Small Orders, and Why Our Minimum Is 5,000 Pieces
We manufacture to order for importers, distributors, chains and hospitality groups. If your requirement is 100 or 200 pieces with your own logo, this page explains the position honestly — and the routes that do work at that volume.
Stated plainly, before you spend time on a quote
We are a factory, not a wholesaler of small lots. Everything we make is produced to order, and a decorated ceramic order only makes economic sense from a real production quantity.
Our minimum is 5,000 pieces per design or per decoration.
We are not able to help with a 100 to 500 piece custom run. That is not a negotiating position — it is what the production process costs. If we quoted it, the unit price would be dominated by setup rather than by the product, and you would be paying for our preparation instead of your goods.
Below the minimum, the routes that genuinely work are on this page. They are practical, and we recommend them without reservation.
Why a small custom order does not work
Three fixed costs that do not shrink when the quantity shrinks.
Production setup is fixed
A decorated order runs as one batch: kiln load, print or decal preparation, packing configuration and quality control against a written standard. Almost none of it scales down with the piece count.
The unit price stops making sense
Spread over 200 pieces instead of 5,000, the preparation cost multiplies the unit price. A quotation built that way is not one we would want you to accept, and it would not be honest to present it as a fair price.
The quality risk lands on you
A short run leaves no room for re-fired rejects and no spare pieces for replacements. If a small percentage fails inspection, the whole order is affected instead of absorbed within a large batch.
What we do not offer, stated plainly
We do not produce custom mugs below 5,000 pieces per design, and we do not run trial or sample-level production batches. That is a fixed production decision, not a negotiating position: a short run carries the same kiln cycle, the same decoration setup and the same quality checks as a full order, so it is priced as a full order without being one.
We would rather say this now than quote you badly. If your requirement is smaller than 5,000 pieces, we are not the right supplier for that order.
What we can do before you reach the minimum
Two things are genuinely useful, and both are free of cost:
- We hold your specification on file. Send the artwork, the item, the capacity, the decoration method and the packing requirement now. When your first production order comes, it starts from a agreed position instead of from scratch.
- We tell you what your first order needs to contain — which items can share a design, how the 5,000 minimum applies per design, how sampling and approval run, and what the lead time will be from approval.
If your volume is smaller today
A local importer or promotional distributor buys at production volume and can supply smaller quantities from stock; applying branding locally onto plain ceramic items is the practical route for small branded runs. Neither involves us producing a short batch, and both are honest answers to the same problem.
What importing ceramic actually requires
If this is your first import, these three things must be in place before the goods arrive — they cannot be arranged by the factory.
- An importer of record. In the EU, normally a VAT and EORI number; in the United States, an importer of record with a tax ID. In most markets the buyer, or a licensed agent acting for the buyer, must be registered to import.
- A customs broker. Your broker files the entry and pays duty and import tax on your behalf. We can suggest options in several markets, but the account has to be yours.
- A duty and tax budget. The rate depends on your country's tariff schedule and the product classification. Your broker will confirm the exact figure.
On a production order we supply the export documents your broker needs: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill, certificate of origin, carton marking, and test reports on request.
About DDP
Ceramic is heavy, bulky and relatively low in value. Freight is charged largely by weight and volume, so on a small shipment transport can approach or exceed the value of the goods. A forwarder quoting DDP also accepts responsibility for clearance and duty in your country — which is why almost none will quote it on a small ceramic order.
The workable structure is FOB or EXW with your own forwarder or broker. If a delivered arrangement is essential, tell us the destination and the shipment size and we will say whether a partner service exists.
When you are ready at production volume
From 5,000 pieces per design we quote, sample, produce and ship — with artwork proofing, inspection and export documents included.