Start with the drinking experience, not a catalogue photograph
CBI identifies mugs and cups within ceramic dinnerware and discusses material, function and design. Use that product context to prepare a buyer specification rather than assuming all mugs with a similar photograph are interchangeable. Decide whether the product is a café workhorse, a retail gift or part of a coordinated tableware set. Those uses lead to different priorities for appearance, handling and replacement orders. This is a public-market procurement guide, not a completed OneBuyDesk project.
Make capacity and handle measurements comparable
Ask each seller to state the capacity measurement method: an advertised brimful capacity can differ from the practical serving volume. Record height, opening diameter, base diameter, unit weight and the material description. Add a drawing that identifies handle clearance and grip dimensions. Where stacking matters, show how the mug will be stored. Ask the supplier to identify deviations from the requested shape instead of silently substituting a similar model. Do not prescribe a universal tolerance; agree tolerances around the intended use and the supplier’s demonstrated production capability.
Approve the body and decoration as separate decisions
Request a sample of the proposed ceramic body and a sample using the actual proposed glaze, print or decal process. A plain stock sample cannot establish the quality of a customized decoration. Agree the placement and orientation of logos relative to the handle, the artwork revision, and how colour differences will be assessed. Keep an identified physical approval sample and dated photographs. Confirm the rights to any logo or illustration supplied for printing. If a supplier changes the glaze or decoration after approval, request a new review rather than treating the old sample as evidence for the new version.
Separate visual checks from safety and performance evidence
For a buyer-side sample review, note rim defects, visible cracks, uneven feet, handle discomfort and differences between units. These observations do not establish food-contact compliance or suitability for microwave or dishwasher use. Ask for product-specific documentation and the scope of any test report relevant to the intended destination and claimed use. Confirm requirements with a qualified laboratory or adviser before making a regulated or performance claim. A report for another shape or decoration should not be accepted as evidence without checking its applicability.
Specify a packing proposal before comparing freight
Ask for the proposed individual protection, inner box arrangement, outer carton dimensions, carton quantity and gross weight. Check whether mugs can strike one another or whether handle pressure is possible when packed. Decide whether the receiving warehouse needs individual retail boxes, barcode labels or mixed-colour segregation. Request a packed sample or clear packing photographs. If transport testing is needed, agree the method, sample and acceptance criteria with the responsible provider. Compare carton volume and packing cost together; a cheap unit quotation may require more protective packing or a different carton configuration.
RFQ template and a practical release gate
RFQ: [intended sales channel]; [material and reference model]; [capacity and measurement method]; [dimensions and handle drawing]; [glaze and decoration]; [artwork revision]; [order quantity]; [packing and barcode requirements]; [destination]; [documentation and testing scope]. Ask sellers to list sample fees, artwork or tooling charges, product price, packing price and shipping terms separately. Before releasing an order, confirm the approved version, packing proposal, written inspection criteria and change-control process. Send the same specification to all shortlisted suppliers, so the comparison explains what is included rather than simply ranking prices.