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Teddybears Sweden
I'm getting desperate here! Is the selling slow at the moment or is it just my bears that can't find homes?! 
I have a big bunch of bears here that needs to be adopted and I have tried Ebay, Bearpile, my homepage and putting them out on Teddy Talk.
Any ideas what else to do? I'm really starting to doubt on my creativity and my bears...!:( Would be nice to hear about you guys, do you sell at the moment?
My suggestion will take a bit of time, but might help - in your situation, I would try writing a nice article and taking some lovely pics and sending them to a magazine. It may be that a bit of extra promotion will help to let people know who and where you are. Also, it may be worth taking a magazine advertisement to promote your website.
I keep a database of all my customers and always let them know whenever I have a new bear to introduce on the website. You could also try sending a 'special offer' to your customers, promising a discount if they purchase by 'such and such' date.
I tend to think that if sales are very slow for you, perhaps you're not getting the exposure you need to let collectors know about your work, so keep working on that side of things.
Good luck!
Bears by JodiHang in there your bears are very nice,We all struggle at times. No rhyme or reason.I sell really good then hit a wall , then sell real good then hit a wall.WHY ? Wish I knew. But I don't get a chance to travel because of my full time job so building a collector base has been slower for me at this point.And life just gets in the way ... like right now for me . Just keep going and enjoy what you do for
and the rest will fall into place.
Teddybears SwedenThanks guys! I will hopefully take down that stupid wall soon.... just need a hammer... 
We all get doubts Jennie..I am sitting with 14 bears and various others around me finishing off for my fair on Sunday thinking 'will anyone like them'.
I do think none of us are above looking critically at our work and especially at times when pieces are selling slower or not selling at all. I have made changes to my designs some I am pleased with and that reflects in the fast sales. I have had other sojourns into designs that weren't so successful and will never appear again. My sister is a great one for telling me how it really is...I am waiting with baited breath for her to come home from work today to see two sleepy eyed bears I have done. This will work one of two ways..she'll either go ' Oh they're lovely'...or., more usually...'What have you done there...I don't know whether I like that...' So it could be firework night tonight as well as last night!!
Seriously I think things are slower but it's a good a time as any to evaluate you work and look for ways to evolve and attract buyers. I have found some sell ultra quick while others hang around a bit...but generally the feeling is that sales are slower overall.
Country BearsJennie, I'm having the same problem, in fact it's an AGE OLD problem for me... 
You're not alone!
Start a mailing list, if you have not already done that
Ellen
I can't seem to do that Ellen, how can I get people to join a mailing list? :doh: Another AGE OLD problem of mine!! 
I do know that it's really hard to stay positive at these times!! 
BrisbaneJennie...keep your chin up, you are definitely not alone...I can't seem to give my bears away at the moment!!! 
For whatever reason Ebay just hasn't seemed to be working for me and like you I'm putting my bears out there in lots of different places...none of it seems to work.
I have a couple of things coming up in magazines and am hoping that may make some difference.
here is a link the the post I posted the other day...there are some good ideas in here...
http://www.teddy-talk.com/viewtopic.php?id=11219
Anyway the bottom line is that it is not your bears...thay are lovely, please don't lose heart, I think we just have to keep trying and eventually it will work :hug: :hug:
Posts: 1,836Ellen Borggreve wrote:Start a mailing list, if you have not already done that
EllenI can't seem to do that Ellen, how can I get people to join a mailing list? :doh: Another AGE OLD problem of mine!!
:whistle:
Starting a mailing can be tough at first. but it's very doable I have a link on my homepage right now and I plan to add a "share with a friend" link..so that people can share my site with anyone they think might enjoy. (the programming part of that is over my head, my hub is trying to make it work)
Each time I had/have a new creation for sale I create an email for friends, family, coworkers, old coworkers, etc and ask them to pass the email along to anyone they wish (the email holds my web link and mentions joining my mailing list). If you do shows have a book (address book size) that allows people to give you their first name and email address. Keep a book in your bag when you go out, you never know when a conversation will strike when a business card and email list "invitation" will come in handy. (using business cards as an "invitation" is always nice...makes it more special. "I hope you enjoy visiting my site and feel free to send me an email to let me know what you think!") Sending out cards/postcards (like Ellen mentioned) is a good practice. I did it with my jewelry biz and people really appreciated it and came back for future shows and sales. This piece might sound a little crazy, but take advantage of free advertising. Print up a dozen or so full color/ full page "advertisements", make them bold and not cluttered. Have precut tear tabs at the bottom with your website and biz name. Hang them in any supermarket ,clubcard market, or business that has a public ad board. People always check out those boards; one or 2 may be your next collector.
I plan to use magazine advertising within a the year, but for now I'm doing as many little things that I can...it can't ever hurt!! 
:hug:
~Chrissi
Chaska, MinnesotaHello Jennie: I am no expert here and I don't sell my bears (my family seem to glaum on to them before they are finished and.... I sew very slowly). So I may be off base with this advice. I got to thinking about your dilemma. I wonder if you could go to successful businesses in your area (high end places come to mind) and see if they will have your bears displayed in a window or on the counter. I'm thinking the classier the store the better because people who have money shop at the high-end stores. They will have the money to pay what you want. Select stores that are independently owned. This way you are dealing with the owner. Now you would have to work out a commission with the owner but you would have the traffic of buyers (who also have money). This is the holiday season and people are out buying so if you develop those relationships and sell on commission, everybody wins.
What kind of store you may ask? Well think like a man who is looking for his wife or girlfriend...clothing stores, candy stores or ice-cream stores (that’s right, get the crying kid who "wants that bear"), Flower shops or any kind of specialty store. ...as long as it is in and expensive part of the city and sells quality stuff....Oh another thought would be linking up with a catering business who does big events (big corperations hire them for the holidays). See if your bears might fit into one of their decorations for events they are doing. There may be somebody who sees the bear and want to buy it. Again work out a commission.
Just a thought here. I am sure others who sell can point you in the right direction....
Best of luck
Michelle
p.s. your bear is really cute. Can't imagine why he is not selling....
DoodlebearsEllen I echo your response to Flamingbear.
No tree will grow and blossom without starting out as a small tree needing a lot of nourishment and water needed to grow. That is how it is.
Well said.
Hugs Jane.
Interesting points raised here. I believe that selling our work is a business like any other. It's hard to get established and even harder to maintain a profile.
Those who work hard to develop product whilst being realistic in analysing what they are offering collectors, market effectively, (remaining versatile in their outlook and constantly reviewing the industry to make practical use of the opportunities available), stand the best chance of success.
Yes, we have a product which creates an emotional response in our target market, but that doesn't mean we can afford to become complacent because there really is a whole heap of competition out there.
Posts: 3,177ooooooooooooh i was hoping it was all gonna kick off into a big punch-up but we are being all very well behaved
:crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
Just keep plugging away Jennie - you can't tell what's around the corner. Sometimes you have to sit back and review the situation (as Fagin sang in the musical Oliver!) and see if you can do anything differently that could help your bears to sell.
What everyone has said here is true, you can't win all the time and you may make the best bears in the world but selling them is a whole new ballgame...............if anyone EVER finds out the secret of what makes a collector choose one bear over another please let me know! ha ha
Chin Up Jennie - take a break from bears for a few days, put your feet up, eat chocolate and catch up on some sleep.
Penny :hug:
Gotta agree with what's been said here ... the starting point for building a solid business is definitely a passion for what you are creating and a desire to offer the best you can to the market place. Once that principle is established, the rest comes down to hard work and the ability to take hard knocks whilst moving things forward. I think versatility is the key ... by that I don't mean you need to make every type of bear under the sun, I mean you need to have a versatile approach to marketing them. Explore all avenues and keep an open mind.
