Reputable online source?

[Tiki]

I didn't want to derail Cadillac's thread with this so new thread.

Where's a good (read reliable shipper) for affordable pots these days? My main go to back in the day was the monks. But sadly they don't sell online no more. Nor do they vendor at events. I've heard of a group on Facebook for cheap stuff but, I don't have Facebook and don't plan on it. This may be my best source for them as far as I can tell.

I try to catch local club events and conventions to fulfill my never ending lust for bonsai containers. But thoes only happen every few months.

I've browsed websites such as eastenleaf. Anyone done business with them?
EBay "can" be an ok place. .but sooo many scammers on their, I scared. Lol

Not looking for one of a kind pots, tho I have a few. Sara Raynor, Dale Cahoy and others.
Just looking for a supplier of affordable wears.

 

[Paradox]

Eastern Leaf is a fine source

Bonsaivision
http://www.bonsaivision.com/

Iker Bonsai
http://www.ikerbonsaipots.com/

Bonsai Outlet
http://www.bonsaioutlet.com/

Nitju Clayworks
http://www.nitju.com/

I have purchased from all 5 with no problems

 

[JudyB]

Paradox has some good recommendations. I use Iker a bit. Take a look at FB Bonsai auction pages, they are closed groups, and as such it's a tight community and no problems that I've run across buying there. I have also never had problems buying off Ebay.

 

[Tiki]

Excellent!
Thank you both for your input. I'm travelling atm and won't be home for two more months but I'll update this with my results as it happens.
I figured while I'm out and about I can still find who's worth dealing with and who I'd be wasting my time. .and money.
Really tho...thanks you all.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Etsy.com has some nice pots depends on the listings..but, some of the sweetest pots I have...came from FB auction sites for the most part. It's allowed me to acquire some really nice material for an affordable price. Unique pieces a well. Like this small accent pot. One other thing...there are some amazing potters that list on those FB auction sites. That don't have a website...

 

[sorce]

I'm an Iker fan.

Your boy @hometeamrocker makes dope stuff too...
What's up with the website HTR?

Sorce

 

[Waldo Street Pottery]

I'm an Iker fan.

Your boy @hometeamrocker makes dope stuff too...
What's up with the website HTR?

Sorce

The site really is being built, and this time, I really mean it. I don't have an eta, but hopefully another month and it will go live. Meanwhile, see my FB page Waldo Street Pottery, I'd love your feedback.

 

[sorce]

The site really is being built, and this time, I really mean it. I don't have an eta, but hopefully another month and it will go live. Meanwhile, see my FB page Waldo Street Pottery, I'd love your feedback.

I looked through the photos...

I really love that yellow lotus..

But the square holes still scare the shit out of me!

Sorce

 

[Waldo Street Pottery]

I looked through the photos...

I really love that yellow lotus..

But the square holes still scare the shit out of me!

Sorce

Yeah, no more square holes for me... The cat helped me do away with that pot proving square holes are cursed.

 

[Eric Group]

I didn't want to derail Cadillac's thread with this so new thread.

Where's a good (read reliable shipper) for affordable pots these days? My main go to back in the day was the monks. But sadly they don't sell online no more. Nor do they vendor at events. I've heard of a group on Facebook for cheap stuff but, I don't have Facebook and don't plan on it. This may be my best source for them as far as I can tell.

I try to catch local club events and conventions to fulfill my never ending lust for bonsai containers. But thoes only happen every few months.

I've browsed websites such as eastenleaf. Anyone done business with them?
EBay "can" be an ok place. .but sooo many scammers on their, I scared. Lol

Not looking for one of a kind pots, tho I have a few. Sara Raynor, Dale Cahoy and others.
Just looking for a supplier of affordable wears.

I have been buying and selling on EBay for probably 5+ years and never been scammed. No clue where you're getting that from. If buying on EBay you are protected by EBay AND Pay Pal... And your sellers' reps can be ruined by a negative review! The worst that has ever happened to me on EBay is ordering things from China or Japan can take a long time... As long as you order from a reputable seller with lots of activity, and order things you can feel safe about receiving by mail, you won't have any problems! Generally you can find the best deals on EBay by going straight to the country of origin for containers. China and Japan sellers will sometimes drop stuff for about half what a good pot goes for in today's American market! I just recently paid like $58 for a Koyo with a crazy Namako glaze that- even in the small size I got- I could never find for less than $100 from an American seller!

If you refuse to get FB, it is your loss. You will find stuff on those sites you will never see anywhere else, and you will see a lot of the same sellers from eBay and the sites mentioned by posters above direct selling wares through those FB pages, generally they offer stuff not already on their websites because it would be a conflict if it was purchased two places at the same time! ALSO, The most popular FB pages are auctions! So, you can find pots at a steal if nobody is bidding against you sometimes. I got a fantastic pot from Eli- @hometeamrocker (I see he chimed in just a minute ago!) a member here- recently on the Bonsai Auctions page and it was like $10-15 less than one I had talked to him about buying previously! I couldn't believe nobody else bid on it...

It seems Bonsai folks in America right now are stuck on Japanese pots, but there are some fantastic American potters out there now! Jim Barret, Eli Akins, Roy Miniari (sells on FB sometimes fromright here in SC), Ross Adams, Lynn August (sells almost every week on FB and I have never seen her stuff anywhere else!), Sonny Boggs, Dan Laxdall... A long list, I could keep going- no offense to anyone left out (or anyone's name I misspelled)! I don't see there being as big of a difference between American and Japanese glazed pots as there once was.... The unglazed, particularly the "fancy rectangles" and the red/ brown clay with the "burnished"look, Windows and sharp lines, fancy cloud feet, carvings.... All that stuff is better in Japan by far! Someone mentioned Bonsai Vision above and they are bringing in some "exhibition quality" Yixing pots from China that are fantastic! I bought two so far... Some of the best glazes around, good solid pots, great shapes! Not QUITE as expensive perhaps as Tokoname stuff, but they are pretty damn close!

People who just feel they are too "cool" or too old or too... "Unplugged" or whatever their Hangup is about being on FB are missing out! Don't want your info out there? Make up a fake name! There must be a dozen people with the name "Bonsai ____" or whatever... Worried about "scams"? Mods don't deal with BS vendors, they get the boot after one or two bad transactions! If you are worried, use Pay Pal, pay to a vendor not a friend and you are protected by their buyer's protection! It is a great site for viewing bonsai pics, keeping up with bonsai professionals... Seriously FB is about a lot more than viewing other people's baby pics or going all "creeper" on cute girls now!

 

[Waldo Street Pottery]

I have been buying and selling on EBay for probably 5+ years and never been scammed. No clue where you're getting that from. If buying on EBay you are protected by EBay AND Pay Pal... And your sellers' reps can be ruined by a negative review! The worst that has ever happened to me on EBay is ordering things from China or Japan can take a long time... As long as you order from a reputable seller with lots of activity, and order things you can feel safe about receiving by mail, you won't have any problems! Generally you can find the best deals on EBay by going straight to the country of origin for containers. China and Japan sellers will sometimes drop stuff for about half what a good pot goes for in today's American market! I just recently paid like $58 for a Koyo with a crazy Namako glaze that- even in the small size I got- I could never find for less than $100 from an American seller!

If you refuse to get FB, it is your loss. You will find stuff on those sites you will never see anywhere else, and you will see a lot of the same sellers from eBay and the sites mentioned by posters above direct selling wares through those FB pages, generally they offer stuff not already on their websites because it would be a conflict if it was purchased two places at the same time! ALSO, The most popular FB pages are auctions! So, you can find pots at a steal if nobody is bidding against you sometimes. I got a fantastic pot from Eli- @hometeamrocker (I see he chimed in just a minute ago!) a member here- recently on the Bonsai Auctions page and it was like $10-15 less than one I had talked to him about buying previously! I couldn't believe nobody else bid on it...

It seems Bonsai folks in America right now are stuck on Japanese pots, but there are some fantastic American potters out there now! Jim Barret, Eli Akins, Roy Miniari (sells on FB sometimes fromright here in SC), Ross Adams, Lynn August (sells almost every week on FB and I have never seen her stuff anywhere else!), Sonny Boggs, Dan Laxdall... A long list, I could keep going- no offense to anyone left out (or anyone's name I misspelled)! I don't see there being as big of a difference between American and Japanese glazed pots as there once was.... The unglazed, particularly the "fancy rectangles" and the red/ brown clay with the "burnished"look, Windows and sharp lines, fancy cloud feet, carvings.... All that stuff is better in Japan by far! Someone mentioned Bonsai Vision above and they are bringing in some "exhibition quality" Yixing pots from China that are fantastic! I bought two so far... Some of the best glazes around, good solid pots, great shapes! Not QUITE as expensive perhaps as Tokoname stuff, but they are pretty damn close!

People who just feel they are too "cool" or too old or too... "Unplugged" or whatever their Hangup is about being on FB are missing out! Don't want your info out there? Make up a fake name! There must be a dozen people with the name "Bonsai ____" or whatever... Worried about "scams"? Mods don't deal with BS vendors, they get the boot after one or two bad transactions! If you are worried, use Pay Pal, pay to a vendor not a friend and you are protected by their buyer's protection! It is a great site for viewing bonsai pics, keeping up with bonsai professionals... Seriously FB is about a lot more than viewing other people's baby pics or going all "creeper" on cute girls now!

Thanks for the plug EG... I have a thought on the part of your quote in bold... Ron Lang is/has done some fantastic unglazed pots with windows, etc., that I have seen at Bonsai Mirai/Artisans Cup, unreal work! And, this is an opinion and not factual; it seems that many of the Japanese rectangles I see with the features you describe seem to be made using molds. They still use their hands to press the clay, but I don't consider this handmade, and I think most western potters want a handmade feel to their (our) pots. I may be wrong, I'm no authority on Japanese pots, but of those I regularly see, I feel they are made this way. Likely a question for the Ryan Bell and Matt Ouwinga set.

 

[Cadillactaste]

The site really is being built, and this time, I really mean it. I don't have an eta, but hopefully another month and it will go live. Meanwhile, see my FB page Waldo Street Pottery, I'd love your feedback.

Dude! That's your pottery!?! Didn't know that...but have wished to know where to pick up some. Will look forward to when you do get your site available. Sweet stuff...your quite talented!

 

[rockm]

People really aren't "stuck" on Japanese pots nowadays. It's just that market dynamics have shifted dramatically in the last five years or so. Japanese pots (of excellent quality) have become very VERY easy to get and at prices that have become competitive with western potters. The pots coming into the U.S. now are a lot better than the Tokoname stuff that was being imported sporadically in the last 20 years or so--in other words better than you could get from BonsaiMonk in it's heyday (I know, I used to order from them).

As has been said, get on Facebook and join the Bonsai Auctions group. Importers like Matt Ouwinga and others are importing loads of bonsai pots sourced from Japanese bonsai nurseries. And yeah, there are true "handmade" pots from master makers (some now deceased), as well as "molded pots" (which aren't really a bad thing, if you understand how Japanese bonsai pots are made).

I sound like a mindless booster, but I have been buying bonsai pots for a very long time now.

Japanese pots (good to excellent ones) have always either been too hard to locate, or priced astronomically. That pricing model has been pretty much smashed and reconstructed. I bought a 20" x 9" (roughly) Yamaaki grey rectangle pot from Matt for about $180 last summer. It was signed and probably made using a form but hand finished. It is older--probably made in the 1980's early 1990s and carries an old, weathered patina (which Western pots don't have--yet). A custom, or even stock, pot that size from a noted western potter would be $100 to $200 more than that. I've made a point in collecting western potters over the years. Some have become pretty pricey.

The economic downturn in Japan is pushing prices down and availability up for bonsai pots. They've become a commodity there.

Certainly look into folks like Ron Lang and other Western potters They are making terrific stuff. Their works also show up on FB auctions.

If you're still looking at Ebay and ignoring Facebook, you're missing 90 percent of what's available online.

 

[Eric Group]

Thanks for the plug EG... I have a thought on the part of your quote in bold... Ron Lang is/has done some fantastic unglazed pots with windows, etc., that I have seen at Bonsai Mirai/Artisans Cup, unreal work! And, this is an opinion and not factual; it seems that many of the Japanese rectangles I see with the features you describe seem to be made using molds. They still use their hands to press the clay, but I don't consider this handmade, and I think most western potters want a handmade feel to their (our) pots. I may be wrong, I'm no authority on Japanese pots, but of those I regularly see, I feel they are made this way. Likely a question for the Ryan Bell and Matt Ouwinga set.

I think you are right about the molds- Ken and John were talking about that the other day when I was over there. I haven't seen the Ron Lang pots you are talking about but he is certainly a talented potter I did not mention! I am far from an expert, just sighting my observations since I have "gotten into" pots. Til about a year or two back I never cared much what my pot looked like as long as it help the tree upright... Then I got caught up in "flashy" glazes, then I started trying to figure out why some were $20 and some were $200... And it has been an obsession spiraling out of control ever since! I was showing off the pot I got from you this weekend- great piece! Wish I had a good picture of it to post here... Maybe I can take one tonight!

 

[Eric Group]

People really aren't "stuck" on Japanese pots nowadays. It's just that market dynamics have shifted dramatically in the last five years or so. Japanese pots (of excellent quality) have become very VERY easy to get and at prices that have become competitive with western potters. The pots coming into the U.S. now are a lot better than the Tokoname stuff that was being imported sporadically in the last 20 years or so--in other words better than you could get from BonsaiMonk in it's heyday (I know, I used to order from them).

As has been said, get on Facebook and join the Bonsai Auctions group. Importers like Matt Ouwinga and others are importing loads of bonsai pots sourced from Japanese bonsai nurseries. And yeah, there are true "handmade" pots from master makers (some now deceased), as well as "molded pots" (which aren't really a bad thing, if you understand how Japanese bonsai pots are made).

I sound like a mindless booster, but I have been buying bonsai pots for a very long time now.

Japanese pots (good to excellent ones) have always either been too hard to locate, or priced astronomically. That pricing model has been pretty much smashed and reconstructed. I bought a 20" x 9" (roughly) Yamaaki grey rectangle pot from Matt for about $180 last summer. It was signed and probably made using a form but hand finished. It is older--probably made in the 1980's early 1990s and carries an old, weathered patina (which Western pots don't have--yet). A custom, or even stock, pot that size from a noted western potter would be $100 to $200 more than that. I've made a point in collecting western potters over the years. Some have become pretty pricey.

The economic downturn in Japan is pushing prices down and availability up for bonsai pots. They've become a commodity there.

Certainly look into folks like Ron Lang and other Western potters They are making terrific stuff. Their works also show up on FB auctions.

If you're still looking at Ebay and ignoring Facebook, you're missing 90 percent of what's available online.

Good stuff Rockm.. And I probably could have used a better wording than "stuck" to describe the popularity of Japanese pots right now... I think you made some excellent points! Matt is always selling pots on FB, and he has a big EBay presence as well... Nel Son is another guy on there I have bought a few pots from and he is a super nice guys with great stuff. Nathan has great pots as well.... And I do not know if they have or are associated with a nursery that has a website. Scott lee has fantastic trees and some good pots sometimes too, and a I think he sells on FB also.

Many of the vendors on FB- like myself- are regular Joes with 9-5 jobs who sell this stuff on the side! You damn sure won't find any of my little pre-bonsai on a website, and I quit SELLING through eBay a while back because of the excessive fees... I still find great prices for stuff to buy from there though!

 

[rockm]

Also FWIW, the Japanese pots that are coming into the U.S. now are better and can be cheaper than the new high-end Chinese Yixing pots that are being imported now. I have several of those high-end Yixing pots and have been a bit disappointed in how they wear over time. they tend to get leaching stains on them that aren't easily removed, for instance. Older Japanese pots don't do that.

 

[rockm]

Also, Ron Lang's old wood fired pots are apparently going away in favor of a gas kiln... I don't know what the details are, but his website says he's moved into his new home south of Wilmington NC. Jeez, his wood ash glazes were one of the reasons I love his pottery.

From his web site:

"Announcement: We have moved our home and business to North Carolina. We want to thank our many friends and patrons who have purchased our containers and supported us at our annual Kiln Openings for the last seven years.
We intend to continue making bonsai pots after we have settled into our new home and studio. Until that time we will post our available stock on this web site. These pieces are the last of our wood fired stock as we move forward to our new location, a new studio and a new style of firing."

Another announcement;
"We will be occupying our new studio in Southport, NC by May 15, 2016. We hope to have the studio up and running by the end of the summer. The best time to place an order would be in June, when the dust has cleared. Our web site will be updated periodically with new glaze samples as we document the characteristics of the propane gas kiln. We are looking forward to the routine and comfort of working again."

 

[watchndsky]

Also, Ron Lang's old wood fired pots are apparently going away in favor of a gas kiln... I don't know what the details are, but his website says he's moved into his new home south of Wilmington NC. Jeez, his wood ash glazes were one of the reasons I love his pottery.

From his web site:

"Announcement: We have moved our home and business to North Carolina. We want to thank our many friends and patrons who have purchased our containers and supported us at our annual Kiln Openings for the last seven years.
We intend to continue making bonsai pots after we have settled into our new home and studio. Until that time we will post our available stock on this web site. These pieces are the last of our wood fired stock as we move forward to our new location, a new studio and a new style of firing."

Another announcement;
"We will be occupying our new studio in Southport, NC by May 15, 2016. We hope to have the studio up and running by the end of the summer. The best time to place an order would be in June, when the dust has cleared. Our web site will be updated periodically with new glaze samples as we document the characteristics of the propane gas kiln. We are looking forward to the routine and comfort of working again."

wish i had known -i was just in southport three weeks ago.

 

[Waldo Street Pottery]

Thanks Cadillac and EGroup, good words... Great thread all, keep it going. I'm throwing pots later today, can't wait. It's been 3 weeks since throwing anything and I bet the Kiln Gods have goodies waiting for me at the studio!