Hi philhuber,
Yours is the type of question that is sometimes left alone by
researchers because it is open-ended. Your personal taste, budget,
experience, location, expectations, and goals are unknown and, even
with the help of Question Clarification, it is difficult, within the
Google Answers guidelines, to feel as confident as we'd like in
posting an excellent answer.
Having said that, since I have a background in art and framing, I'm
going to make a couple of observations and try to give you some
direction for your search.
Picture frames (we're talking now about "readymades" as opposed to
length moulding) come in a dizzying variety of designs and materials.
They can be made out of all sorts of wood, metals, glass, ceramics,
plastic, various combinations of those things, and probably some
materials I'm overlooking. They can be traditional, contemporary,
eclectic, and anywhere in between. Prices can range from dirt cheap to
breathtakingly expensive. Sizes vary from sub-miniature to huge.
Packaging can sometimes be an issue.
You indicate in your question that you want access to a variety of
readymade frames. You also mention Mexico as a possible source. While
it is, it is more likely that your best sources will be Asian.
I'm just going to post a couple of websites to start you off and
you'll want to take it from there. This is not going to be a "catalog"
approach, as buying from a U.S. wholesaler often is. What you're
looking for will require direct correspondence with foreign
wholesale/manufacturing sources to get adequate product information.
Be prepared to put forth some effort to acquire the best source(s) for
your needs.
Here's a site that lists several possible sources (in China, Colombia,
Turkey, etc. - there is even a source for inflatable PVC frames):
http://www.trade-india.com/dyn/gdh/tradeleads/sell/Office_Supplies/Photography_and_Optics/Frames_and_Display/
Here's a Malaysian source:
http://www.ebigchina.com/msg_details.phtml?mid=39646&lang=en
Here's another Malaysian company:
http://e-directory.com.my/web/sw-searchdetails.asp?MembershipID=3712&Reference=3712
This is a Taiwan company offering a variety of acrylic picture frames:
http://www.acrylicpro.com.tw/index.htm
If you really want to see some variety, go to this site, then "drill
down" to "furniture and interior decoration", then "picture and photo
frames" You will get a list of 563 companies.
http://www.asianproducts.com/
Here's a Mexican company that "provides you direct access to quality
handcrafted products throughout México". You'll need to register with
them and provide a tax ID before they'll give you full access to their
site, but they do promise : "information on handmade products with a
picture of the work. You will also find listings of events and
services related to art and crafts":
http://www.mexicodirecto.com/cgi-bin/secure/inicio.asp
Other approaches you can take would include visiting Mexico in person
to seek out sources. This, of course, is time consuming and more
costly, but the people I know who have been the most successful in
importing Latin American goods have all spent a great deal of time in
the area getting to know people and finding sources.
You might also consider attending trade shows in the U.S. One source
of information about those in Las Vegas and New York is the ASD/AMD
Trade Shows: http://www.merchandisegroup.com/asd-buyinfo.shtml
The biggest U.S. picture framing trade show is probably the PPFA's
(Professional Picture Framers Association), this year to be held in
Las Vegas in March: http://www.ppfa.com/
I think the sites listed above should give a good running start on
your quest. The Asian sites tend to dominate because (1) they are very
aggressive marketers, (2) they offer an enormous range of product, (3)
they have a huge Internet presence, and (4) they provide English
language marketing support.
Thanks for your question. If you have any questions about my answer,
please post a Request for Clarification before rating it.
Good luck in your search.
ericynot-ga
Primary Google searches used:
picture frame manufacturer OR wholesale import
picture frames manufacturer mexico
picture frames wholesale import mexico |
