Canton Fair phase 3: toys, fashion and stationery

THURSDAY, 29 OCTOBER 2026

From 31 October to 4 November the last phase of the 140th Canton Fair brings toys, fashion, home textiles and stationery. Phase 2 closed with 278,000 overseas buyers since the opening, 13.4% more than the spring session.

Canton Fair phase 3 runs from 31 October to 4 November in Guangzhou, the last phase of the 140th session, with toys and baby products, fashion, home textiles, stationery, health and leisure. It follows a phase 2 that closed on 27 October with 278,000 overseas buyers recorded since the fair opened, 13.4% more than at the same point of the spring session.

The figures phase 2 closed with

The second phase, devoted to home goods, gifts and furniture, ran from 23 to 27 October. The figures released at the close by the organisers, and reported by the Xinhua agency and the China News Service, are these:

• Overseas buyers since the 15 October opening, counted at 5 p.m. on 27 October: 278,000 from 218 countries and regions, up 13.4% on the same point of the previous session.
• Overseas buyers at the end of phase 1, on 19 October: 189,000 from 214 countries and regions.
• Phase 2 exhibitors: about 11,000, of which more than 3,600 classed as specialised and innovative companies.
• Products on display in phase 2: 2.376 million, across 515,000 square metres.
• Organised delegations since the fair opened: 152 overseas business organisations and 384 large purchasing groups.

The buyer count is cumulative: it covers everyone who entered the fair since 15 October, not only during phase 2. The sources do not say how many visitors came back for both phases, which is why the gap between 189,000 and 278,000 should not be read as the exact number of new buyers in the second week.

Canton Fair phase 3: what is on show from 31 October

Phase 3 lasts five days, from 31 October to 4 November, under the theme "Better Life". It has five main areas: toys and maternity and baby products, fashion, home textiles, stationery, health and leisure.

It is the phase closest to companies buying promotional items and consumer goods in China: notebooks, pens and office supplies, bags and accessories, towels and linen, toys and small event items. Many suppliers in these categories work on logo customisation and small to medium quantities, and the fair is a chance to see samples and finishes in person rather than in photographs.

What the 13.4% says, and what it does not

The figure measures attendance, not business. A 13.4% rise in buyers says that more overseas operators travelled to Guangzhou than in spring; it does not say how many orders were signed, for what value or in which sectors. At the close of phase 2 the organisers released no figures on contracts.

It does suggest something useful to anyone deciding whether to travel or work remotely: attendance is growing, so in the weeks after the fair the most visited suppliers will receive many quote and sample requests at once. It is worth allowing for longer response times than usual, right when orders for next spring are being closed.

What it means for importers

For European companies interested in the phase 3 categories there are three practical points.

The first is compliance, the main risk for these goods. Toys sold in the European Union need CE marking and testing to the EN 71 standards; textile products must show their fibre composition on the label; for stationery, accessories and items in contact with skin, restrictions on chemical substances apply. It is worth asking suppliers at the fair for recent test reports, with the laboratory's name, and checking them before ordering.

The second is timing. Chinese New Year 2027 falls on 6 February and factories stop for several weeks: an order confirmed in November, with samples approved quickly, has more room to ship before the shutdown.

The third is supplier choice. Factories and trading companies exhibit side by side at the same fair, and the difference weighs on price, production control and liability for defects: it is worth checking the business licence and asking to visit the plant before a significant order.

For those not going to Guangzhou

Those who stay at home can still use phase 3: exhibitor contacts are the way to request catalogues, price lists and samples remotely. The limit is that finishes, colours and material quality are hard to judge from a photo, and these are exactly the categories where differences between a sample and mass production are most frequent.

With La Merce, anyone who picks a toy, textile or stationery supplier at Canton Fair phase 3 can have EN 71 reports, composition labels and samples checked before confirming the order, and close it in time to ship before the 6 February shutdown.

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