Hello ,

Greetings once again from Yiwu city, China.
I will be here for a few more weeks, last week I was telling you about a "walk round Yiwu" and some visits to some term suppliers. You can read about it here.
This week I have been starting the process of seeking out new products and deals for our customers (that's you).. It's a challenge, but I believe Yiwu is probably as good a place as any to find innovative new products.
The city is an absolute hive of activity, all focused on what they call small commodities, what we call gifts or homeware. So even though the combined pressure of a weak pound, and higher wages in China is pushing up prices considerably, there is still no where else quite like Yiwu. The infrastructure, the huge cultural input from all over the world, the cross germination of ideas, the shear number of possibilities because of the availability of a myriad of components and materials means anything is possible.

We moved to a new apartment, it's in a development called "The Classics of Europe" supposed to be like living in Europe. But that's a stretch.. but the point is all the aspirational Chinese people look to Europe as the ideal, the pinnacle of culture and taste. There is an obsession with the city of Paris here, you can play spot the Eiffel Tower image, it's everywhere almost the ultimate symbol of civilization.

Three times this week I have been told proudly by business owners that their son or daughter is at university in Leicester, Manchester or Madrid. Meanwhile back home in Sheffield, the city is teeming with young Chinese students, last time I was there I was amazed to hear Chinese being spoken in the shops and bars everywhere. Lots of shops have signs in Chinese, and more than a few developments are been funded with Chinese money. The students come to university, the parents visit, fall in love with the city and see opportunities to invest. Is that a bad thing?

So prices are rising in the East, and somethings will end up been made back in the UK.. that's not a bad thing either. There is now from nowhere it seems this huge middle class market across China, Asia and India that crave European products. Globalism is about to come of age and the benefits are universal.. just as we in the UK start the process of cutting ourselves off from it. Sorry rant over :(

Anyway the world keeps turning, we didn't start the fire..

We didn't start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we tried to fight it

The words from Billy Joel's song from 1989 still feel the same. He wrote the song using newspaper headlines from the year of his birth (1949) to his 40th year when the song was written. Inspired to do so after meeting a young guy who was complaining the world was going to pot in his generation. Since 1989 .. my word the world has changed. There should be some extra verses to the song don't you think?
So hey it always seems bad, terrible things happen all the time but we not only survive but somehow in the big picture things get better.

Mother's Day..
Are you ready for it?

Also we have noticed that at this time of year, bags and accessories start to sell remarkably well. (why is that?) anyway to aid the process we are having a Bags week special, so now is the ideal time to bag some bags bargains.. See below.

I have already found some incredible new products that I'm hoping will be boosting your sales later this year. So hopefully we can help your world become a slightly better place.. More news next week.

Take care.
David

You can never go wrong with selling backpacks! take advantage of 30%off These bags are great for everyone...Backpacks have enough space for students to place all their school supplies in an organised way. Our Travellers backpacks can also be a fashionable accessory to everyday use so if your customers looking for a cool backpack then Ancient Wisdom is the right place to be.

These bags are very practical for the adventurous types as they are ideal to be taken on trekking. Made from 100% natural cotton material they also have an internal double biodegradable plastic which makes the bag more durable and longer-lasting.

These duffle bags are featured in three different designs and colours and also have an adjustable toggle closure making it easier to open and close the bags.

These cute wholesale Children Fun Bags are just the right size for little kids, now with the special offer of 30% when you buy 2 or more.
Popular soft plush dog and sheep shape is just the perfect gift for those little ones.

The cute fun bag makes the perfect gift, with plenty of space for those important children's bits and bobs.Long shoulder or backpack straps make it easy to wear as well as easy to carry for a long day walking trips.

Check out our brand new Set of 4 Stone coasters that have just come in. Handmade in Java, Indonesia these durable Sandstone coasters come packaged with a beautiful string and tag ready for you to sell straight away.

With 5 beautiful designs to choose from, these coasters are both useful and stylish. Their unique yet modern design will bring Indonesian culture to your customers home whilst protecting their table from water rings, scratches and drops.

This high-end diffuser set is easy to sell, just let your customers smell one in action. Presented in a classy box these make a substantial sale, even at our recommended price (which is below other equivalent brands). Proudly made in the UK at our Sheffield factory. Just smell the difference...

This beautiful classic wholesale reed diffuser made with essential oils (in a special eco-mineral oil base) to enchant and delight your customers. Slowly and delicately the aroma will rise along the sticks and fill any room with a truly aromatic fragrance.

Don't forget to tell your customers that the big 200ml bottles mean the aroma can last for up to 12 weeks.

These wholesale soybean candles are in reusable glass jars with a cork lid and a natural brown paper label attached with jute twine. The attractive display box contains 6 soybean jar candles ready to retail in your shop.

Soy Pots of Fragrance Candles are made for you in Ancient Wisdom factory in Yiwu (to ensure purity and quality) and we believe are a great value compared to existing soy wax products. Guaranteed minimum 3% fragrance level, long burning and a genuinely environmentally friendly product. Burning time of this wholesale soy candle is approximately 20 Hours.

Stock a decent range to make good sales, could well be your best selling candle range. So light up your sales. Order now

These wholesale Huge Dragon's Egg Shaped Bath Bombs look and smell great. Each bomb weighs in at a massive 250+ grams and contains Shea Butter to make it smoother on your skin.Perfect for upcoming Easter and great for a lovely bath too :) An ideal gift for those Game of Thrones lovers.

We have a range of four fragrances to choose from, each in their own distinctive colour packed in a tray of five. See each individual product pages for more info and also take a look at our famous Jumbo Bath Bombs.