FAQ

The great majority of the mugs are pre-owned and put through an extensive reconditioning process as needed.  If a mug is new it will be clearly stated in the condition tab for that particular mug.

No. All of the mugs available on this site have been acquired second hand.  We do not purchase from any particular manufacturer or claim to officially represent, sell, or distribute any brand’s products.  In addition we do not maintain inventory of any product purchased directly from any manufacturer.

The vast majority of our mugs will not come with the original box but there are some that do. The mug's description will state if the box is included and detailed photos of the box will be present.

No, we manufacture none. All of the mugs we carry are vintage, hard to find, and out of print. They are mugs which were manufactured during their original production run by the original manufacturer. In practically all cases these mugs are no longer being manufactured.

This is a massive understatement to say the least.  Each mug goes through an extensive reconditioning process as needed.  Any surface scratches and surface wear from the bottom rim that are present are removed, and the interior and exterior are thoroughly cleaned.

Since we list each copy of a mug on our site individually, these are how we can tell copies of the same mug apart.

Height refers to the height of the mug from a surface it's sitting on to the top rim. Mugs are not exactly the same height at every point that could be measured. We measure one point and assume the rest will be fairly close.  The diameter is a similar situation, like the height this could vary.  We always measure the diameter starting at the handle across to the opposite side and like the height, assume the rest will be fairly close.

We strive to carry mugs that are in the best possible condition. However minor imperfections may exist.  If there are any condition issues present on a certain mug, these will be noted in the description section in an entry titled "Condition note" or in a tab titled "Condition."  In addition we use arrows to point to any imperfections that we would specifically like to show.  Please read any condition notes that may exist and look carefully at the 6 photos provided to get a complete picture of a mug's condition. We try very hard to catch every possible issue but looking at the photos is particularly important just in case we missed something.  If any questions remain please contact us at admin@mugbarista.com.

Here's a list of the most common terms we use on our site when describing a mug:

Bottom rim: refers to the area on the bottom of the mug that is raised from the rest of the bottom surface.  It is often unfinished and therefore more susceptible to staining and discoloration.

Crazing: this imperfection occurs on the surface of a mug.  It may appear on the outer or inner surfaces or both.  It appears as fine lines that randomly travel throughout the mug and can look like fine cracks in the surface.  Although we tend to avoid carrying any mugs that have crazing, if we do have one with any crazing at all it will be clearly stated in the mug's description.

Front: for the purpose of this site we refer to the front of the mug being the surface you are looking at when the handle is positioned to your right.  In almost all cases this view is the first photo presented on the mug's page.

Pedestal: this type of mug sits on a seperate base.  It's usually a completely different shape than the rest of the mug.  Sometimes referred to as a footed mug.Pitting: this imperfection is a group of tiny holes present on a mug.  It may occur anywhere on the mug but is most common on the bottom rim.

Rear: for the purpose of this site we refer to the rear of the mug being the surface you are looking at when the handle is positioned to your left. In almost all cases this view is the third photo presented on the mug's page.

Rim: refers to the top edge of a mug. This is where you would drink from.