How to plan one sourcing day at Yiwu International Trade City District 4

District 4 is the Trade City's building for hosiery, daily-use goods, hats, gloves, footwear and underwear. Its floors follow one category band each, and a one-day route can cover the categories most buyers come for.

Yiwu markets: Yiwu International Trade City District 4

Arriving and setting the route

District 4 opened in 2008 and is one of the largest buildings in the Trade City complex, carrying more than 16,000 booths across soft goods and daily-use categories. Confirm current trading hours with the market or your suppliers before travelling.

Decide before entry which two category bands matter most. The building is big enough that a shallow sweep of four floors yields less than two focused floors, and repeat buyers rarely need all four in one day.

The morning: hosiery and daily-use goods

Start on floor 1 with hosiery, then move to floor 2 for daily-use goods, gloves, hats and needle-cotton products. Daylight hours are best for checking knit quality, dye consistency and stitching, and booths are staffed for conversation.

At each shortlisted booth, record the item, the specification and a written price at a stated quantity. Soft goods vary a great deal by weight and yarn, so a price without a specification is not yet a price.

Lunch and the sample handover

The building and its surroundings carry dining services for the trade, so lunch can stay inside the complex. Keep the break short; the afternoon floors are where many buyers' real volume sits.

Sort morning samples by stall and label them before handing them to your agent or driver. Soft goods are compressible and easy to mix up, so labelled bags beat loose samples every time.

The afternoon: footwear, yarn and underwear

Floor 3 carries footwear, thread and tape, lace, ties, wool yarn and towels; floor 4 carries bras and underwear, belts and scarves. The floors connect naturally: a knitwear buyer will find yarn on three and finished scarves on four.

Walk floor 3 in category blocks and note which stalls stock versus produce to order. Where production to order appears, ask for the factory name and a lead time, and treat the answer as a claim to verify rather than a fact.

Ending the day with one consignment

The building's support services include modern logistics and e-commerce operations, so goods can move from booth to consolidation the same day. Close at one pickup point with one set of carton marks.

Confirm replenishment terms with each shortlisted booth before leaving, and check who arranges delivery to the warehouse. Our consolidation guide sets out what happens after the booth.

Trading hours, stall line-ups and service desks change; confirm with the market or your supplier before you travel.