Would you guys pay this much for a chawan?

Teachronicles
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Tue Feb 27, 2018 11:26 pm

https://songtea.com/collections/bowl

Some of these pieces are no doubt beautiful but the pricing just seems crazy to me. I guess im wondering is it not unheard of to pay this much for handmade pieces?
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Bok
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 12:39 am

Wood-firing usually commands a higher price due to the increased amount of time necessary and the high failure rate. Usually a good 40 percent is unusable.

While I am in general in favour of paying the artisan what is due, in this particular case I am not sure the bowls deserve such a price. Might be the margin of the reseller though.

Also bowls have a low level of complexity, if you are a seasoned potter you can throw a few dozen of those in an hour. Of course you also pay for the experience and time spent that makes it possible for the artisan to work so fast.
Last edited by Bok on Wed Feb 28, 2018 8:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
Teachronicles
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 12:50 am

Bok wrote:
Wed Feb 28, 2018 12:39 am

Might be the margin of the reseller though. You can
I'm remembering now, song tea is in San Francisco, so you pay the San Francisco tax as well.
Chadrinkincat
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 1:07 am

Everything at Song tea is expensive. Nice teaware but $400 is a lot of money for a very simple easy to make shape. Than again maybe this potter is really well known in Taiwan. Either way I could never Justfy those prices on any teaware other than a teapot or maybe a kettle.
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Bok
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 1:10 am

Chadrinkincat wrote:
Wed Feb 28, 2018 1:07 am
Than again maybe this potter is really well known in Taiwan.
Not famous. There are a LOT of potters doing teaware around in Taiwan. And quite a few have very nice things on offer.
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Victoria
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 2:19 am

Om, Akira Satake chawan, yunomi and guinomi are worth their price and more. He is a master at his craft, as are many others mentioned in TeaForum. To hold a masterpiece in your hand is an elevating experience. Not feeling the vibe though with song tea collection.
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Fuut
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 7:39 am

I wouldn't snap at these prices.
Last edited by Fuut on Wed Feb 28, 2018 11:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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d.manuk
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 7:57 am

I've bought a few things from Song Tea but those bowls will never be one of them.
Chadrinkincat
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 8:42 am

Shine Magical wrote:
Wed Feb 28, 2018 7:57 am
I've bought a few things from Song Tea but those bowls will never be one of them.

I went there when they first opened up but didn't buy anything. What are your thoughts on their tea?
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d.manuk
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 9:17 am

Chadrinkincat wrote:
Wed Feb 28, 2018 8:42 am
Shine Magical wrote:
Wed Feb 28, 2018 7:57 am
I've bought a few things from Song Tea but those bowls will never be one of them.

I went there when they first opened up but didn't buy anything. What are your thoughts on their tea?
I like some of them and others I don't... they have some unique offerings due to unconventional processing which makes it worth checking out.
I really liked the Shan Lin Xi Winter Sprout even though it was one of their less expensive offerings. It was my favorite tea last year, very tasty in my hongni yixing.
I bought their Dragonwell and it was nice quality, but I did not like it enough for the price. There's some extra markup for a physical storefront in San Fransisco. They don't sell samples, which is annoying. If you place a large enough order you can ask for a sample of a tea to be included though.

I haven't tried more than 6 of their teas, I've mostly bought pots from them. This year I will be placing a large Hojo order and next year I will do a large Song Tea order.
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Bok
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 9:21 am

All in all, I think their taste in teaware is pretty much a notch above any other shop I have seen so far. Very good selection, but prohibitive pricing in my opinion.
Teachronicles
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 12:21 pm

Shine Magical wrote:
Wed Feb 28, 2018 9:17 am
Chadrinkincat wrote:
Wed Feb 28, 2018 8:42 am
Shine Magical wrote:
Wed Feb 28, 2018 7:57 am
I've bought a few things from Song Tea but those bowls will never be one of them.

I went there when they first opened up but didn't buy anything. What are your thoughts on their tea?
I like some of them and others I don't... they have some unique offerings due to unconventional processing which makes it worth checking out.
I really liked the Shan Lin Xi Winter Sprout even though it was one of their less expensive offerings. It was my favorite tea last year, very tasty in my hongni yixing.
I bought their Dragonwell and it was nice quality, but I did not like it enough for the price. There's some extra markup for a physical storefront in San Fransisco. They don't sell samples, which is annoying. If you place a large enough order you can ask for a sample of a tea to be included though.

I haven't tried more than 6 of their teas, I've mostly bought pots from them. This year I will be placing a large Hojo order and next year I will do a large Song Tea order.
Did you buy and of there yixing pots? What'd you think of the clay quality?
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 2:25 pm

I not an expert & have a lot less money than ......yet, I feel confident in saying, "high prices".

A potter I know who kept her prices low always said,, "It's made of dirt." Thus, I've never understood the high-end of price range for ceramics.

Nonetheless, we might heed Victoria; it's so nice to be holding a special piece in one's hands. My favorite pot (from the shop where Bok studied pottery) just seemed so right for me. It was not so much $, a week's worth of income, so also a lot in relative terms, and now 1 1/2 years after using it so often--underpriced.
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Bok
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 8:19 pm

Ethan Kurland wrote:
Wed Feb 28, 2018 2:25 pm
I not an expert & have a lot less money than ......yet, I feel confident in saying, "high prices".

A potter I know who kept her prices low always said,, "It's made of dirt." Thus, I've never understood the high-end of price range for ceramics.

Nonetheless, we might heed Victoria; it's so nice to be holding a special piece in one's hands. My favorite pot (from the shop where Bok studied pottery) just seemed so right for me. It was not so much $, a week's worth of income, so also a lot in relative terms, and now 1 1/2 years after using it so often--underpriced.
Ethan, I just met the maker yesterday and mentioned you, he was happy one of his works found his way to faraway lands :D

I do have to say I support that artisans get paid justly for their troubles. Talking from experience, it is only dirt yes, but it takes a lot of skill and hard work to extract a nice teapot from it! Most potters I know, do not make a super comfortable living of it, surviving yes, but mostly they are idealists with little means and lots of passion.

As with tea, the middlemen make the most money of it.
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Wed Feb 28, 2018 9:31 pm

Bok wrote:
Wed Feb 28, 2018 8:19 pm

I do have to say I support that artisans get paid justly for their troubles. Talking from experience, it is only dirt yes, but it takes a lot of skill and hard work to extract a nice teapot from it! Most potters I know, do not make a super comfortable living of it, surviving yes, but mostly they are idealists with little means and lots of passion.

As with tea, the middlemen make the most money of it.
The middlemen collect a lot of $, but I do not know how much ends up in their pockets. It seems that almost everyone struggles but the top 5% of our population (in the USA).

In the USA almost everyone who makes a living from pottery, gets most income from teaching classes. In many places in the world, it is easy to think that middlemen get too much $. How much is the rent for a shop? Despite many empty stores, commercial rents in Boston keep increasing. Likewise, fees for having tables at festivals increase, though people buy less & less at them every year as they buy more online. Commercial real estate is owned by fewer & fewer people (& many of them are ruthless); &, some governments are as greedy as the nastiest businessmen.

When I complained at a restaurant in the airport in San Francisco that I could not afford the cheapest sandwich, the owner showed me his lease w/ the government agency in charge of the airport. His extremely high rent, is an indirect sales tax to be paid by consumers through him. To net a very modest profit, he must take in a huge amount of $.

I buy seconds from local potters to use, gift, or re-sell. I don't like spending a lot of time w/ artists w/o buying something from them.

It is interesting to see how people who do not fully appreciate "handmade" react to unique works, especially imperfect ones. Most of the pieces I have given as presents, end up not being used; &, the pieces I have for sale are awfully difficult to sell.
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