何谓国际贸易平台？就是在这一平台上能够完成国际贸易的全部流程，即国际贸易展示、洽谈、交易，此外，还有与国际贸易相关的金融、税务、通关、外汇管理、检验认证、物流指令、信息交流、电子商务、新产品设计和发布等一系列配套功能。一句话，国际贸易平台就是国际贸易“一站式”服务的超市。
随着我国经济飞速发展，中国家具行业正绽放出 灿的光芒。目前，我国已成为仅次于美国的第二大家具生产国，家具出口已经超过了意大利和美国，位居世界第一。今年1至2月份我国家具进出口贸易呈高速增长态势，出口额为14.19亿美元，同比增长36.76%，进口额为1.12亿美元，同比增长58.19%。
今年1~4月份，顺德家具出口总额超过了9300万美元，同比增长超过30%；乐从是顺德家具行业的核心商贸重镇，其中家具产业在乐从经济中占有相当的比重，拥有世界上最大的家具集贸市场。已被业界公认为“中国家具商贸之都”。
如此广阔的国际贸易平台，依赖于顺德家具产业成熟的产业链。
生产环节：在伦教，有木工机械、玻璃机械制造产业群，在乐从，布料、五金配件、钢铁、塑料等的专业市场也是“成行成市”。在顺德造家具，“足不出户”即可配齐所有的生产机械和原料，正是在这样完善的市场配套基础上，崛起了数千家家具制造企业，造就了珠三角地区的主要家具生产基地。
销售环节：在乐从，有一条长达十余里的家具市场走廊，众多家具展销中心矗立其中。乐从镇政府成功举办了六届国际家具博览会，从而大大拓宽了顺德家具的国际市场空间。
乐从家具市场商铺总面积达到了300万平方米，包括香港、台湾、泰国、马来西亚、新加坡等国家和地区众多的家具制造商也来此设点销售。
物流环节：乐从的幅射能力很强，除了幅射华南地区外，由于交通网络完善，亦吸引了来自国内30多个省市的买家，每天出入乐从运送家具至国内其他地方的车辆便超过20,000辆。到乐从家具专业市场买家一般都不包送货，买家需自行安排运输车辆，但现场亦有一些运输公司可供托运，价钱视乎货物大小和路途远近。举例来说，租一辆小型货车运送家具到广州的费用在100元至150元人民币不等。至于付款方法，到乐从家具专业市场买家大多数采用一笔过现金支付的形式。
Enlarging International Trade Platform
Leading the World’s Furniture Industry
What does international trade platform mean? It means this platform shall be able to fulfill the whole flow of international trade, i.e. international trade exhibition, negotiation and bargaining, as well as a series of supporting functions relating to international trade such as finance, taxation, customs clearance, foreign exchange control, inspection and authentication, logistics order, information circulation, e-commerce, design and announcement of new products etc. In one word, international trade platform is a supermarket providing “one-stop” service to international trade.
Along with the quick development of the economy in China, Chinese furniture industry is giving out brilliant rays. Now, China has become the second largest country of furniture production, next to the U.S.A, and the export value ranks the first in the world, overrunning that of Italy and the U.S.A. The import and export trade of furniture in China is speedily increased in this January and February, with an export value of USD1,419,000,000, increased by 36.76% than that of the same period of last year; and an import value of USD112,000,000, increased by 58.19% than that of the same period of last year.
The gross export of Shunde furniture exceeds USD 93 million in this January - April, increased by 30% than that of the same period of last year; Lecong, as an important town for the furniture industry in Shunde, with furniture industry accounting for a large proportion of its economy, owns the biggest furniture market in the world. The fellow traders recognize it as “the Furniture Business & Trade Center of China”.
Such a broad international trade platform is dependent upon the matured industrial chain of the furniture industry in Shunde.
Production: There are a mass of woodworking machinery and glass machine manufacturing enterprises in Lunjiao, and a lot of markets specialized in cloth, hardware, steel and plastic etc in Lecong. Thus, you can find all of the machines and raw materials required for furniture production in Shunde. Right on such a perfect basis, thousands of furniture manufacturing enterprises grow up, and accordingly form the main furniture production base in the Pearl River Delta.
Sale: There is a furniture market corridor stretching more than 5km in Lecong, where numerous furniture exhibition centers are set up. The town government of Lecong has successfully held six sessions of international furniture expos, thereby greatly broadens the market space of Shunde furniture in the world.
The stores in Lecong Furniture Market cover an area of 3 million square meters; numerous furniture manufacturers come to settle in for sales from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore etc.
Logistics: Thanks to the perfect traffic network, Lecong further attracts the buyers from more than 30 provinces and cities in China besides south China, more than 20,000 vehicles are transporting furniture from Lecong to the other areas in China every day. As a rule, the sellers in Lecong Furniture Market do not provide the service of goods delivery, and the buyers have to arrange transport by themselves instead. There are some transportation companies in the market which can provide you transport service, while the freight is dependent on the size of goods and the distance of journey. For example, if you rent a pick-up to transport some furniture to Guangzhou, you have to pay RMB100-150. As for the payment method, most of the buyers in Lecong Furniture Market prefer to pay by cash.
