Why is it important to understand how to purchase Current, Future-discontinued and Discontinued china and stoneware patterns?

Most people will purchase a pattern which is currently being manufactured, popular and currently stocked in retail stores.  However, making a long-term purchase such as a china or crystal pattern involves careful consideration of your current and future dinnerware needs.  Understanding how different manufacturers consider their current patterns and how they discontinue patterns will help in making the choice when buying a new or current pattern.

Current Patterns

Hundreds of new china patterns are introduced every year.  Some patterns are discontinued in a matter of months because there is no interest from retailers or because consumers don't buy.  Some patterns are around many years.  Trendy patterns are always popular, but they may not be continued when tastes change.  Classic or traditional patterns are not as fashionable at times, but tend to have longer lives.  Know your manufacturer and ask your supplier for the reputation of the manufacturer with regard to longevity of patterns if you are planning on keeping your pattern for years or are interested in replacing items which wear, break or disappear. 

Future-Discontinued Patterns

This is a strange sounding name for patterns which a manufacturer has decided to quit making in the future, but which is still currently available by special order.  Many of the major manufacturers wish to give customers some period of time to complete their patterns or replace pieces before discontinuing manufacturing.  Historically, Noritake and Lenox, for instance give us (as retailers) as much as one to two years advance notice that a pattern will be discontinued.  In most cases, in a retail store you will find these patterns listed separately in pricing books from the "current" patterns.  If buying on Ebay, ask about the status of a pattern if you are not sure.  You may not want to start buying a pattern that is known to be discontinued soon.  On the other hand, if you have a pattern that you started buying some time ago and need to finish your set, knowing if the pattern is not going to be made after a certain time can be useful.

What do you need to know about buying Future-discontinued Patterns?

Generally, when the manufacturer has decided to quit making a pattern in the future, it is not particularly interested in promoting it further.  For this reason, sale discounts to retailers in a store or on Ebay will probably be much less, so the price may actually go up in the period before the discontinuation date.  As an example, at the time of this writing, we are paying more for a Noritake Colorwave future-discontinued pattern than we are for a Noritake Colorwave pattern that will continue to be manufactured.  Although a manufacturer does not have a lot of interest in promoting a future-discontinued pattern, they are interested in having satisfied customers so will continue to make the pattern in response to specific orders.

The manufacturer does not wish to have stock sitting around in a pattern it will quit making.  So, after announcing that a pattern will be discontinued in August of 2009, for instance, it will ship from current stock until that is sold and then may accumulate actual retailer orders and manufacture only in batches in response to specific orders.  As a result, if you order a future-discontinued pattern, it can arrive in a couple of weeks, if the manufacturer still has stock in this country.  Or, it may be sold out and they may make to order months later.  When buying on Ebay, it is good to be sure that the retailer actually stocks the item you are buying.  If you suspect that an item is not actually in stock, check feedback to look for occasional complaints that the fulfillment of the order took an unreasonable amount of time.  Even the best manufacturers can be out of specific items for a number of weeks or more, and you will probably wish to avoid taking this risk.

Discontinued China

Although some retailers also stock discontinued china, most do one or the other (although the largest replacement service does also sell many current patterns). The reason for this is that carrying current china and working with discontinued china is really two different businesses, and most sources concentrate on one or the other.  We work with current china, which normally is intended to be turned over ideally several times a year and which typically carries a small markup.  This is a different business than the replacement business where a company usually buys stock with the realization that they will likely be storing much of it for months or years.  Markup is typically greater on merchandise that tends to turn slowly.  Current retailers do sometimes have discontinued merchandise, but usually they will close it out quickly and concentrate on current patterns.

Murphy's is a Department Store in Stillwater, Oklahoma.  Visit our Ebay store Visit Murphy's Department Store on Ebay Now and email any questions you may have about pattern status for any of the manufacturers we carry.