At China’s Wholesale Hub, U.S. Orders Have Suddenly Halted. One Example: Socks.
Chinese sellers remain confident despite higher tariffs, saying it no longer makes sense to sell everyday goods to Americans
April 14, 2025 5:30 am ET
YIWU, China—At the world’s biggest wholesale market in this eastern Chinese exporting hub, American clients have disappeared.
The Americans, or their representatives, used to show up to buy everything from Paw Patrol plushy dolls to Panama hats to toy sniper rifles. The famous Yiwu market here has 75,000 vendors across an area bigger than 1,000 American football fields; no other place sells so much stuff, so cheaply, and for decades, much of it went to the voracious U.S. consumer.