Google Glass, one of Google Inc.'s latest tech products, already has early adopters in China apart from last Tuesday's one-day sale to the general public. 

Google has initially sold Glass in China by invitation only, but that didn't stop the country's online merchants from getting the product.

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The popularity of Glass made online merchants like Taobao, for example, cash in on the product's marketability and capitalized on the Chinese people's fondness for the latest and the coolest tech gadgets. 

According to two Taobao merchants, the Tuesday sale was helpful to spur more demand for Glass. However, they said they have procured enough units of the product after directly buying the purchase code of those with invitations. 

Xu Wei, one of the Taobao merchants, said he has sold Glass online since January this year. At the time, he was able to sell an average of one to two Glasses per day. This month, Xu said that he is now able to sell five to six Glasses per day as many people were buying it as a present to give to others.

The popularity of Glass in China is attributed Google Inc.'s marketing strategy. As it did with early Gmail users, the company used a "per invitation only" capacity to purchase Glass in China. Limiting the availability of a new and anticipated product made Glass more desired by Chinese customers. 

Amid the rising demand for Glass in China, online merchants like Xu said that there are some consumers who expressed reservations. Xu said that many customers worry that Glass might not work because the state has been regulating Internet usage and that the product might not work behind China's Great Firewall. 

Last Tuesday, Glass sold at retail for US$1,500 and 12,000-20,000 Yuan (US$1,950-US$3,252) on Taobao.

TagsGoogle Glass, Google Inc., Smartglass, Chinese Tech Market