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Where to buy a real Yixing teapot

Posted: Jan 24th, '13, 15:15
by Simone
Hi!
I would buy an original handmade Yixing teapot for my oolong, or 2 teapots (one for low oxidation oolong, one for high oxidation oolong).
Where can I buy them online without spending a lot?

Thanks
Simone

Re: Where to buy a real Yixing teapot

Posted: Jan 24th, '13, 16:20
by tst
Hi Simone,

I think you'll need to be more specific, particularly when you say "without spending a lot". There are people around here that have bought pots for as low as you can imagine, up to the 4 to 5 figures amount. What constitutes "spending a lot" is as variable and individual as one's taste in tea.

The more specific you are the more detailed and helpful responses you're likely to receive. Good luck finding some pots that you'll be able to use for your needs :)

Re: Where to buy a real Yixing teapot

Posted: Jan 24th, '13, 17:13
by bagua7
1. Handmade
2. Real Yixing
3. Without spending too much
4. Online

You are asking for almost the impossible.

Try this:

http://tinyurl.com/ay9dmaa

Good luck.

Re: Where to buy a real Yixing teapot

Posted: Jan 25th, '13, 03:31
by Simone
I'm sorry, I've done search on the forum, but after I was a little bit confused and without answers, probably because of my not perfect English and my not ample knowledge of this matter.
I would buy 2 teapot, one for low oxidation oolong, one for high oxidation oolong, and with a good ratio quality/prize. I'm afraid I could buy some teapots without quality (swindle/cheat), because I have no experience of these tipe of teapot and no experience of sellers of these products.
I've seen on some site and on eBay some teapots, I would spend 30-40 $ to each one. It's a good price for a middle quality Yixing teapot? Could you advice me about some good seller?

Thanks a lot

Re: Where to buy a real Yixing teapot

Posted: Jan 25th, '13, 22:21
by tingjunkie
For that price range, I'd check out a shop on eBay called Wisdom China. I think this pot in particular might suit you well. This shop sells good entry level pots. Sadly you won't find mid level pots for $40 unless you get VERY lucky.

Re: Where to buy a real Yixing teapot

Posted: Jan 25th, '13, 22:29
by bagua7
Your budget is very tight for 2013 online prices; however you could pick and choose from the following hong ni pots, which are quite decent:

170mL
160mL

The first is better quality than the second one.

You can use one pot for all those teas since this clay type is not that porous; just add boiling water in the pot to get rid of any traces of the brewing.

Re: Where to buy a real Yixing teapot

Posted: Jan 26th, '13, 06:04
by Simone
ok, so I'm looking for a teapot of 50-60 $. I hope it's a good price.
Will I look for the same sellers that you have racommended or in other sites?

Thank you for your patience with my ignorance. :D

Re: Where to buy a real Yixing teapot

Posted: Jan 26th, '13, 06:49
by minor_glitch
I've never bought from them, so I can't vouch for quality, but http://www.puerhshop.com seems to have plenty of pots in your price range. Can't say I'm a fan of the sizes they carry though. Looks like nothing smaller than 120ml.

Re: Where to buy a real Yixing teapot

Posted: Jan 26th, '13, 10:31
by tingjunkie
I think to get a mid-level teapot (which is rather arbitrary as to what that actually means) you would need to look in the $100+ range. If you are willing to spend that much, I'd highly recommend Jing Tea Shop. For $50-$60, you might find something with decent clay at The Chinese Tea Shop, or the other stores already recommended.

Re: Where to buy a real Yixing teapot

Posted: Jan 30th, '13, 12:19
by Simone
Thanks you!! :D

Re: Where to buy a real Yixing teapot

Posted: Feb 3rd, '13, 05:20
by Simone
What do you think about these teapots? http://www.teaway.it/?a=117=category:pots

Re: Where to buy a real Yixing teapot

Posted: Feb 3rd, '13, 12:54
by minor_glitch
Can't say anything about the quality of those pots, but I like the shape of this one on that site: http://www.teaway.it/?p=waresdetail&t=page=161# Don't see that shape very often.

Re: Where to buy a real Yixing teapot

Posted: Feb 4th, '13, 15:44
by brunogm
I have a similar query but I am looking for something very specific.

I will have soon finished completing my teapot collection. So far I have acquired some very beautiful teapots. Some Korean from Tead off, some Japanese hagi and a nice one from Petr Novak.

I am only missing one, and only one, teapot to complete my collection. I need a top quality Yixing teapot.

A 70 ml to 90 ml teapot. I could consider 100 ml, but this is stretching it. Made in zhu ni but not in modern zhu ni.
I do not care who made it, a completely unknown potter is fine.

Price is not an issue, but what is an issue is that I do not want to get screwed and sold some imitation. I know there is never 100% certainty. I would be happy with a 95% confidence it is genuine clay.

I did not find anything suitable online, including among the reputable online vendors recommended here.

Also, if I find stuff that is called zhu ni but I do not want "modern" zhuni, when was "modern" zhu ni first made? 80's, 90's, 00's?

Re: Where to buy a real Yixing teapot

Posted: Feb 4th, '13, 16:42
by wyardley
As far as reliable sources of lao zhuni teapots, I don't know of a single completely reliable online source. What I can tell you is that you should probably expect to pay in the range of $400-1000 at a minimum for a credible old zhuni teapot, and even then, you may not reliably be able to be assured that it's not a fake. There are probably some credible (and expensive) sources in Asia, but even then, I think getting even a 95% certainty is going to be difficult.

Of the sources out there, I would probably put Hou De as one of the more reliable sources, and if you email the proprietor privately, he may have something that would be of interest to you. But (with all respect to Guang), I don't consider myself enough of an expert to say with any degree of confidence whether his old Zhuni pots are genuine. You could also try Best Tea House in Vancouver (call via phone), but I think the prices will be quite high.

So, my other suggestion is, buy some Yixing teapots that are more easily accessible (including some more modern zhuni pieces) and develop a little more experience, before trying to buy the sort of thing you're talking about here. Even fairly average zini pots from 1960s-80s are getting fairly expensive these days. I would also suggest spending some money on one of the two MAI foundation books, which have some great pictures of some older zhuni pieces. Doing your research ahead of time is great; and I understand your desire to make the "right" first purchase, but there's a reason Yixing collectors talk about tuition.

While zhuni pots do tend to be small, partially because of the high shrinkage (and high breakage) rate, from what I can understand, I think ones in the size range you mention will especially be difficult to find.

Really, you probably need to be buying from private collectors, which means, networking, time, experience, and building those relationships. To do those things, you need to build up some trust with a vendor or collector (in both directions), which won't happen overnight.

Re: Where to buy a real Yixing teapot

Posted: Feb 4th, '13, 18:09
by bagua7
As stated above + 1

Also the following HK-based vendor stocks old zhuni. Their prices reflect that...but are they at least 95% real according to your minimum requirement? I can't answer that. Maybe talk to the vendor and then see if you can make an informed decision, but I'm afraid it's still a high-risk kind of investment.