Q: I have the discontinued Wedgwood pattern "Chinese Flowers".
Why do manufacturers discontinue patterns that are seemingly still popular?
A:
I am sure that although patterns like Wedgwood "Chinese Flowers" are very popular in the second
hand market today, they were simply not bringing in enough revenue to warrant continued production
of the patterns.
I have heard that sometimes patterns are discontinued because of a shortage, or tremendous increase
in the expense of a necessary production resource like raw materials, equipment, or skilled labor.
By and large however, the marketplace demand is what makes or breaks the continued production of
a pattern. I think it is safe to say that any pattern that consistently meets or exceeds the
acceptable profit margins that a manufacturer requires will not be discontinued. Patterns
whose sales or profits start to slip must be phased out in order to allocate production resources
for new patterns that may be more profitable.
Occasionally, if demand is large enough, a company will reintroduce a discontinued pattern.
Another factor to keep in mind is that most patterns in the second hand market have cycles of
popularity too. Part of the reason that your pattern is in great demand now is simply a result
of the time that the pattern was introduced and discontinued.
When groupings of individuals with a particular pattern learn that their pattern is discontinued,
there tends to be a wave of demand that lasts for a period of years while the group as a whole
tries to buy what they need to finish out their individual sets. At this time in the cycle,
the pattern is very scarce.
As time passes, more pieces make their way in to the second hand market. Some people get
frustrated because that can't complete their sets, so they sell their pieces. Some people
get tired of, or bored with their sets or move on to another decorating style and their old
china is no longer appropriate for their decor. Others never entertain and they decide they
would rather have the cash proceeds of the set to spend on something that they will get more
use from. Still other sets become available due to inevitable misfortunes of life like
financial troubles, divorce and deaths. When the pattern reaches this point, obviously the
supply is more plentiful and then many looking for the pattern can get what they want.
If you love your incomplete discontinued pattern then hold out, your turn will come and you
can most likely get the pieces that you need. If you are not crazy about your pattern, then
consider selling what you have so that you can get something that you like better and someone
else can make use of the pieces that you have.
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