- Dragon Mart has 3,500+ wholesale and retail outlets in two connected buildings off Al Awir Road, open seven days a week.
- Shop rents average about AED 90,000 a year, or AED 341 per sq ft (Bayut). A small main-aisle unit runs about AED 45,000.
- Shops trade on a Dubai mainland licence from DET with a registered Ejari lease. A free-zone company alone can't sell retail here.
- Online sellers don't need a shop. Buy samples and small batches at Dragon Mart, list on noon or Amazon, then reorder from the factory in China.
- Nearby warehouses in International City and Ras Al Khor cost about AED 65 per sq ft a year, roughly double Jafza or Dubai South.
Dragon Mart is where the Gulf's trade buyers go to see Chinese goods in person. It's a 1.2 km-long market in Dubai's International City, packed with furniture, lighting, tools, electronics, toys and household goods.
For a seller, it does two jobs.
If you sell to shops, contractors or re-exporters, it's a showroom on the Gulf's busiest trade route. If you sell online, it's a fast way to source, test and restock without waiting for a container.
Here's what it costs to rent a shop, how the licence works, where to store stock nearby, and how to use Dragon Mart alongside noon and Amazon.
What is Dragon Mart?
Dragon Mart is the largest Chinese trading hub outside mainland China. It sits off Al Awir Road, about 20 minutes from Dubai airport and 30 minutes from Jebel Ali port.
It's two buildings joined together:
- Dragon Mart 1 opened in 2004. It's the original, busy market floor, with tightly packed wholesale shops for furniture, hardware, building materials, electronics and fashion.
- Dragon Mart 2 opened in 2016. It's calmer, with wider aisles, a hypermarket, a cinema and separate zones for building materials, home appliances and machinery.
The complex was developed by Nakheel with Chinamex, and it's now run by Dubai Retail under Dubai Holding. Shops sell both wholesale and retail, so a family buying one lamp stands next to an African trader buying 40 cartons.
Why does this matter to you? Because buyers from across the Gulf, Africa and South Asia come here to restock. Dubai is the Middle East's re-export hub, and Dragon Mart is its physical showroom for Chinese goods.
Who is Dragon Mart for?
Dragon Mart suits sellers whose customers want to see and touch the product before they order. It's less useful if all your sales happen on a screen.
| Showroom or wholesale shop | Online seller (noon, Amazon, own store) | Both together | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main use of Dragon Mart | Meet trade buyers, take bulk orders | Source samples, test products, urgent restock | Showroom plus a small stock for online orders |
| Need to rent a shop? | |||
| Need a UAE licence? | Mainland DET licence | Not to buy; yes to sell under your own UAE company | Mainland licence with ecommerce activity |
| Typical yearly fixed cost | AED 60,000–120,000 | Close to zero | AED 70,000–150,000 with a small store room |
| Best for | Furniture, lighting, building materials, tools | Home, kitchen, storage, toys, small electronics | Factories and brands entering the Gulf |
Rent a shop if trade buyers are your customers. Use Dragon Mart as a sourcing trip if marketplace shoppers are.
Selling mainly to consumers online? Start with the China to GCC selling guide and come back here when you need a local supply source.
How much does a Dragon Mart shop cost?
Expect about AED 45,000–90,000 a year in rent for a typical unit, plus licence and fit-out. Shop leases in Dragon Mart average AED 89,979 a year, according to Bayut's rent transaction data.
Bigger units cost more. Commercial units in Dragon Mart 2 average about AED 213,000 a year (Bayut).
Here's how the first-year bill usually stacks up:
| Cost | Typical 2026 range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Shop rent | AED 45,000–90,000 a year | Small main-aisle unit to an average shop |
| Average rent per sq ft | About AED 341 a year | Bayut, from 901 shop leases |
| Dubai mainland trade licence | About AED 12,000–25,000 a year | Depends on activities and visas |
| Ejari lease registration | A few hundred dirhams | Needed before the licence is issued |
| Fit-out and shelving | Depends on the unit | Ask what the landlord leaves in place |
| Staff visa (each) | Several thousand dirhams | After the licence is issued |
Rent is usually paid in one to four cheques a year. Ask whether the rent rises at renewal, and get that in writing.
What licence do you need?
Dragon Mart is in mainland Dubai. So shops trade on a mainland licence from DET (the Department of Economy and Tourism) backed by an Ejari, the registered lease.
A free-zone company on its own can't sell retail from a mainland shop. If you already have a free-zone company for your online store, you'll need a mainland licence or branch for the Dragon Mart unit. The UAE free zone vs mainland guide explains the trade-offs.
Add "ecommerce" or "online trading" to your activities if you plan to sell on noon, Amazon or your own site from the same company.
- 1
Decide what you'll sell and to whom
Your activities (general trading, furniture, electronics, ecommerce) decide the licence type and the kind of unit you can lease.
- 2
Shortlist units and check foot traffic
Visit on a weekday and a Friday. Compare Dragon Mart 1 and 2 and the zone for your category.
- 3
Agree terms with the landlord
Fix rent, cheques, renewal increase and transfer rights in writing. Check the unit is approved for storage if you'll hold stock.
- 4
Register the Ejari
The signed lease is registered with Ejari. DET needs it before it issues your licence.
- 5
Get your DET licence
Apply directly or through a setup agent. A setup agent can run it alongside the lease.
- 6
Fit out, hire and open
Apply for staff visas, set up a bank account and VAT registration if you'll pass AED 375,000 in taxable sales.
Want someone to handle the paperwork? Compare UAE business setup consultants.
Warehousing near Dragon Mart
Most Dragon Mart shops are small. Bulk stock lives in a warehouse nearby.
You have three main options:
- International City and Ras Al Khor (Al Aweer). Five to fifteen minutes away. Asking rents run about AED 65 per sq ft a year. Small units near the mall list from about AED 35,000. Good for daily restocking.
- Jafza and Dubai South. About 30–45 minutes away, at about AED 25–35 per sq ft a year. Free-zone stock pays no UAE duty until it's sold onshore, which suits re-export.
- A 3PL (third-party logistics) warehouse. You pay per pallet and per order instead of renting a whole unit. Best if you sell online and don't need your own space.
For example, a 2,400 sq ft unit in Ras Al Khor comes to about AED 156,000 a year. The same space in Jafza costs roughly half.
Compare storage options in the directory below, or see the Dubai vs Riyadh overseas warehouse guide.
Starlinks
Best for: Foreign sellers needing IOR plus KSA fulfillment and cold chain
- The company says its Parcel Point network covers 500+ venues across KSA
- Claims multi-temperature, climate-controlled warehousing; SFDA approved, ISO certified
Quiqup
Best for: Small-to-mid UAE DTC brands wanting same-day Dubai delivery and an on-ramp to KSA
- The company says it has 10+ years of experience and 1,800+ partners
- Claims a 4.9 Google rating from 6,000+ reviews
- No minimum orders for new businesses
Shipa Ecommerce (Agility)
Best for: Cross-border sellers wanting freight, fulfillment and COD last mile from one group
- The company cites a 2.2m sqm warehousing footprint and 500+ vehicles
- Offers origin fulfillment (e.g. pack in source country) and destination fulfillment in GCC
NAQEL Express e-Fulfilment
Best for: Cross-border sellers who want clearance, storage and delivery inside one KSA carrier
- The company says it is a Saudi customs AEO, combining clearance with fulfilment
How Dragon Mart fits with noon and Amazon
Dragon Mart and the marketplaces work well together. Dragon Mart gives you fast local stock, and noon or Amazon gives you shoppers across the Gulf.
Here's the usual loop:
- Find a product in Dragon Mart that already sells to trade buyers.
- Buy a small batch, enough for a few weeks of sales.
- List it on noon or Amazon with Arabic titles and good photos, and send the stock to FBN or FBA.
- Watch sales for 4–6 weeks. If it sells, order directly from the factory in China at a lower unit price.
That way you test demand with real stock in days, not months.
Worked example: a tumbler on noon UAE
Say you buy 200 insulated tumblers from a Dragon Mart wholesaler at AED 18 each. Each one weighs about 400 g boxed. You list them on noon UAE at AED 59.
| Line | Per tumbler |
|---|---|
| Selling price | AED 59.00 |
| Commission (home and kitchen, 15%) | − AED 8.85 |
| FBN fee (0.25–0.5 kg parcel, price above AED 25) | − AED 10.00 |
| Product cost | − AED 18.00 |
| Left before VAT, storage and ads | AED 22.15 |
Sell the whole batch and you have about AED 4,400 to put towards your first factory order.
Try your own numbers here:
Marketplace fee calculator
Amazon.sa, Amazon.ae and noon: see what you keep from every sale
Minimum referral fee: AED 1.00 per item.
The price the shopper pays.
Landed cost: product, freight, duty.
Your numbers
Payout per unit
AED 90.60What the marketplace transfers to you
Profit per unit
AED 46.29Margin: 40.5% of price excl. VAT
- Referral fee(15.0% of price)
- AED 18.00
- FBN outbound fee
- AED 10.00
- VAT on fees (5.0%)(reclaimable)
- AED 1.40
- Total marketplace fees
- AED 29.40
- Net VAT you remit
- AED 4.31
- Product cost
- AED 40.00
Where the price goes
- Referral15.0%
- Fulfillment8.3%
- VAT on fees1.2%
- Net VAT3.6%
- Product cost33.3%
- Profit38.6%
Excludes storage, ads, returns and promotions. Estimates based on published Amazon (Aug 2025) and noon (Sep 2026) rate cards, as of 26 October 2026. Confirm with the marketplace before pricing.
Fee rates change, so check the latest noon seller fees before you price.
Sourcing from Dragon Mart as a GCC seller
You can walk in and buy without a trade card. To buy well, treat it like a factory visit:
- Ask for the carton price. Shops quote retail by default. Prices drop with quantity, and many will mix colours in one carton.
- Ask who imports it. Some shops are run by the factory itself. Others resell. Factory-linked shops give better prices and can share the supplier for direct orders.
- Get a proper tax invoice. You'll need it to claim back the 5% UAE VAT and to prove where the goods came from. Bring your licence and TRN (tax registration number).
- Check labels and conformity. Electrical goods, toys and cosmetics need the right UAE or Saudi approvals. Ask for test reports before you list them online.
- Arrange delivery. Most shops deliver in Dubai for a fee. Ask before you buy bulky items.
Dragon Mart prices are higher per unit than ordering from China. You're paying for speed and low minimums. Once a product is proven, move volume orders to the factory and see shipping from China to the UAE.
Tips for your Dragon Mart visit
Dragon Mart opens daily at 10am. It closes at 10pm, or 11pm on Friday and Saturday. Entry is free.
The easiest way in is by car or taxi. Parking is free at Dragon Mart 2 and the Sun Tour Furniture building. Without a car, take the Red Line to Centrepoint, then bus 310 or a ten-minute taxi.
Use this list before you go:
Most shops take cards, but some smaller traders prefer cash. The mall also has Amer and Trakhees service centres if you need visa or permit paperwork done on the spot.
Notes for Chinese factories and brands
- Dragon Mart is a strong first showroom in the Gulf. Trade buyers from the GCC, Africa and South Asia already shop here.
- A showroom shop plus online sales works well. Show your full range in the shop and sell your best sellers on noon or Amazon.
- Many Chinese owners hire Indian or Pakistani counter staff who speak Arabic, English and Hindi. Plan for multilingual staff.
- Want to sell online without a UAE company? Start with noon Global Shipping for Chinese sellers and add a shop later.
- For your own UAE company, see UAE company setup for Chinese businesses.
Notes for Saudi sellers
- Dragon Mart is a practical sourcing trip for Saudi stores. Trucks run from Dubai to Riyadh in a few days.
- Goods crossing into Saudi Arabia pay 15% Saudi VAT. Regulated products need SABER certificates before they clear.
- Small parcels to individual buyers are a different route from bulk stock. See shipping from Dubai to Saudi Arabia.
- If most of your buyers are Saudi, compare Riyadh's own Chinese wholesale markets before you commit to regular Dubai trips.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The mall says shoppers can buy wholesale or retail in both buildings, and no trade card is needed to walk in. Prices drop with quantity, so ask each shop for its carton price. For a VAT invoice in your company's name, bring your trade licence and TRN.
Sources & further reading
- Dragon Mart: shop, FAQs and opening hours — Dragon Mart by Dubai Retail
- Dragon Mart — Wikipedia
- Dragon Mart shop rent transactions — Bayut
- Dragon Mart 2 commercial rent transactions — Bayut
- Dragon Mart Dubai: the complete guide — Betterhomes
- Ras Al Khor warehouses and plots — FindCommercial
- Business setup in International City — Layerz Group
This guide is for general information only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and fees change — always confirm with the official source or a licensed advisor.
Maya is MiddleEastEcom's lead guide and editor. She researches GCC marketplaces, payments and regulations and turns them into practical playbooks for sellers.
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