What should you actually ask at the booth?
The specific questions that reveal whether you're talking to a factory, what production really looks like, and what happens if something goes wrong.
A short list of specific questions, asked consistently, reveals more about a supplier than a longer, unfocused conversation — and gives you something concrete to compare across multiple booths.
To confirm what kind of supplier you’re facing
- “Can I see photos or video of your production line for this product?” A useful early filter — covered in more depth on the factory-vs-trading-company page.
- “What’s your production capacity per day for this item?” A specific, confident answer is a good sign; a vague or shifting one is worth noting.
- “What other products does your company manufacture?” A tight, technically coherent range points toward a real factory.
To understand the order itself
- “What’s your minimum order quantity for this specification?” Ask before you get attached to a supplier whose MOQ doesn’t fit your order.
- “What’s your typical production lead time for an order this size?” Get a specific number, not a general “a few weeks.”
- “Can this be customised — packaging, branding, materials — and does that change the MOQ or price?” Relevant even if you don’t need customisation now; the answer tells you how flexible the relationship could be later.
About samples and quality
- “Can I get a sample, and how long does that typically take?” Covered in more detail on the samples page.
- “Will the bulk order be held to the same specification as the sample?” Ask directly rather than assuming — this is exactly the gap the sample-swap scam mechanic exploits.
About payment and terms
- “What’s your standard payment structure for an order this size?” Compare the answer against what’s typical before agreeing to anything unusual.
- “What export documentation and certification do you provide as standard?” Especially important for categories with import compliance requirements at your destination.
About what happens after the fair
- “Who’s my point of contact after the fair ends, and how do you prefer to communicate?” A vague answer here is worth noting — follow-up communication is where many promising deals actually fall apart.
What’s next
Move from these questions into the actual negotiation once you have the answers you need, or read how sample requests typically work.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions should I ask at a single booth visit?
Enough to cover what actually matters for your decision, without turning a booth conversation into an interrogation — exhibitors are meeting many buyers in a day, and a focused set of specific questions reads better than an exhaustive checklist worked through mechanically.
Should I ask the same questions at every booth?
A core set is worth asking consistently so you can compare answers across suppliers, but adjust based on what you learn — a follow-up question responding to something specific they said is more useful than rigidly working through a fixed script.
Is it rude to ask about production capacity or minimum order size directly?
No — these are standard, expected questions in this context, and an exhibitor used to dealing with international buyers won't find them unusual. Hesitating to ask directly costs you more than any awkwardness the question might create.
Keep planning
- Working with Suppliers from the Canton FairSourcing agents, factory verification, negotiation, samples, payment safety, and how the fair compares to buying through 1688 or Alibaba instead.
- Sourcing Agent vs Trading Company vs FactoryWhat each one is paid for, how their incentives differ, and the specific booth questions that tell you which one you're facing.
- Negotiating MOQ, Price, and Payment TermsWhy treating these three as one negotiation, not three separate asks, gets better results at the booth.
- Requesting and Paying for SamplesWhy sample cost is often refundable against an order, and what a slow or reluctant sample request tells you before you've paid anything.