To quote price, the shops normally use meter for woven fabric, kilogram for knitted fabric, yard for lace, pu leather, faux suede…, quite complicated in Zhongda Fabric Market.
Fabrics are available for wholesale or yardage cut, the shops quote price for full roll but if you buy less, don’t forget to ask “retail price” which is more expensive, especially for knitted fabric, they quote price per kilogram for wholesale and meter for retail, price for the latter can be doubled or tripled as Zhongda is a fabric wholesale market. Some knitted fabric from big suppliers, you can buy a few meters as sample but don’t expect them to retail, better to ask the possibility if your order is less than one roll.
There is basic information such as item number, composition, textile width, thickness on the color chart, if not, you can ask them to write down everything, price of course.
Negotiation is not necessary unless you are buying in big quantity, they quote what they want to offer. But there is a possibility you find same fabric cheaper price in another shop, such as you visited A first, and B give you better price, actually A also get fabric from B, that’s rare but can happen.
Except the free color chart, that’s a good idea to buy samples for your favorite fabric or garment accessories, you can pick up samples immediately or in a few hours to a few days.
Quantity in stocks changes every day, most fabrics and clothing accessories are available but some maybe discontinued and need to be produced. For anything you want to order, ask them the situation.
Take pictures in case you want to recall a special shop or items if not swatch type, put a name-card while photo-shooting, and ask them to cut a small piece sample with name-card attached, no matter it’s fabric or lace trim something,
Don’t arrive too early, most shops work during 9:30am~7:30pm. Better to work together with a fabric sourcing agent in Guangzhou, they can guide you inside the huge wholesale market, help you with interpreting, sourcing, inspection and shipping.
Know about the shortage, that’s a typical phenomenon in this market no matter for textiles or garment accessories, especially for knitted fabric, but not always necessary to ask unless you are placing an order, your time is valuable as a traveler
