Stimulus Package

Sales of China-made naughty, not nice, toys booming

Last Updated: Monday, December 15, 2008 | 1:17 PM ET CBC News

China's embattled toy industry may be facing cutbacks and factory closings but the country's sex toy sector is booming, according to vendors at an adult trade show in Macao.

More than 3,500 toy factories — representing 52 per cent of the companies that make toys for children — have gone bankrupt as China's manufacturing industry struggles to improve its image following a series of massive worldwide product recalls.

But none of China's 400 adult toy companies — which produce more than 70 per cent of the world's sex toys — has shut down operations. The sex toy industry is valued at $7 billion.

Chris Shaw, a spokesman for Empowered Products which sells personal lubricant, says his industry is not suffering like others are in the economic downturn.

"For our kind of products — if people are not going on vacation, if they're staying home, if they're trying to find other things to do to entertain themselves versus spending money — people are buying sex products and lubricants because that's an easy, cheap way for them to have maybe like a staycation and enjoy themselves like a couple would," Shaw told CBC News' Anthony Germain.

"It's a lot easier to spend $10 or $12 on a sexual aid and entertain yourself and have fun at home," he said.

Similarly, LECO Health Equipment reports that they're continuing to sell their sex toy products to companies in Europe and the U.S.

"Our customers, our distributors in other countries tell me that the sex industry is not influenced by the economical problem," said Li, a LECO representative.

Oscar Hainer, a representative with the Dutch-based Shotz Media, said demand has largely been spurred by a growing acceptance of sex toys in western markets.

"You can walk in, buy a lingerie set and buy also a vibrator, and it's not any more a dark sex shop where you have to go in behind closed windows and [be] ashamed [of] yourself when you walk out," he said.

"Maybe it's started in Holland, I don't know, but we are trying to spread that all over the world, so Canada be ready," he said.

The CBC discussion boards are crammed with people showing concern ranging from the fact that this is another example of how the gouging of the North American manufacturing base is being replaced by cheap and poor-quality products from Asia, to concerns of lead poisoning from tainted anal beads. There's no doubt that quality is improving and the North American companies importing these products are much more concerned about quality control than they were a few years ago.

The same goes for Chinese-produced sheet latex, which apparently is improving in quality all the time and may eventually rival the European-manufactured stuff.

But as some on the boards said, when it comes to sex toys and materials, you should pay more for quality and forego 'cheap'. I would not think buying sex aids in a Wal-martized scenario would be a good thing?!?!? Maybe that's already the way it is. You see some of the crap on the shelves in sex shops these days?