Translate the contents into meals
List the quantities of dinner plates, smaller plates, bowls, mugs and serving pieces. Decide which of those pieces belong in an ordinary meal at home. If you need a dinner plate and a bowl for each person, the smaller of those two quantities limits the number of matching settings.
For a hypothetical example, a 16-piece box containing four dinner plates, four side plates, four bowls and four mugs provides four settings of that combination. It does not serve sixteen people, and the mugs add little purchase value if your cupboard already has enough.
Think about how often the dishwasher runs and whether one set per person is enough between washes. You may want a few extra everyday bowls rather than another complete set. Count those additions before comparing a larger box with a smaller one.
Check the shape as well as the diameter
Compare plate dimensions with your cupboard, dishwasher and the space available at the table. A wide rim leaves a different eating area from a flatter plate with the same outside diameter. Bowls also vary in depth and shape, so a stated capacity can be more informative than a styled photograph.
If possible, compare the dimensions with a piece you already use comfortably. Consider whether the bowl suits your usual meal rather than an imagined dinner party. A shallow pasta bowl and a deep cereal bowl may both be called bowls but do not replace each other for every use.
Read the care information piece by piece
Confirm the manufacturer's instructions for dishwashing, microwaving and any other use you require. Do not assume that all pieces in a mixed set have the same permissions, particularly when decoration or different materials are involved.
Check stacking space and the weight you will lift from a high cupboard. If you can inspect a sample, see how the pieces sit together. Buying online, look for dimensions of the stack or ask the retailer when storage clearance is tight.
Find out how an incomplete set would be repaired
Search for a single plate or bowl from the same range. Note whether it can be ordered separately and what delivery would add. Present availability is useful information, although it cannot guarantee that the range will remain on sale indefinitely.
Inspect a delivered set before discarding its packaging. Count the contents against the list and check for transit damage, following the seller's reporting process if something is wrong. Once you know the complete, usable quantity, divide the delivered cost by the number of settings you actually need. That figure gives a clearer comparison than the headline piece count.
