholesale suppliers back home. The price gap is widest on fashion accessories and seasonal items, where Yiwu factory costs are hard to match.
If you sell on a seasonal cycle — Christmas décor, Valentine’s gifts, or Halloween products — visit District 1 three months before your peak season, not six weeks out. You need time for production, QC, and sea freight. Suppliers refresh festival and crafts categories quarterly, so arriving early gives you first pick on new designs. If you plan to combine a District 1 trip with Canton Fair, see our Canton Fair 2026 guide for how to structure both visits.
For buyers who need industrial goods, textiles, or electronics, Districts 2–5 are the right fit. For the categories District 1 covers, the buying process below applies whether you visit in person or source from your desk.
Most guides on District 1 list what it sells. Few explain what actually happens from order confirmation to goods arriving at your warehouse. This section covers both paths: visiting in person and sourcing remotely through an agent.
A US home décor retailer sourced 4 product categories across 3 supplier booths on Floors 1 and 3 — without visiting China. She sent us reference images and a target price range. Within 48 hours we returned quotations and physical sample photos. Her consolidated container left our Yiwu warehouse 5 weeks after she confirmed the orders.
The standard payment term across District 1 suppliers is 30% deposit on order confirmation, 70% balance before shipment. FOB Yiwu is the default export term — your freight forwarder takes responsibility from the point goods leave the consolidation warehouse. FCL or LCL shipping applies depending on your total volume.
A local sourcing agent compresses a 3-day sourcing trip into one structured day. Your agent pre-selects booths by category, handles Mandarin negotiation, arranges sample collection, and documents every supplier you visited. You spend your time making decisions, not searching for the right aisle. For buyers visiting China for the first time, this difference is significant.
The process itself is predictable. What trips buyers up are the avoidable mistakes covered next.
First-time buyers lose time and money at District 1 in predictable ways. Most errors come down to preparation, not the market itself.
Do not try to cover all 4 floors in one visit. Choose 2 target product categories, map the relevant floors, and walk those sections thoroughly. Buyers who try to see everything typically leave with no orders. They run out of time and energy before they reach their strongest suppliers.
A buyer from South Africa placed orders with 8 District 1 suppliers without consolidating. Each supplier shipped directly to his freight forwarder. He received 8 separate invoices, 8 customs entries, and 8 freight charges. The same order, routed through a single consolidation warehouse, would have shipped as one container at roughly 40% of what he paid in total freight.
Most District 1 booths accept cash only — international credit cards do not work across the majority of the market. Buyers without RMB either overpay at the currency exchange counters inside the building or miss orders because they cannot close on the spot. Arrange a cash draw through your hotel or agent before your first day on the floor. Other common errors: skipping samples before placing full orders, visiting during Chinese New Year when the market closes, and sending each supplier’s goods separately instead of consolidating.
District 1 covers four main product groups: toys (plush, inflatable, electric, and standard), artificial flowers and accessories, jewelry and fashion accessories, and arts and crafts including ceramics, photo frames, and festival items. Products spread across 4 floors with more than 10,500 booths. Over 70% of goods target export buyers across more than 200 countries.
You can walk District 1 without an agent. Most suppliers speak minimal English, and prices are rarely displayed openly — you will almost always pay more and move more slowly without Mandarin negotiation support. Our team offers accompanied buying trips where we pre-select booths, handle negotiation, and arrange sample collection on the same day. The cost is lower than most buyers expect.
MOQs vary by category. Jewelry accessories often start at 1 dozen per style — one of the lowest entry points in the market. Artificial flowers typically run 50–100 stems per design. Toys fall in the 50–200 unit range per SKU depending on type. Crafts and festival items commonly require 100–500 units. Most small importers can place orders across several suppliers without hitting high minimums.
District 1 operates year-round except during Chinese New Year, when it closes for 2–3 weeks — typically in late January or mid-February depending on the lunar calendar. Confirm the exact holiday dates before booking travel. Hotel prices and flights in Yiwu rise sharply as the holiday approaches, and the best-value options book out weeks in advance.
Yes. Share your product specifications, reference images, or category brief with our team. We locate suppliers, photograph physical samples, and return quotations within 24–48 hours. After you confirm orders, we inspect goods before they leave our 13,000 m² warehouse and send you a photo report before anything ships. See our sourcing services for a full breakdown of what we handle.
After orders are confirmed, goods move to a consolidation warehouse in Yiwu. From there, shipments go by sea freight — FCL for larger volumes, LCL for mixed or smaller orders. FOB Yiwu is the standard export term, meaning your freight forwarder takes responsibility from the point goods leave the warehouse. We handle consolidation, QC, and export documentation in-house.
District 1 is where most international buyers start in Yiwu — the product variety is high, MOQs are accessible, and the floor layout suits efficient category sourcing across a single visit.
We have operated in this market since 2004 and have shipped District 1 goods to buyers in more than 200 countries.If you are planning a sourcing trip or want to place an order without visiting China, tell us your product categories and we will arrange the rest.
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