Your first container: the complete checklist
A step-by-step checklist for a first furniture container from Foshan — before the trip, in the market, before the deposit, during production, before shipping and on arrival.
Read the article
Foshan, Guangdong, China
Foshan furniture blog
Notes on the Foshan markets, on how to read a showroom, and on the details of a buying trip that only show up once you are standing there.
Buying wardrobes and kitchen cabinetry in Foshan
How fitted and freestanding cabinetry is bought in Foshan, why carcass material and edge banding decide the product, door front options, and the measurement traps in cabinet imports.
Read the article
Finishes, and why the second container never matches
The four finishes used in Chinese furniture, how many coats a good finish has, why colour matching fails between containers, and how to test a finish in a showroom.
Read the article
Hardware: the cheapest upgrade you can make
Why hardware is the cheapest upgrade in a container, how to tell a good hinge from a bad one in a showroom, what soft-close really costs, and the brand names worth specifying.
Read the article
Getting into China for a buying trip
Which passports can enter China visa-free, how the 240-hour transit rule works, when a business M visa is still the right choice, and what an invitation letter from a supplier does.
Read the article
Which furniture fair is worth your week
The differences between the Canton Fair, CIFF Guangzhou and the Dongguan Famous Furniture Fair, who each one suits, and how to pair a fair with market days in Foshan.
Read the article
Private label: making the furniture yours
How to put your own brand on Chinese furniture — labels, packaging, instructions, exclusivity and tooling ownership — and which of those actually protect you commercially.
Read the article
What a factory will change, and what it will not
Which modifications a Chinese furniture factory will make for free, which cost tooling, which raise the minimum order, and how to phrase a customisation request so it is actually done.
Read the article
Buying mattresses in Foshan
How Chinese mattress construction is specified, why roll-packing changes the freight maths completely, sizing traps between markets, and the certificates your market will require.
Read the article
Stone and sintered tops: choosing and shipping them
How to choose between sintered stone, marble, ceramic and rock plate tops in Foshan, what thickness and edge to specify, and how to pack stone so it survives the container.
Read the article
Synthetic rattan, and how to buy the kind that lasts
Why synthetic rattan furniture fails, the difference between HDPE and PVC wicker, what UV stabilisation actually means, and the tests that separate a five-year set from a one-year set.
Read the article
Aluminium frames, and why the coating is the product
Why outdoor aluminium fails at the coating rather than the metal, what pre-treatment to specify, the difference between polyester and super-durable powder, and how to test in a showroom.
Read the article
Reading an upholstery fabric specification
How to read a fabric specification from a Chinese supplier: rub counts, fibre content, pilling and colourfastness ratings, and which numbers actually matter for your market.
Read the article
Leather grades, and what you are actually being sold
What the leather terms used in Foshan showrooms actually mean, how half-leather sofas are constructed, the price steps between grades, and how to test a hide by hand.
Read the article
Foam density, and how to specify a cushion that lasts
How to specify seat foam by density and hardness rather than by adjective, what CAL 117 and BS 5852 require, and the simple showroom tests that reveal a cheap cushion.
Read the article
Formaldehyde grades, and how to specify board properly
What the formaldehyde grades mean, what the difference costs per container, which certificate to ask for, and how to check that the board in your wardrobe is what the quotation said.
Read the article
The timber paperwork to collect while you are standing there
The species names, harvest countries, supplier declarations and certificates that timber due diligence requires — and why collecting them in Foshan takes ten minutes and costs nothing.
Read the article
Importing furniture into the Gulf
What Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the wider GCC require from a container of Chinese furniture: conformity certificates, Arabic labelling, the Saber platform and climate-driven quality choices.
Read the article
Tell us what you are coming to buy
Send a few lines about the goods and your dates. What comes back is a short read on which markets suit that order and how long walking them actually takes.