kathi17 Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Look at this Chinese dealer's sewing box, and the price http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-12-Scale-Dollhouse-Miniature-Filled-Wooden-Jewelry-Box-Bedroom-Accessories/151791798076?_trksid=p2045573.c100034.m2102&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131003150253%26meid%3Df1175b227f704b8c973f093f24d05f86%26pid%3D100034%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D8%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D231827091165 and now look at this one from Reutter Porzellan and the price http://www.miniatures.com/Ladys-Filled-Jewelry-Box-by-Reutter-Porzellan-P24314.aspx?mr:referralID=882e6a6e-ca1c-11e5-9a09-005056947d48&media=WSHPX4 I think I would feel very ripped off if I had bought the Reutter one and saw the Chinese one. I don't think the oval on the box is worth almost $25 more. What do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustCallMeAnna Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I don't think that decorative oval is worth it either! But with my experiences from buying from China has left me a little... jilted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimajo Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I have the box from China and it is very well put together. The box is actually hinged, and sturdey, not with tape, you know? I was very satisfied with it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathi17 Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 Reutter Porzellan is supposed to be one of the nicer miniature companies. It's one of those companies, that is well respected, and I find it sad to see that some of their stuff is the same Chinese stuff you can get for pennies on the dollar. I have one of their punch bowls, and I value it so much that it is still in it's plastic case on display in a curio cupboard with other nicer miniatures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathi17 Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 5 minutes ago, Mimajo said: I have the box from China and it is very well put together. The box is actually hinged, and sturdey, not with tape, you know? I was very satisfied with it. I would be very happy with the one from China, but if I had bought the Reutter one, I would have been terribly dissapointed when I saw the Chinese one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shannonc60 Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I guess they were probably made in the same factory. I'd buy the Chinese one any day over the Reutter one, but some people prefer to buy the label for higher value/resale. To each their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vbharrington Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 I've had some bad experiences with buying things from China that once arrived, was nothing like the picture. The worst instance for me was for a formal ball gown I ordered for our annual debutante ball - the picture was of a beautiful satin ball gown that was a dark plum shade. What I received appeared to be a magenta colored trash bag. There was also the time my size 1 teenage daughter bought a ton of clothes from a Chinese distributor and when they arrived, they almost fit my 4 year old. As a result, I now avoid purchasing things from China off ebay, but I honestly haven't looked at many miniatures from China. I may have to reconsider my current stance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxenro Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Reutter Porzellan is made in Germany they pay their workers quite a bit more and I would guess you aren't going to find any lead in the glaze or other things we aren't supposed to be using anymore. Honestly a lot of the Chinese stuff is cheap because they take things like Reutter and copy them so there is almost $0.00 development cost, they use shoddy materials, and safety standards are non existant 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathi17 Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 20 minutes ago, jaxenro said: Reutter Porzellan is made in Germany they pay their workers quite a bit more and I would guess you aren't going to find any lead in the glaze or other things we aren't supposed to be using anymore. Honestly a lot of the Chinese stuff is cheap because they take things like Reutter and copy them so there is almost $0.00 development cost, they use shoddy materials, and safety standards are non existant What bothered me is that I was wondering if Reutter is starting to have their things made in China??? I am starting to think that everyone thought I was saying that I would rather buy from China than buy from Reutter. I think you all thought that I meant that China was copying Reutter when I was worried that some Reutter products were now being made in China. Over the last few years, I have bought a lot of genuine products which were name brand, and were supposed to be made in the country where the company was located. Last Sunday I bought some genuine Swedish cookware. When got home, I saw that it was made in China. Last year, I bought a sweater from a company that was supposed to be made in Iceland. When I got home, I saw the little label saying it was made in the Philippines. Those are only two examples, and I paid a lot for both items. I have had this problem quite a few times in recent years. This made me worry that Reutter was having their products made in China rather than Germany. I guess I was suspicious because it seems like even high priced articles with good reputations are being made in China or other similar places, and I was wondering if Reutter was doing the same thing. I hope they aren't. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 41 minutes ago, pawsplus said: I would guess that Reutter has been having their stuff made in China for a good long time. Everyone does that. It's just how it is these days. I would bet the items are more or less identical. I respectfully disagree, Elizabeth. I don't have many Reutter Porcellan items, but the ones I do have were made in Germany. The word "Germany" is part of their logo. I can't imagine that they would sully their fine reputation by subcontracting manufacturing to China. As to being more or less identical, that's what rip-offs are, something more or less identical to the original. If you had the original and the rip-off side by side and knew what you were looking for, I'd bet you could tell the difference. If you're willing to support the thieves who stole the designs and encourage them to steal more designs, then by all means buy the cheap stuff. Check out the Reutter Porzellan website for information about their manufacturing plant in Denkendorf, Germany. (If your computer doesn't automatically translate the site, click on the tiny British flag in the upper left corner of the frame.) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxenro Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 The company I work for sells medium to high end clothing. We have our wool for some items produced in Australia, dyed somewhere else, woven in Scotland, cut in another country. The buttons are made in a different country and the lining fabric from somewhere. The country on the label is the FINAL country they are assembled in. In a global economy country of origin is getting increasingly difficult. Even made in the USA seems to mean only the final product was assembled in the USA from components made elsewhere. Reutter all seems to be made in Germany but who knows how long they can compete? Looking at identical the two are I would say China copied it. I know with wargame figures they buy them and recast them (blatent ripoff's if you ask me) and sell them on eBay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathi17 Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 Apparently some of the products aren't made in Germany. The ones that are, are labeled made in Germany on the website. They do outsource several other companies to make their products. Here's just one of them: http://www.reutterporcelain.com/reutter-porzellan/wood-sewing-box-set-13238.asp I was also under the impression that all of their products were made in Germany. I am on the Reutter American site, I hadn't gotten to the German site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathi17 Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 This is also from the American site, saying they are primarily sourced from the USA and Europe:: http://www.reutterporcelain.com/prodcat/dollhouse-miniatures.asp Also on the site: Miniature Corner Incorporated Established in 1983 by Barbara Elster, our 2nd generation, family owned company was founded on the premise of offering unique, quality dollhouse miniatures with exceptional customer service. We pride ourselves in shipping most orders within 1-2 days and offer an above average wholesale industry fill rate. Currently we stock over 2000 items from a variety of specialized suppliers & manufacturers from Europe and USA. Most of these products are available online for purchase through this website or from any of our fine Miniature, Gift & Toy Retailers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 A couple of years ago I purchased an AGA oven from 'Hearth and Home Miniatures' in the UK.......it is handmade and excellent quality at £65............A couple of months ago I purchased an AGA oven from 'Reutter' at £34! Now wether the 'Reutter' is made in Germany, China or Timbuktu the difference (for the relatively small price difference) is staggering!.............The 'Reutter' sits in a drawer until I can be bothered to trash it! My opinion for what it's worth...........It does not matter where it's made..........It does matter how it's made..........I have 'Apple' desktop computers, tablet computers, phones and other beautifully made pieces................all made under licence in China! My brother has a 'VW Golf diesel car' which he purchased in good faith having read VW's excellent performance Vs. economy ratings...............they lied!............made in Germany! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 44 minutes ago, pawsplus said: Oh, Mike--I saw those in my search! They are gorgeous. Doors open and everything. But $145 is way out of my pay grade. :( Isn't it frustrating!........I can see a whole lot of goodies on some of your miniatures sites but the shipping almost doubles the cost and so it is with you! If I were standing for the Presidency I'd campaign for.............Free Shipping For Miniatures!........Both ways! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Shipping even small items from the US to Europe is ridiculously expensive. Also, back when Pit Ginsberg was still with us (you Bespaq fans know of whom I speak) the overseas factory his company outsourced to began making identical copies of his pieces and selling them dirt cheap, and I don't remember how long the lawsuit dragged on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxenro Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 25 minutes ago, MikeUK said: Isn't it frustrating!........I can see a whole lot of goodies on some of your miniatures sites but the shipping almost doubles the cost and so it is with you! If I were standing for the Presidency I'd campaign for.............Free Shipping For Miniatures!........Both ways! What you need to do is lump it all together into one order and have someone ship it to you. Companies often charge more for shipping than a private person can. So get someone to order all the things you want from the different US companies consolidate it together and send it to you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vbharrington Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 3 hours ago, kathi17 said: Apparently some of the products aren't made in Germany. The ones that are, are labeled made in Germany on the website. They do outsource several other companies to make their products. Here's just one of them: http://www.reutterporcelain.com/reutter-porzellan/wood-sewing-box-set-13238.asp I was also under the impression that all of their products were made in Germany. I am on the Reutter American site, I hadn't gotten to the German site. I've been following this thread, and find it very interesting. However, I looked at this link, and I can't tell where it is outsourced from - where did you find that info, I'd like to check other products as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggiemae Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 7 hours ago, jaxenro said: Reutter Porzellan is made in Germany they pay their workers quite a bit more and I would guess you aren't going to find any lead in the glaze or other things we aren't supposed to be using anymore. Honestly a lot of the Chinese stuff is cheap because they take things like Reutter and copy them so there is almost $0.00 development cost, they use shoddy materials, and safety standards are non existant Reutter manufactures in Denkendorf Germany. I avoid buying from china as a "good deal" is seldom a good deal for the people who make the stuff. I have a 10 minute tirade about Walmart but my soapbox is being refinished, so lets just sat that I don't shop there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodentraiser Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 What are the odds that someone in China stumbled on a bunch of Reutter sewing baskets, managed to take the oval off, and is now selling them to make a buck? There are a few things I have bought From China. I had one good experience and one bad experience. But unless I absolutely can't find it here in the US, I try to avoid buying anything from overseas. One of the things I noticed from China was all the different windows and doors. I prefer to support Houseworks (although for all I know they have their stuff made in China, too), but on one auction, I thought I saw Houseworks on the label of a window that is exclusively sold in China. Now I'm wondering if some of the companies here in the US aren't licensing some of their products to be sold there. I guess I could just call and ask Houseworks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxenro Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 I thought Houseworks said on their website they were made in Thailand and had been since they opened? I am ok with foreign companies if, like Houseworks, they make original and unique products. I don't like it when they steal someone else's designs and knock them off 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxenro Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Sorry Taiwan see the history here https://www.houseworksltd.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodentraiser Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Wow. Houseworks has only been around since 1975? For some reason, I thought it was a lot longer than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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