China mugs could be classed as an 'up market' mug. Different shapes beyond the normal also. Sounds like the problem with the market you went to is that whilst it might have been busy many were not there for the market.Hi Adrian. Pleased to hear you've had more success than myself selling to the public.
I don't really understand what an 'up market' mug is though. Assuming we both use decent quality mugs, then it can be only the design that makes yours any different from mine and, to be honest, I've never yet come across a design on an 11oz coffee mug that I would pay £10 for at a craft fair or outdoor event. On ebay or etsy, yes, because that price would include postage.
For the OP. I often seem to against popular belief on here but it is just an opinion.
A decent mug can be printed and boxed for postage for less than £1 inclusive of vat. That takes into account electricity etc but no additional over heads such as premises and insurance. Postage can be saved on a little through OBA. Cost in your own worth or that of employee and for me low cost one offs are rarely worth it. Short to medium size trade runs you can make a living on. Amazon FBA can work in a similar way as they are runs per design even though sold individually.
Equipment. Buy cheap buy twice is not always true. We have bought the best and also cheap nasty stuff. We now buy cheap good stuff as figured out what works for us. The end user will know no different as long as we can produce the items correctly. Starting off it is probably easier to buy named presses but they are far more expensive. The learning curve will be easier this way. Once you have learnt what to look out for then you can start experimenting with cheaper options.
With what you already do it will be worth a go adding sublimation on as an extra stream of revenue.
Hi Paul
Some very, very good advice above, Over the years I've sold through Ebay and Amazon (Don't anymore) we sell through the our web sites, local market and also target our commercial customers with specific products, We recently tried Etsy - Big Fail and I think it's just down to the size of these sites now.
To give an idea of competition I have just done a search on 'Printed Mugs'
Ebay - 35.195 average price looks to be under a fiver...
Amazon - 326.502 again priced as above
Etsy - 10.769 average price is higher
A lot of competition.....
BTW we don't do Mugs anymore....
John
Hi Paul
I am with my wife also in the process of starting to print on mugs and the sublimation buisness. Have been screenprinting for a few year, printing and designing for decades and selling to tourists in Iceland for the last couple of years. If you life in a area with a lot of tourists this should be a GO for you. My main problem is where to sell? I can open a Shop were 1.6K tourists come every day but running a shop is not my favorite idea. It includes a lot of staff (witch is not easy to get here) and a LOT of TIME which I dont have.
Etsy has been a good place for us but we have not had time to improve and expand our shop for some time.
Since you already have the background of screenprinting and sign making this should be a right step.
Best wishes.
nibz33 (18-11-2016)
This is the type of client that I am trying to market and sell my produce to.http://www.johnlewis.com/browse/home...Q&gclsrc=aw.dsHi Adrian. Pleased to hear you've had more success than myself selling to the public.
I don't really understand what an 'up market' mug is though. Assuming we both use decent quality mugs, then it can be only the design that makes yours any different from mine and, to be honest, I've never yet come across a design on an 11oz coffee mug that I would pay £10 for at a craft fair or outdoor event. On ebay or etsy, yes, because that price would include postage.
Have a look at the the retail price that these cups and mugs are selling at.
Skarekrow (19-11-2016)
This is the type of client that I am trying to market and sell my produce to.http://www.johnlewis.com/browse/home...Q&gclsrc=aw.ds
Have a look at the the retail price that these cups and mugs are selling at.
The retail price has nothing to do with the price they will be paying you Adrian. John Lewis sell kids framed clocks for over £30 each. I could make (and have made) a better clock in an IKEA Ribba frame for less than a fiver - frame, mechanism and print. That doesn't mean JL will pay me any more than a fiver for them though.
Also, 'trying' to sell to a large distributor like JL is different from actually being successful in selling to them.
Sorry, but I'm not convinced. I don't think there's such a thing as an up market mug. A mug is a mug, no matter which way you dress it up and the competition is fierce, driving down already meagre profits.
hmmmm that is till a brand does it, take Emma Bridgewater - same mugs, same production costs, 3 times the profit. so it would seem we all may need to develop a BRAND........before we can holiday in the Bahamas....lol
The retail price has nothing to do with the price they will be paying you Adrian. John Lewis sell kids framed clocks for over £30 each. I could make (and have made) a better clock in an IKEA Ribba frame for less than a fiver - frame, mechanism and print. That doesn't mean JL will pay me any more than a fiver for them though.
Also, 'trying' to sell to a large distributor like JL is different from actually being successful in selling to them.
Sorry, but I'm not convinced. I don't think there's such a thing as an up market mug. A mug is a mug, no matter which way you dress it up and the competition is fierce, driving down already meagre profits.
Emma Bridgewater is in a different class altogether though John. Her mugs are hand-made and hand-decorated, not the dye-subbed stuff that we're trying to sell. :D
k21john (19-11-2016)
The retail price you are going to get for a mug will depend on the customers requirements. Not everyone walking past your product will see a 'personalised', hand printed or niche product. Some will want a gift or a nice piece for home use. Most will just want a drinking vessel.
If they are buying a gift, then the price will have little to do with the actual product they are buying. They will spend whatever figure they had earmarked for the recipient - £5, £10, £15 - whatever, with as little thought or effort as posssible.
If all they want is a cup of tea, then the price may be a quid.
Skarekrow (19-11-2016)
Sorry I should have been clearer, I am not selling to John Lewis - I am trying to sell to people who do shop at John Lewis and who I can sell to at a decent profit.
If I was supplying JL then they would be buying at about £2 a mug maximum which may be worth it if the numbers stack up and I am happy giving them at least 4 weeks to pay an invoice.