The three Melbourne gift and homewares trade shows this weekend revealed a new slew of importers, some with fresh products but too many with more of the same.
The barrier to entry for a new importer is low. There are many factories in China and elsewhere happy to create copy-cat products to feed these new importers.
Trade shows like these make it easy for a small importer to put on a good show and present an image of scale and strength. While that’s good for them, it may not be good for retailers keen to source products they can reorder.
When taking on a new supplier, buyer beware.
Of course, one can be one’s own importer these days too.