Cost to produce and post a printed mug

[Earl Smith]

Hi Paul,
Now we know you are going to be doing mugs as a side business or an add on to an excisting busines then its worth a go.
I do embroidery and t-shirt printing and run mug and sublimation as an add on. You will be able to use the subli setup for your t.shirts too. You wont sell many mugs but it will pay for itself and be profitable.
What I would do is give each of your excisting customers a mug with their logo and yours on it. Almost guaranteed to get at least one order from this and that will pay for all the other mugs you have "given away". Xmas is coming and its the best time to do it.

Word of advice. Buy good quality equipment and inks. Dont muck around trying to find cheap , it does not work. Get a Ricoh printer and a good mug press, Sawgrass inks and a good paper.
My thoughts, I hope it helps. Good luck....

[Skarekrow]

Thanks Earl
Really all I wanted from this thread was to find out the exact cost of producing a mug and sending it through the post as this is going to be the worst case scenario price wise.

We are going to build a website and sell mugs directly from there as well but we were thinking that using ebay and amazon would be a way of getting our name out there, driving traffic to our site and was also a way of selling straight away.

We have identified a niche that we are going to be marketing in but we are just researching the potential of that niche using keyword analysis etc and coming up with unique designs based on that analysis.

We (my wife and I) are are both designers/artists with many years experience producing artwork day in and day out not only for our own business but also for other sign makers, t-shirt printers etc all over the country.

The reason we are looking at mugs is because they are a known constant. We already sell t-shirts but there are so many makes, sizes and colours of garment that it is impossible for a company of our size to keep any meaningful stock which means we have to order in garments as and when we need them which is not ideal. Mugs on the other hand are all the same size and colour, they weigh the same and will cost the same to print each and every time. We can hold a decent stock of them so we can print and send out same day.

Paul

[Earl Smith]

Ok, I understand. If you are doing it in the same workshop as your other business then it will be very easy and cost effective to do. Sending out by post? I have no idea as I dont , ever, do it. Mine is always picked up at the workshop. I cant even help with postal costs as Im in Germany but I would be careful if I was you as Im sure the Post will go up once Brexit takes hold.

[webtrekker]

Most ebayers offer their items as free postage, which means you'll need to add the postage cost to the price of your mugs, even though it's the customer paying for the postage. This is why you'll see 11oz mugs advertised for £9.99 and the like on ebay - cost of production + cost of postage + ebay seller's fee + Paypal transaction fee + small profit.

You'll also see mugs advertised with free postage for around £3! How the hell they do this is beyond me, but that's what you'll be up against on ebay.

[Adrian B]

Find local events in your area and consider attending some to see what sort of products are available.
http://www.cornwall-arts-and-crafts.co. ... rnwall.php

You have the opportunity to sell lots of different items to a wider audience and get direct feedback. You should be able to do a few events quite cheaply and gain valuable experience on what may or may not work at particular events. Look for other arts and craft related evens and speak to a few local producers/sellers to see what they attend.

[webtrekker]

Only problems with selling at local markets and events are -

• Difficult to add personalisation to items.
• You need to produce a large stock of items which may not sell.
• You have to cover the rent of the stall/tables and fuel before you start making a profit.
• It leaves you with less time to spend developing new products etc.

I'm speaking from experience here. We designed and made up a lot of stuff: mugs, jigsaws, etc and attended a local indoor market. This market is always very busy as the Metro train runs through the station it is set up in. So, we paid £25 for 2 tables, set up all our stuff, and waited, .................... and waited, ................ After a day spent freezing in a wind-tunnel of a station and half a week spent making up items for sale we sold ..... ONE mug and SEVEN jigsaws!

Total waste of time and effort. I now have a load of pre-printed mugs and jigsaws which I'm hoping to sell at a local school event and a local church hall event before Christmas. You just can't second-guess what the punters are interested in or, more to the point, what they are interested in shelling out for.

Cheap shops like B&M have totally killed off the small shops, markets and cottage industry. Why would anyone buy a mug off me for £4.99 when they can get a Disney mug (which is really the kind of thing that most kids want) for £2.99 at B&M, in a nice printed box, with sachets of coffee or hot chocolate in?! :frown:

[Adrian B]

We have had over 300 mug sales at similar arts and craft events in the last few months - with most selling at around the £8 mark. We have also done a few bespoke orders for customers. Not every event has been a massive success, but it has been a useful exercise and has helped create client awareness.
We have a few people that have started collecting our designs - We are not interested in disney cups and mugs - neither are our clients. To sell a mug/cup at anything like £10 you must go up market

[pw66]

We have been running a sign making and t-shirt printing business since 2004 and so we have a sizable client base that may be interested in mugs and other printables. We are also looking into selling to local shops, restaurants, hotels, guesthouses etc.

That makes a big difference, if you are already in one branch of the trade. The start up costs for a mug press and small sub printer are not that much, compared with other items of equipment. £500 will get you going.

Adding a sub printer will work well for your existing t-shirt business, even if the mugs don't work out. It is the easiest and most cost effective way of printing hi-vis waistcoats and jackets competitively, and there is money to be made printing 'performance' t-shirts for clubs and teams.

[froggy]

Thanks Earl
Really all I wanted from this thread was to find out the exact cost of producing a mug and sending it through the post as this is going to be the worst case scenario price wise.

You have to cost the products yourself, your costs are your costs. Postage, with an Online Royal Mail Business account should cost the same for 10 mugs as it does for 1 mug


We are going to build a website and sell mugs directly from there as well but we were thinking that using ebay and amazon would be a way of getting our name out there, driving traffic to our site and was also a way of selling straight away.

If you use Amazon as a marketing platform Amazon WILL ban your account.

We have identified a niche that we are going to be marketing in but we are just researching the potential of that niche using keyword analysis etc and coming up with unique designs based on that analysis.

We (my wife and I) are are both designers/artists with many years experience producing artwork day in and day out not only for our own business but also for other sign makers, t-shirt printers etc all over the country.

The reason we are looking at mugs is because they are a known constant. We already sell t-shirts but there are so many makes, sizes and colours of garment that it is impossible for a company of our size to keep any meaningful stock which means we have to order in garments as and when we need them which is not ideal. Mugs on the other hand are all the same size and colour, they weigh the same and will cost the same to print each and every time. We can hold a decent stock of them so we can print and send out same day.

Yes

Paul

IMO your best route to market, and potential decent sales volumes is supplying your local retail market with product. Approaching cafes etc with "Branded" tableware etc also I think you really need to base your costings and selling price points on sending out full cases of customised product, otherwise your art work time will eat all the profit, plus the shipping cost is a much smaller percentage of your overall supply cost should you need to send out product in the post.

[webtrekker]

We have had over 300 mug sales at similar arts and craft events in the last few months - with most selling at around the £8 mark. We have also done a few bespoke orders for customers. Not every event has been a massive success, but it has been a useful exercise and has helped create client awareness.
We have a few people that have started collecting our designs - We are not interested in disney cups and mugs - neither are our clients. To sell a mug/cup at anything like £10 you must go up market

Hi Adrian. Pleased to hear you've had more success than myself selling to the public.

I don't really understand what an 'up market' mug is though. Assuming we both use decent quality mugs, then it can be only the design that makes yours any different from mine and, to be honest, I've never yet come across a design on an 11oz coffee mug that I would pay £10 for at a craft fair or outdoor event. On ebay or etsy, yes, because that price would include postage.