After Canton Fair: turn supplier notes into comparable RFQs

Create records you can still understand a week later

After ten similar stands, “the third supplier looked promising” is not a durable sourcing record. Give each lead a unique identifier and save the formal exhibitor name, stand, contact, business card, product model, permissible product photos and your unanswered questions. The official Canton Fair app offers exhibitor and product search plus digital card exchange. It helps cross-check identity, but it cannot reconstruct a private conversation about a proposed sample or delivery term.

Keep separate views for product lines and companies. One company may offer several lines, while several companies may quote the same model category. A practical filename is “date–stand–seller–model” so a colleague can trace the photograph to its source. Tag notes as “observed in person”, “supplier said” or “document still required”. Those tags stop an enthusiastic booth pitch from silently turning into an internally verified fact.

Send a like-for-like RFQ before comparing prices

A request for quotation should state the intended use, destination market, dimensions or materials, target quantity or quantity range, packaging, delivery location and relevant documents. Send the same core brief to comparable sellers, changing only fields specific to their product. Otherwise a bare factory price from one party may sit next to a quote that includes packaging or freight from another, and the apparently lower number will mislead.

Scroll sideways to read the full table.

This table is a buyer’s worksheet, not an official Canton Fair rule or trade-law advice. Contracts, taxes, delivery terms and import responsibilities need appropriate professional review. Keep the sending date, version and attachments of every RFQ so a later revision is not mistaken for the same specification.

Compare three layers, not only unit price

First, compare like-for-like commercial terms: specification, quantity tier, currency, pricing basis and what is included. Second, examine capabilities still requiring proof: whether the sample matches the stand display, whether a certification applies to your target market, and whether the contracting entity is also the exporter. Third, assess working friction: does the seller answer all questions, confirm corrections and put a sample or production plan in writing? These are prompts for diligence, not a scoring formula that guarantees a safe supplier.

For material orders, use appropriate independent inspection, legal or trade advice where needed. The official buyer page includes product search and sourcing-request entry points, while the organiser’s Trade Bridge initiative describes matchmaking and industrial visits. Such tools help create connections; they do not certify your shortlist or negotiate contractual risk for you.

For internal review, assign each unanswered question to an owner: purchasing handles price basis, product staff handle the specification, and compliance specialists handle evidence relevant to the destination market. Record who checked a document and when. A single “approved” checkbox conceals too much; a short decision note with open conditions is easier to audit later.

When does a second meeting justify the journey?

Arrange travel when a written reply leaves a question that is best resolved in person. Two furniture suppliers may both meet the baseline specification, but their upholstery, fittings and protective packaging need a side-by-side sample check. That is a clear agenda. If one seller’s minimum order or required proof is already unacceptable, a long showroom journey is unlikely to change the business decision.

Before fixing transport, ask each company to confirm the host, complete Chinese address, available samples or production areas, likely discussion time and any visitor restrictions. Put the open questions on one page, then update the comparison sheet immediately after the visit. For a team handling different product lines, appoint one person to combine the final findings. The number of same-day stops should follow confirmed appointments and real addresses, not an assumed average intercity travel time.

Make the decision deadline explicit. A buyer can ask each shortlisted seller to return a complete RFQ response by a stated date, then mark replies as comparable, incomplete or declined. Follow up with a specific missing question rather than a generic “any update?” message. If a candidate cannot supply a required report, treat that as a decision input, not a reason to schedule a speculative tour. This sequence leaves more time for a worthwhile visit with the few suppliers whose written answers merit it.

Our transport option comes after the in-person agenda

GBA Executive Cars can assess cross-city transfers or multi-stop charter for confirmed showroom, factory and business-meeting addresses. We provide vehicle and route coordination, not supplier recommendations, background checks, quality inspection or buying agency services. If a quotation can be clarified online, send the RFQ first; no car is needed. If a visit has a clear purpose, review our business charter service and compare day hire for several appointments.

Use the trip enquiry with appointment dates, complete stops and meeting times, passenger count, bag and sample sizes, and the final address. We can then confirm vehicle capacity, waiting, stops and written fare. Do not upload confidential supplier quotations or passport photographs for an initial transport enquiry.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and scope

• Canton Fair app

  Official exhibitor/product search and digital card tools. The buyer still needs to record private discussions. · Checked 2026-10-01

• Canton Fair buyer services

  Official product and sourcing-request entry points. A listing does not certify a supplier. · Checked 2026-10-01

• Trade Bridge industrial sourcing trip

  Official matchmaking and industrial visit initiative. Historical schedules on the page are not current bookings. · Checked 2026-10-01