Join our Premium Membership now and save with Xpres, Listawood, Ink Experts, Ink Express and more! Just £10 per year.....Click the Membership link above.....

User Tag List

Similar Threads

  1. Bone China Mugs- fuzzy spots
    By Fanfare-Print in forum Heat Presses
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 13-03-2015, 10:49 AM
  2. Straight Sided Bone China Sub Mugs
    By Steamy in forum Mug Presses & Ovens
    Replies: 14
    Last Post: 15-09-2013, 10:32 PM
  3. bone china mugs
    By cudale in forum Sourcing New Items
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 04-06-2013, 04:43 PM
  4. Bone china sublimation mugs
    By Kaz in forum Sourcing New Items
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 04-03-2010, 10:56 PM
Results 1 to 9 of 9
  1. #1
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Cambridge
    Posts
    2,369
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    Mentioned
    4 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)

    Bone China mugs from China

    It should be the first place to look for bone china mugs, but has anyone had good dealings with any of the Chinese Alibaba companies?

    I have my eye on one of them as they have a low minimum order quantity, but previous attempts to contact Alibaba companies in general haven't been successful.

    Who have you used?

  2. #2
    Premium Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Bishop Auckland, County Durham
    Posts
    4,280
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    Mentioned
    5 Post(s)
    Tagged
    3 Thread(s)
    We've used Elephant Digital on Alibaba and had good dealings with them in the past ... http://www.transferchina.net/

  3. #3
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Cambridge
    Posts
    2,369
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    Mentioned
    4 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)
    They only do standard Durham style mugs. I love their translations, delicate straight barrel shape!

    Don't most suppliers source from Thailand these days? Which Thai companies can sell in smaller quantities?

  4. #4
    Premium Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Bishop Auckland, County Durham
    Posts
    4,280
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    Mentioned
    5 Post(s)
    Tagged
    3 Thread(s)
    The contact we used at Elephant went to a different company, and we haven't sourced from them in a few years, but they were good at finding stuff that wasn't in their catalogue - so they can source stuff from the factories and suppliers in Ghangzou for you - we found this easier as we'd already dealt with Elephant and trusted them for sending money, so it was easier to get them to find what we wanted.

  5. #5
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Posts
    2,050
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Is it a non-standard style you are after then that can't be sourced in UK?

    I would imagine most mugs still come from China with Thailand someway behind. Thai prices went up around the same time ADD came into play. I thought India would have been a bit bigger buty now but only one supplier out there I know of that I would trust. Their standards overall I don't find great. You get samples in and it is just a very scruffy impression they leave you with. Pity as they could put a bit of pressure on China if they sort their act out.

  6. #6
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Cambridge
    Posts
    2,369
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    Mentioned
    4 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew View Post
    Is it a non-standard style you are after then that can't be sourced in UK?
    Yeah, I'm bored with standard durham mugs, so if I am going to come back into mug printing properly again, I'd like something different. Price does come into it, we are still competing with big companies after all who can sell for next to nothing.

    Contacting them during Chinese New Year wasn't too smart, but I'll see if I can get a better response this time.

    @pisquee Were the Elephant sourced mugs good quality? How did you know, it sounds like a gamble?! You could have spent thousands and ended up with cheap ebay specials. This all might be too much of a risk for me. You probably can't tell me the name of the actual reliable mug company you sourced.
    Last edited by GoonerGary; 31-01-2014 at 01:25 AM.

  7. #7
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Posts
    2,050
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Most of the blanks you find in China / Alibaba are readily available over here and I would think the costs won't be too much different unless you are talking large volumes. The Balmoral etc you mentioned on the other thread plus about 12 other styles and variations can all be found. Is price that key that getting an extra 20p off per blank makes the risk worth taking? They can be sourced cheaper in the UK than the link you put up as I would imagine a company like that sources most of them styles from other importers. What type of volumes and styles are you after as I can probably point you in the direction of the UK source.

  8. #8
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Cambridge
    Posts
    2,369
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    Mentioned
    4 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)
    I'm looking at 2-3 at styles, one of them I haven't seen in the UK and I suppose that's the most intriguing one. At £2 a mug from a UK supplier, any saving is appreciated, a few mistakes and you can quickly wipe out your profit. But it's more about looking for something different.

  9. #9
    Premium Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Bishop Auckland, County Durham
    Posts
    4,280
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    Mentioned
    5 Post(s)
    Tagged
    3 Thread(s)
    We were getting other products from Elephant, not mugs, but they were happy to discuss options and send samples of products to us before we placed big proper orders.
    Our mugs are now custom made to order in Thailand as we wanted something a bit different to what was on offer from UK suppliers, or even Alibaba. As we exhibit at retail trade shows and most of our business is wholesale to shops around the UK, we needed a product that was noticeably different to other brands doing mugs, for us to stand out with something unique, as we didn't want us to be seen as just another brand doing sublimation mugs, especially not a Durham style standard mug.
    Last edited by pisquee; 31-01-2014 at 11:09 AM.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •