Categories

One shop, several craft traditions. A category opens only when a named maker, real objects and their documents are in hand.

How a category is admitted

Every category and every maker is scored against seven dimensions before a single piece is listed. The two heaviest dimensions are logistics and margin: for fragile objects made by hand, those are the real constraints, not the story.

DimensionWeightWhat it tests
D1 · Category fit15Is the work genuinely non-standard, hand-made and rooted in a living craft tradition, or is it homogeneous?
D2 · Narrative and provenance20Can the maker, the place and the evidence be verified, and can they be understood outside China?
D3 · Logistics and fulfilment20Weight, volume, fragility, breakage and return cost. Large or fragile forms are excluded rather than over-packed.
D4 · Unit price and margin15Can one piece carry the cost of cross-border delivery and still leave a defensible margin?
D5 · Capacity and zero-stock fit10Is made-to-order or consignment workable, and can the maker sustain a small annual output?
D6 · Compliance and intellectual property10Material testing, export documentation, image rights and the accuracy of every public claim.
D7 · Series and audience extension10Can a body of work develop over time without turning into volume production?

Total 100. The two heaviest dimensions, logistics and margin, account for 35 points between them.

80 and aboveAdmit
70-79Admit after changes
60-69Single-piece trial only
Below 60Decline

These dimensions assess whether a craft belongs here. They are not sales targets: this shop does not optimise for unit volume or turnover, and a piece is never listed to fill a shelf.

Why four categories have no pieces

No photograph, no measurement, no certificate: no listing. Inventing objects for a category that is still being assessed would make every other claim on this site harder to believe.

Each preparing category publishes its craft, its place of origin and the conditions a piece must meet before it can appear. Enquiries are welcome while that work continues.