To put in my 2 cents on the issue........ if one intends to go to Guangzhou, its better to shop for big ticket items like flooring, tiles, cabinets etc rather than a few pieces of furniture. Ofcourse, its best to have a local contact there to take you around to avoid being cheated.
As for shipping back to SG, its not as expensive as one might think. Shipping cost for a container to SG is about $1400. It would be advisable to go in a group and do bulk purchasing and shipping for the best deal.