Selling to Chinafinders:

We are constantly in need of quality bone china, porcelain, earthenware and stoneware tableware in excellent condition to purchase.

We buy full or part dinner or teasets in all the well-known quality brands from all over Australia & from overseas. You may be pleasantly surprised at our offer for that dinner set that you never really liked that is gathering dust in the back of your cupboard.

ChinaFinders is a stockist with 50,000 pieces of china in stock. We do not sell on consignment or commission.

China Finders is a home business that is both good (no travel time to work) and bad (I live at work).

Our office business hours are usually but not always 9:30AM to 6:00PM Monday to Friday (school holidays & when I'm overseas or away are often part staffed and hence we may operate on reduced hours). These times are mostly (but not always) suitable for visits. We are sometimes available by prior arrangement on Saturdays around 11AM. I will, if convenient & practicable, assist customers at other times by prior arrangement.

Our office phone will be manned mostly (but not always) between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM Monday to Fridays with the phone answered till 9pm some days. Should I be unavailable an answering machine will be connected to take your message. School holidays may reduce staff availability & we are usually closed on Qld. public holidays.

We welcome your personal visit and the opportunity to exchange "China Stories".

I ask personal visitors to make prior appointments and reconfirm the day prior as on occasions I may not be available or our office may be unmanned for significant periods of that working day due to changed circumstances.

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Essential Contact Information Needed:

When making contact please advise your name, complete street address, telephone number, facsimile number & email so I can estimate freight costs & efficiently communicate with you.

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Inventory:

If you have not already done so, please confirm the major dimensions of the items on offer so I can correlate the sizes of the items offered against my stock & requests. Should you have coffee cups on offer I specifically need to know the diameter in mm of the coffee cups as the very small cups have limited demand and I price accordingly. Also many makers had available differing sizes for luncheon/entrée /salad plates which usually ranges from 200 to 230 mm in diameter.

There may be several possible variations of shapes & sizes in many "patterns" so a photo or sketch showing the pattern, backstamp + cup & handle shape is always useful where the pattern is older, rare or a little uncommon.

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Pricing:

I may need stock or have stock in your pattern and your items may complement my existing stock so I may accordingly be interested in the purchase of your china if it is in excellent condition & it is available to me at an attractive buying price.

For your information my offer price is usually based on the profit/commercial possibilities that the china on offer has for me.

My offer takes into account:

- the rarity of the pieces on offer, demand for the specific pieces on offer (I am usually short of teacups), existing stock, quality of pieces on offer, original price/quality of manufacture, cost of shipping, risk of damage during shipping (I usually pay more for china which is hand delivered to Kenmore) and the cost of providing my "free world search & registration service".

Also many leading brands are often available at large discounts from the retail price. Thus a Mikasa 36 piece set valued at $1500 (based on a per piece retail price) may be a bit optimistic compared to the price available for similar china at a Mikasa Outlet shop or an aggressive discounter such as "Peters of Kensington "in Sydney who may offer similar sets at $300 or less.

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Quality Checking:

I only purchase pieces in excellent condition and I must stress that I am a very FUSSY about the QUALITY of the china I buy.

Should your set on offer have once been part of a larger dinner set there may be considerable wear and deterioration on the pieces that have been used regularly. Conversely there may also be pieces that are in top condition that have had relatively little use and these may be of interest to me.

Some "everyday / home" or older styles of china by famous makers such as Villeroy&Boch, Royal Doulton, Johnson or Wedgwood show subtle deterioration if the china has had reasonable use or extended dishwasher time &/or inferior washing agents. On careful examination it will exhibit fading to silver or gold trim, fine surface scratches, loss of gloss in the glaze and fade in the pattern. In other words for my purposes its " worn out".

Older types of china body (especially earthenware and very fine bone china) show crazing, handling wear, minor chips & general age deterioration that is readily exhibited under careful examination.

You will need to examine each piece obliquely in a good light (preferably with a magnifying glass) with an unused or near new piece as a reference to be sure that what is on offer is in excellent condition and the gold or silver is "Near Perfect".

Gold or silver/platinum trim & decoration must be "Near Perfect " and without any signs of fading, cut marks, wear or microwave burns (fine radial lines of discolouration or gaps to the silver or gold edge trim that is regularly spaced about 12mm apart).

Plate and bowl flat surfaces must not show more than a few small noticable knife marks and when viewed obliquely in a strong light must not show scuffmarks or significant scratches & other marks.

Pattern & decoration must be clear, unfaded, and free of noticable cuts and other pattern damage/defects.

Certain types of defects (such as stress fractures) are often evident in near new and in some older top quality china and you will need check carefully for these usually hard to see defects. These defects can be evident in china that has had almost no use and appears initially in perfect condition.

Plates need to be rung (supported and lightly tapped) to detect stress cracking which can be a single circular crack line at the point where the plate, (or bowl or cup) makes a sudden shape change but is often evident at the lower inner rim of plates and the base of cups. A visual check of the underside of each item may show a defect that is difficult to see from the topside.

Cups need to be rung (ie. Tapped to hear the tone or ring –High pitch is good & low pitch indicates a fault that may not be readily visible to the unaided eye) and cups & other pieces examined precisely for any minute evidence of edge trim (gold, silver etc.) fading or wear.

Likely extra locations for Saucer ,Plate & Cup wear. Saucers often wear at the edge of the cup recess &/or at an inner gold line next to the cup recess. This is a common wear problem with most makers as the cup bases are ground & quite abrasive. The cup base abrades the metallic line or recess edge as its rubbed over it whilst placing the cup base in the recess. Similar wear is seen on plate bodies where the plate underside ridge rubs on the glaze or pattern when stacked without a protective spacer or napkin & often shows as 3 equally spaced rub or fret marks near the outer of the plate recess or as wear to an inner decoration or line. Cups with a metallic stripe or decoration on the handle can exhibit wear & fade where the handle is gripped , the mouth touches the rim or where one cup rim rubs on the handle of the next when the cups are stacked vertically.

Please confirm exactly those pieces on offer that are in excellent condition in conjunction with your inventory.

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Selling Process:

Doing business usually works like this: -

1. You check the underside of the china for Makers Name, Pattern Name, & pattern numbers. If possible you send a picture by post or scan and email me an image to confirm exactly the pattern and shapes if required
2. You confirm the inventory (including the size in mm of each shape) of the china that is in perfect condition ie. No wear to gold or silver edge trim, cracks, chips, crazing or pattern wear or fading.
3. I review the inventory and make an offer.
4. Upon agreement you (or a friend) bring the china directly to me or alternately I forward a cheque and written packing instructions to you and we go through steps 5,6 & 7.
5. You pack the china carefully in accordance with the instructions to ensure your precious china arrives safely despite the rigours of road freight or (even worse) Australia Post.
6. You (as appropriate) post or contact my nominated freight company who picks up the china at your door (metro only) or agreed location.
7. Australia post charges are usually estimated by myself, then included in the cheque from Chinafinders and then paid at the PO by your self. Road freight is prepaid by vouchers supplied by myself (they are usually volume & weight limited so please carefully limit, where practicable, the total volume and weight of the final package) or debited to a Chinafinders account.

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Packing for Safe Shipment:

The following is applicable for shipments to Chinafinders from within Australia and, in general terms, is applicable to shipments from overseas to Brisbane Australia.

Packing:- We have a packing manual we can send to you but for most china the following is sufficient.

Cartons/ boxes:- The next challenge is to find the lidded, large, wide & flatish white foam boxes. The best containers are the larger size (57cm long x 38cm wide x 27cm high – the smaller boxes don't fit the dinnerplates or a full 36 piece set etc very well ) "lidded" white polystyrene foam boxes (readily available without (or at nominal) charge from the local vegetable/fruit shop . The squarish cross-section boxes are too small to successfully house a stack of dinnerplates. If you are stuck finding the right foam boxes there is an open ( lidless) variety designed to stack & interlock so you can cut the body off the top box(4th or top in a stack) and use its base as a lid and tape the lot together. Make sure you get the biggest & widest type & all are the same. It works fine.

It is essential that the boxes are the same size so they stack & tape securely . Depending on the foam box size you should (where necessary) be able to stack & tape together 2 or 3 of the boxes. Remove any external box labels and make sure the boxes are sanitized.

Do not send the boxes as separate parcels as each parcel will require a separate sticker and the shipment will become uneconomic for me.

Where a larger dinner set or set of china is being shipped the foam boxes work exceptionally well to cushion & protect the china during transport.

McCafferty Busfreight has a 0.15CuM (30cubic Kg at 200kg /CuM) package size limit and a 20Kg dead weight limit so any larger shipment must comprise multiple packages each within the above limits. We have prepaid vouchers in 10kg, 15kg and 20kg ratings and can extend the 20 Kg parcel to 30 kg for cubic purposes in 5kg increments with add on 5kg stickers. Please return any unneeded 5Kg (green) add on stickers

Packing Technique:- Flatware (plates, bowls & saucers) are tightly packed together in bundles which will just fit inside the lidded white polystyrene foam boxes and leave enough room for a top & bottom layer of scrunched newspaper. Newspaper is folded into strips comprising 4 to 6 layers and slightly wider than the plate that is being wrapped. It forms a zig zag between the plates in the bundle. Starting with a 6ply newspaper strip on the table place the plate face down and fold the paper back across the plate. Place the next plate on the pile & fold the paper back across that plate, adding more newspaper strips with a 100mm overlap to continue the paper between the plates until all the plates are in the bundle or the maximum bundle hight that can fit in the box is reached. Then place a separate 6ply strip of newspaper on the table and place the bundle of plates in the middle of the strip. Press the plates down tightly and bring the ends of the strip together and tape so the bundle is held together tightly. Repeat the above but at 90degrees so all the edges of the plates are covered and the plate bundle is tight & secure. A couple of tight wraps in both directions with a strip of Bubble wrap slightly wider than the plate bundle will then make a firm and stable secure plate bundle that will travel securely. Put thick cardboard dividers inside the polystyrene box after the plate bundles are placed to restrict movement in transport and fill voids with tightly packed scrunched newspaper or similar to restrain any movement

Cups ,Handled soup coupes, and other similar fragile smalls are individually wrapped in soft newspaper, tissue or bubble wrap , with a small narrow wad or roll of paper/soft cardboard within each handle. They are then packed in a small box (such as a shoe box) with scrunched paper or paper shred to restrain movement. The shoe box is placed at one end of the polystyrene box away from the heaviest items in the case of small shipments or in the top box in the case of larger shipments.

Teapots, coffeepots, platters and other large items. The spout and handles of teapots etc are quite vulnerable to damage in transit and so require special packing. Always pack the lid inverted in the lid recess & attached to the pot to avoid misplacement. Make a narrow wad or roll of soft cardboard and fill the handle loop and the "v" behind the spout. Wrap soft cardboard arround the spout end. Wrap the entire pot with bubble wrap or soft cardboard. Place in the top box or as far away as possible from heavy plate bundles in single box shipments.

Mark the consigner ( yourself) clearly & the receiver (Chinafinders P/L 12 Crestview St. Kenmore 4069 Brisbane) in large letters on each box and call the freight company local office for a pickup or drop off at the nearest depot as appropriate.

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Shipping to Chinafinders:

We have a special ( & economic) cubic contract rate for inbound freight with McCafferty BusFreight who have an extended pickup & delivery area based on their Bus routes and bus depots/stops. It is important to know if you are within their "one sticker" pickup area or can get the packed china to the nearest Mc Cafferty BusFreight depot. Check the website www.busfreight.com.au for your nearest depot or call 131499 / 1300 656532

Alternately "Fastway Couriers" www.fastway.com.au may service your location and often can offer from the east coast capitals & nearby areas a very economic alternate to Australia Post or McCafferty "Busfreight" for inbound shipments (greater than 3Kg ) to Kenmore 4069 QLD. Additionally Fastway have a most convenient on line "Track & Trace" that is able to give an up to date report as to the shipment progress

We usually forward prepaid "Busfreight" stickers once we know the packed volume and box dimensions. Please note that it is important to check with your local agent as not all depots or agents will accept a Busfreight prepaid freight voucher. We must advise McCafferty Brisbane in advance if there is to be a reverse shipment using a prepaid freight voucher.

Small shipments ( under 3kg) are often most economic via Australia Post.

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Information for Non Australia Based Sellers:

Chinafinders P/L is located in Brisbane AUSTRALIA

NZ Sellers:-
Shipping to Australia by post is expensive . However cheap trans Tasman airfares are readily available and hand carry is a real option by yourself or a friend. Deferred rate UPS shipping in a 10kg or 25kg standardized box is also an option.

UK Sellers:-
Shipping to Chinafinders is unlikely to be a problem as my wife & I visit the UK annually or twice annually ( often in the May to August period ) to purchase china or the china can be posted to Australia if the item is low weight (up to 4 lbs ) & high value china. Deferred rate UPS & Fedex shipping in a 10kg or 25kg standardized box are also options. I have a UK cheque account so payment by HSBC cheque is possible.

USA Sellers:-
The major impediment to purchase will be the shipping cost from the USA by Economy surface post where the weight limit of 44lbs & a tight volume limit applies . I have successfully purchased dinnersets from the USA in the past. Deferred rate UPS & Fedex shipping in a 10kg or 25kg standardized box are also options. I can pay with a "Western Union" cheque in US$ ( obtainable from the Post Office in Australia) with the limitation that it must be paid into a US$ USA based cheque account.

Please advise any suggestions you may have with respect to economic shipping .

I can easily pay by paypal if you have an ebay /paypal account.

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Old Catalogues Needed:

We are always searching for old and not so old manufacturer's catalogues or brochures to add to our pattern library. We would be grateful to be able to borrow and copy any that you may have available.

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