Higher quality trumps higher prices at Canton Fair

Nikola Cubrilo settles for a higher price for a set of bathroom shower hoses at the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, satisfied with the marked improvement in the product he used to source in the past few years.

Touching the shiny stainless steel shower hose on the display wall, the importer from Serbia is impressed with the improved finishing materials and feels that a 3 per cent to 5 per cent increase in prices is "acceptable".

Cubrilo was among nearly a dozen buyers the talked to at the opening of the 115th China Import and Export Fair on Tuesday. It will run until May 5 in three phases.

The Canton Fair is the mainland's largest trade show, held every spring and autumn for the past 57 years. Last year's spring fair attracted about 202,000 buyers and generated US$35.5 billion in transactions.

The hard bargaining over prices seen at the previous Canton Fair was less evident this year, in view of the higher quality products and wider range of new products, according to some buyers.

"Products are of better quality, but of course they are more expensive," said New Zealand-based importer Tim Peters, who was looking for gardening and building materials. "It's true there are cheaper products in Thailand and Vietnam, but the quality is poorer for the type of products I source. China is still a top sourcing destination."