After decade of researching going make a guidebook for which I have written all the places and buy the things

Most first-time buyers land in Guangzhou, sleep off the jet lag, and walk into Baima at 11 a.m.

By then the wholesale floor has already sold through the day's stock. Shutters start coming down after lunch. You get quoted the retail-tourist price, you think "China is not that cheap," and you fly home.

The actual rhythm:

• 6–9 a.m. — this is the market. Cartons, MOQs, factory reps, courier sacks being loaded for shops across the country.

• After 2 p.m. — many stalls are done. Especially clothing.

• Yiwu — booths close by 4:30 p.m. Photograph the booth number or your agent will never find it again.

If you only remember one thing: book the hotel next to the market, not downtown, and set an alarm for 5:30.

I put the addresses, metro stops, and the one tip for each market into The China Product Guidebook — 19 chapters, 40 markets. Use it before you book the ticket, not after you land.