I need YOUR advice please.

[Jatshariff]

Hi, I currently have high-end Pottery. The country of which it's made from is China.

The designer who sells this Pottery switched from using 'Aid to Artisans' to dealing with China (Since 2007) because as I was told by their company "They give us the style we require". Which I don't believe as I have the older pieces that were made by Aid to Artisans and it feels more heavy-duty and not cheaply made like the China stuff, it seems that everything this designer comes out with now is made in China.

I was wondering if it's smart to sell the pottery considering it's manufactured in China? Or will it make no difference because it's high-end pottery? I plan on holding onto the older Aid to Artisan stuff as most of them are discontinued and good quality.

[mart]

Can you post a pic of one of the items you need to know about !! I assume the "aid to artisans" is to benefit small independent potters and the other is mass produced, and not made/decorated as well ??

[Jatshariff]

Hi Mart, thank you for your reply. You are correct on everything.

I was wondering if it was a good idea if I sold off the China ones. The designer still comes out with new pieces and since 2007 everything has been made in China instead of using Aid to Artisans. My question is; would it be beneficial to sell the China ones? Or since they're high-end pottery would they still long-term hold their value and go up?

Here are photos:

This mouth vase is done by Aid to Artisans for the designer and feels rougher, heavy-duty and shows brush like marks and more of a cream like color.




And this hand ornament is done by China it's very white and shows no brush like marks and feels very fragile.

[mart]

Not knowing who the designer is or his/her sales record,, I can only give my personal opinion based on what I can see !!  Both have a unique look,, and if the designer has a following,, they should sell well !!  But if the market is flooded with the designers work,, price goes down and it would be easier buying on the secondary market than from you as a distributor !! ( think ebay) !!  Quality is certainly something you need to take into consideration !!  I would say to give it a try and see how well the China pieces do !! Its worth a shot !!  As to holding their value,, only time will tell !! 

[Jatshariff]

Thank you so much for your opinion Mart!  I have 2 questions left for you if you don't mind.

Question 1:

I compare this type of this to Prada - once made in Italy now made in China.

In your opinion do people purchase a piece for the look and name? Or the country of origin?

This particular designer does discontinue pieces (Like the ones I showed you above) so the market isn't flooded at all with either. I don't see either on eBay or any other shopping outlet online.

And question 2:

Would it hurt if I held onto the discontinued China pieces that this designer made? Considering they are a big name and the pieces aren't flooding the market?

[mart]

Look and name,, yes !!  Country of origin ??  Rarely that is a consideration but with the Chinese products/arts everywhere you look ,,many see the Made in China and assume lower quality no matter what !!

I would say it would be a wise thing if you can hold on to the discontinued pieces !! Like I said above,, if this designer has a dedicated following seems like a win/win situation to me !!~  But if his/her popularity slows down and many times it will,, sell them quickly !!  Unless you plan on a personal collection for yourself !!  Items like this will go in cycles,, one day good,,next day,,not so much !!