Buying Trip Planner
How to plan a Bali buying trip that actually pays off
By Sasha, ExportBali Sourcing Agency. Updated August 2026
A buying trip to Bali can be one of the most productive things you do for your business, or days of being shown what suppliers want you to see. The difference is almost entirely in the preparation. This guide covers when to go, where to go, what to bring, and how to make the most of every day in the field.
Let me be honest about buying trips
Buyers who arrive with a clear brief, a realistic schedule and a basic understanding of how the Bali supplier market works go home with orders placed, samples organised, and relationships they will use for years. Buyers who wing it spend the first days getting oriented and the last ones in a panic trying to see everything they missed. This guide is for the first type of buyer.
When to visit: the best months for sourcing
Bali has two seasons: dry, roughly May to October, and wet, roughly November to April. For a sourcing trip the season matters for road access, workshop and quarry conditions, and how easy suppliers are to reach.
| Window | Verdict | What it means for sourcing |
|---|---|---|
| May to October | Best | Dry season. Roads are dry, workshops and outdoor stone yards are accessible, suppliers are easier to reach. Most comfortable for long days in the field. |
| November to April | Manageable | Wet season. You can still source, but daily afternoon rain affects logistics and some quarries are harder to reach. Stick to the main areas and build in buffer time. |
| July to August | Busy | High tourist season. Hotels and transport cost more and suppliers are harder to schedule. May to June or September to October give lower prices in the same conditions. |
| January to February | Avoid | Heaviest rain, and some festivals affect supplier availability. Not ideal for a first buying trip. |
How many days to budget
The most common mistake buyers make is not allowing enough time. You will always find more to look at than you expected, and rushing decisions leads to mistakes.
| Trip length | What it realistically covers |
|---|---|
| 3 to 4 days | One focused product category, furniture only or stone only. Best for returning buyers who know what they want. |
| 5 to 7 days | The minimum for covering 2 to 3 categories thoroughly. Enough to visit 4 to 6 suppliers, place sample orders and follow up. The most common length for first-time buyers. |
| 8 to 12 days | For multiple categories across multiple areas. Time to revisit suppliers, negotiate properly and start sample processes before you leave. |
| 14+ days | For establishing a new import business or a major expansion. Time to cover all the main areas and start production before departure. |
Build in buffer time. Whatever you plan, add 1 to 2 days. Suppliers run late, workshops are further than they look, South Bali traffic can be awful, and a good conversation runs long. The buffer days fill up.
Where to go: the main sourcing areas
Bali is not one big market. Different products concentrate in different areas, and knowing where to go for what saves you days of unnecessary travel.
Gianyar Regency: the furniture heartland
Teak and mahogany furniture, rattan and bamboo, carved wooden panels, custom indoor and outdoor furniture. The villages of Mas, Tegalalang and Batubulan are especially dense with workshops. Do not rely on the main-road showrooms for production quality: the real workshops are down the side roads. Ask to see the workshop, not just the showroom.
Denpasar and Sanur: the logistics hub
Not primarily a sourcing area, but where you handle shipping, export documentation and freight forwarders, plus a good selection of textile wholesalers. Arrange your freight forwarder meeting on day 1 or 2 and confirm current shipping rates before you commit to purchases.
Ubud and surrounds: handicrafts, art and textiles
Hand-painted products, silver jewellery, carved wooden goods, ceramics, batik and woven textiles, home accessories. Celuk is the silver village; Sukawati market for textiles and lower-cost handicrafts. The tourist market in Ubud (Pasar Seni) is retail, not wholesale. The wholesale suppliers are in workshops reached through introductions or local knowledge.
Pecatu and the Bukit Peninsula: natural stone
Paras stone, sandstone, stone carvings and architectural features. The quarries are mostly on the Bukit Peninsula and south of Denpasar. Stone yards need physical inspection: wear clothes you do not mind getting dirty, bring a tape measure, and always request a small dry and wet sample. For the detail on each material, see the Bali natural stone reference.
Lombok: lavastone, rattan and pottery
Lombok lavastone (Rinjani) is a dense, dark charcoal variety prized for pool decks and heavy pavers, one of several regional lavastones alongside Central Java (Merapi) and Bali (Batur and Agung). Also rattan furniture and traditional pottery. A full Lombok sourcing day needs a flight or fast boat from Bali, and some of the best lavastone suppliers do not take walk-ins without a local contact.
What to bring
- A clear written brief for each category. Dimensions, materials, finishes, quantities, destination market. The more specific your brief, the more accurate the quotes.
- A real measuring tape. You will measure things dozens of times a day. The one in your phone does not cut it.
- Business cards with your WhatsApp number. This is how Bali business happens. A QR code to your website is a bonus.
- Cash and your banking app. Most wholesale field transactions are cash, kept in a money belt or hotel safe. For larger deposits, wire transfer is normal.
- A physical notebook. Supplier name, location, products, prices and your honest first impression, invaluable when you review on day 5.
- Proper footwear. You will walk in workshops, quarries and stone yards. Good shoes, not sandals.
- A portable phone charger. Long days, heavy use, photos, WhatsApp, translation.
Handling payments and deposits on the ground
This is where buyers make expensive mistakes. The rules:
- Never pay a deposit without a written proforma invoice. Especially in the field. If a supplier says they will send it tomorrow, wait until tomorrow before paying.
- Wire transfer is safer than cash for deposits. For any deposit over a few hundred dollars, use bank transfer and keep the receipt.
- 50% deposit is normal market practice; 100% upfront is not. 30% is acceptable from a trusted, established supplier. These are market norms. My own client terms are a straightforward 50% before production and 50% once the goods are finished and you have seen photos.
- Photograph every card, quote and receipt, and sync your phone to cloud storage every evening.
When you find something you want
The practical flow for every item you are serious about: photograph everything including the workshop context; get a written quote with unit price, MOQ and timeline, never verbal; understand the minimum order quantity before you get excited; ask about the sample process; note your honest gut impression right after leaving; and follow up by WhatsApp within 24 hours to confirm what you discussed. Bargaining is normal, but a reasonable ask is 5 to 15% off the first quote. The best supplier relationships are the ones where both sides feel the deal is fair.
Not sure a supplier is what they seem? The supplier vetting checklist covers the red and green flags to watch for before you commit money.
Get the printable trip planner
The full planner as a printable PDF: the season and trip-length tables, the area-by-area guide, the what-to-bring list, the payment rules, a sample 7-day itinerary and a blank 10-day template to fill in before you leave. Tell me when you are planning to visit and I will send it over.
Want a local who knows the workshops?
I run organised buying trips for importers, or I can accompany you on specific days during your own trip. Send me your dates and product focus and I will tell you what is realistic. How the fee and the credit against your first order work is set out on the buying trips page.