Zhuji pearl market

[q_shaista@hotmai.com]

hello,
I visited Guangzhou back in 2019 and got a whole lot of freshwater pearls from there for business. Since then I have been buying online only. But most of the time I am not satisfied with what I receive.I am thinking of going again to China but this time I am thinking of going to Zhuji. Please suggest. I normally buy medium quality and all different kinds of freshwater pearls. I will be going to Beijing and Shanghai as well. Please suggest From where can I get the best deals.

 

[Yens]

Good luck

 

[Leahi]

I just got back from Zhuji after attending the Hong Kong pearl show Mar 2-6th. Many vendors in HK go to Zhuji first and then bring the pearls to the HK show since it's only a 2 hour flight. Zhuji didn't really get me any better deals than HK show and Zhuji is in the middle of no where Zhejiang about a 45 min cab ride from Hangzhou airport. The minute I asked the visit desk at the airport where the taxi stand was they took advantage of me and called their friend and overcharged me for the cab ride. The cab ride was more than the hotel for one night! So you have to look out for yourself. Also there is SO much pearls in Zhuji, most of vendors the international jewelry center are retail. You have to go to the outer edges of the jewelry center to find wholesale. And unless you are buying in bulk there's not much bargaining. You can pay everything in US dollars. I was unable to pull any Chinese Wan out of the bank ATM because they didn't accept my card except at the airport bank. So my Alipay also didn't work because my US credit card blocked me through the 3rd party app. I can go on and on about how hard it was to go there. No business cards, no credit card machines, only we chat and Alipay or cash. So I don't really recommend going there. You can find the same stuff at HK show. Also I was questioned for 15min at the border like a criminal. The timing wasn't great with the anti American sentiment plus China sides with Iran. They ran my bag through 3 times and took apart my suitcase. They also took away my backup battery for 10 min and then gave it back. Who knows what they did with it. And I found out the HK SIM card doesn't work in China either.

 

[Leahi]

 

[Yens]

I just got back from Zhuji after attending the Hong Kong pearl show Mar 2-6th. Many vendors in HK go to Zhuji first and then bring the pearls to the HK show since it's only a 2 hour flight. Zhuji didn't really get me any better deals than HK show and Zhuji is in the middle of no where Zhejiang about a 45 min cab ride from Hangzhou airport. The minute I asked the visit desk at the airport where the taxi stand was they took advantage of me and called their friend and overcharged me for the cab ride. The cab ride was more than the hotel for one night! So you have to look out for yourself. Also there is SO much pearls in Zhuji, most of vendors the international jewelry center are retail. You have to go to the outer edges of the jewelry center to find wholesale. And unless you are buying in bulk there's not much bargaining. You can pay everything in US dollars. I was unable to pull any Chinese Wan out of the bank ATM because they didn't accept my card except at the airport bank. So my Alipay also didn't work because my US credit card blocked me through the 3rd party app. I can go on and on about how hard it was to go there. No business cards, no credit card machines, only we chat and Alipay or cash. So I don't really recommend going there. You can find the same stuff at HK show. Also I was questioned for 15min at the border like a criminal. The timing wasn't great with the anti American sentiment plus China sides with Iran. They ran my bag through 3 times and took apart my suitcase. They also took away my backup battery for 10 min and then gave it back. Who knows what they did with it. And I found out the HK SIM card doesn't work in China either.

Going directly to China was never supposed to be easy; that is why there are so many layers to wholesale buying.

The truth is, if your volume in the U.S. isn't large enough and you require credit terms, you are better off buying domestically. If you have decent volume, exploring Hong Kong is beneficial because there is less of a language barrier. However, skipping the Hong Kong "middleman" layer to buy directly from the source requires a completely different level of purchasing power and preparation.

Power Banks: There is a national restriction on power banks (monitored by their version of the TSA). They must have clearly labeled specifications and generally stay under a certain capacity (usually 100Wh) to be allowed on flights or through high-security checkpoints.
Payments: China rarely uses traditional credit cards. Most locals use mobile payment apps linked to debit accounts. The culture is built on a "buy only if you have the funds" mentality, with very little reliance on consumer lines of credit.
Connectivity: Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region and uses different cellular carriers and frequency spectrums than the mainland. An E-Sim is the most efficient way to stay connected in China; you can often find unlimited plans for around $10 USD.