So what makes a toilet seat made in China worth many times more? The country's official news outlet, People's Daily, reported that these toilet seats have become top-sellers "due to their creative and functional design," according to the province of Guizhou's WeChat account. Guizhou is located in southwestern China and is primarily rural and relatively poor.

A company called Topseat bills itself as the "world leader in toilet seat design, production and perfection, recognized internationally for its top quality and innovation." Chinese news site "The Shanghaiist" noted that the Topseat asks consumers to "imagine a toilet seat so artistic that it shows motion pictures when the lid automatically closes in slow motion."

Topseat is headquartered in Guangzhou, while its factory is located in Guizhou's city of Anshun, where the company makes its toilet seats from locally sourced bamboo and other materials. The company claims to have created more than 5,000 designs. A selection is pictured below.

Topseat claims it is now selling more than 2 million toilet seats a year, with 80% going to Germany and Switzerland. The company's U.S. office is located in Plano, Texas.