Homeware we source from China

Choose by how the product will be used

Start with the item’s function rather than its photograph. A decorative bowl is not automatically suitable for serving food, and a storage basket intended for dry indoor use may need a different specification from one used elsewhere. Record the claim you intend to make to your own customer.

Use the cards below to select the closest category, then describe anything the category name misses. For a coordinated range, provide a shared finish reference but list each product’s dimensions, quantity and pack. Similar colours across different materials do not establish an exact match.

Décor and ceramics: agree appearance and protection

Useful requests identify body material, finished size, weight where relevant, glaze, colour and surface treatment. Say whether the piece must hold water or is decorative only. Define acceptable handmade variation and visible defects so sample review has a clear purpose.

Ask for units per carton, dividers, contact points and retail presentation. Chips, handle damage and surface rubbing call for different packing decisions. A packing label such as “export standard” does not describe the actual protection or prove performance on your route.

Kitchenware: define food contact before buying

State what food or drink the item will contact and its intended temperature and use conditions. Identify metal grade, coating, glaze, plastic or other material precisely enough to request applicable evidence for the destination. A report for another model or finish cannot simply be assumed to cover the order.

Packaging, instructions and labels should be part of the brief when required by your market or sales channel. Separately agree any specialist document review or testing. Buying assistance and arrival photographs do not establish food-contact suitability.

• Prepare a kitchenware sourcing brief →

Textiles, baskets and storage: measure the finished product

Textile briefs should name fibre composition, construction, fabric weight, finished dimensions, colour reference and care or retail labels. If shrinkage, colour transfer or another performance feature matters, define the requirement and review method instead of judging it from photographs.

For woven and natural goods, identify the material, condition, finish and destination requirements. Storage products need usable internal dimensions and load or assembly requirements where relevant. Quote a nested configuration only with its actual separators, clearances and removal method.

• Provide quantities per size, colour and design, including any sample request.
• State whether labels, retail boxes, barcodes or custom artwork are essential.
• Identify the required packed arrangement and any destination assembly work.
• Disclose electrical parts, liquids or other contents needing separate route review.

Compare a range by usable delivered cost

Confirm whether minimums apply to each variant or custom package. Ask for separate goods, setup, service, agreed checks, packing, transport and destination-charge lines. A low-price bulky item may require more protective volume than a heavier compact one.

Scope and fees are agreed per request. Products outside the listed categories, including lighting and other specialist homeware, need an individual feasibility review. Do not commit a range until material evidence, rights, packing and unresolved destination requirements have a clear owner.

• Check homeware minimum quantities →
• Understand homeware freight costs →