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Astrup BearsHi.
I had this guy on ebay, but he did not sell - he was prices 75$ + ship
I would like critique and advice if I could improve something or if I just have to relist, what do you think ?
Just let me know, I'm not a cry baby 
I think e-bay is the pits right now...perhaps relist him in a couple of weeks!
Little Leaf Bears by ShannaEbay is not good for artists right now. I think your little one was priced very fairly. Have you tried Bearpile? I know an artist who lists on ebay just to keep her name out there, but very rarely sells anything on ebay. She also posts on bearpile and I think has better luck. I have a bear of hers and he is a dream, so I really think it's a difficult time on ebay for many artists. You could also try Etsy, they are very inexpensive, but I haven't had any luck on Etsy. Good luck!
I haven't had any luck on Etsy either, and I agree that eBay works best for well-known artists, and even then - times are tough.
Your bear has a sweet vintage look and a very fair price.
Becky
PennsylvaniaI think they're fine looking Bears.
I know what sparse mohair is and, in this case, I think you have used it well, with good effect. However, I'm not sure that most people know that the fabric is supposed to look that way.
Yes, I see that you wrote that the Bear is made from sparse mohair in your listing. I just think that most people on e-bay are either looking for a specific thing or else they don't really know what they want at all.
Lately, I have been hunting e-bay for old camera equipment. I go there knowing what I want and the price I am willing to pay. I look with a jaundiced eye. I find what I want and I bid on it. Either I win or lose but I don't very often go to eBay just to shop around.
I think that eBay is so full of people selling junk that, good stuff often goes unnoticed.
People who shop eBay either know exactly what they are looking for or else they wouldn't know a good thing if it came up and bit them in the a$$.
Bottom line: I'm not so sure that eBay is the best place to sell such a finely crafted Bear such as yours.
Astrup BearsHi all.
Thanks a lot for all kind comments and info. Its years since I last sold bears on Ebay, and then I had pretty good results.
Yes, its hard times - so maybe I should try Bearpile and see if that could help ;)
I'm at Etsy too, but its very hard to get any wievs IMO.
Back Road BearsI agree... eBay is not a great place to be selling and certainly not a good judge of quality and sale-ability of your work. Bearpile is a much better place.
I will however offer a little critiquing because you asked. The bear, design, proportions, etc. are great... both of them. While the fur lends itself well to the vintage look the thick black embroidery yarn and the shiny gold collar do not. Because redoing the nose can be a big job I'd leave it but you might consider some shading around the nose to help blend the light fur with the dark yarn... this will help give it an aged look which a vintagy bear should have... you can't achieve that with mohair density/sparsity (no, I don't think that's really a word!) alone. Some shading around his foot pads will balance the face shading too. If you did want to redo the nose I'd use a brown, thinner yarn. You might also consider a less shiny, less "new" looking collar or accessory around his neck.
Shading and a different collar are easy and quick and might make a big difference! Just my two cents! 
Posts: 751Hi Lisa
I agree with Daphne's comments. He is a sweet little bear, but is perhaps a little "bland" - go for some shading to enhance his vintage look and perhaps "scuff" him up a bit.
:hug:
Karon
Astrup BearsI agree... eBay is not a great place to be selling and certainly not a good judge of quality and sale-ability of your work. Bearpile is a much better place.
I will however offer a little critiquing because you asked. The bear, design, proportions, etc. are great... both of them. While the fur lends itself well to the vintage look the thick black embroidery yarn and the shiny gold collar do not. Because redoing the nose can be a big job I'd leave it but you might consider some shading around the nose to help blend the light fur with the dark yarn... this will help give it an aged look which a vintagy bear should have... you can't achieve that with mohair density/sparsity (no, I don't think that's really a word!) alone. Some shading around his foot pads will balance the face shading too. If you did want to redo the nose I'd use a brown, thinner yarn. You might also consider a less shiny, less "new" looking collar or accessory around his neck.
Shading and a different collar are easy and quick and might make a big difference! Just my two cents! :)
Hi.
Thanks a lot for the critique, I'll redo the nose and make another collar of a kind, also add some shading,
great advice, I'm glad you did it 
Back Road BearsSo glad you are ok with my advice.... not everyone really wants to hear an honest critique even though they ask! 
Show us a picture once you've made changes to him! It will be fun to see a before and after!
YorkshireI think a rusty bell on a peice of gingham ribbon (perhaps dyed with tea) would look lovely or perhaps a small rusty key. As someone who likes to buy the odd bear (when money allows 
) I tend to look on Ebay and Bearpile. Hope this helps!
Astrup BearsSo glad you are ok with my advice.... not everyone really wants to hear an honest critique even though they ask!
Show us a picture once you've made changes to him! It will be fun to see a before and after!
Yes, sure - I'll do that, tomorrow maybe
LALand BearsJust wanted to tell you your bear is wonderful and fairly priced.
I agree with what some of the others have said about ebay.
I was selling well there until this year. Started having to re-list bears for a second week to sell them, and then the last two did not sell at all.
It's weird though...there are dozens and dozens of watchers ??????????
Try Bear Pile. It is a lovely site.
Honey Valley BearsHi Lisa
Your bear is wonderful. Daphne had great suggestions. Just one more that I would add to that. His eyes. If you shade lightly around his eyes. Even with just a regular pencil it will ad a little bit of depth. I would try the shading on a scrap piece of fabric first. But with pencil you can add it little by little. Same around the nose and feet. With the light colour the pencil should show up and it will give it a bit of a worn look.
They are great. Give bearpile a try.
Amber
Astrup BearsThanks girls, so nice with advice and good comments.
I think I'll try Bearpile and some changes on Alfred, I have started with the shading and a new nose.
eBay is the pits right now, no matter who you are! That little bear is adorable, and very fairly price, believe me it's not the bear! Just keep trying, Bear Pile is a good choice to try too. My persian will be going there if she doesn't sell this time around on evilbay.
hugs,
Krista
Back Road BearsEvilbay. :crackup: Love it. Sad but true.
I'm excited to see the "new" Alfred.
I've presented a couple of pieces to fellow artists in the past and had some great suggestions that had me heading in a whole new direction with a design! It was fun!
BrisbaneeBay is the pits right now, no matter who you are! That little bear is adorable, and very fairly price, believe me it's not the bear! Just keep trying, Bear Pile is a good choice to try too. My persian will be going there if she doesn't sell this time around on evilbay.
hugs,
Krista
Evilbay is right. One thing I hate about ebay is all the junk that ends up with the artist bears. Tooooo many charlie bears and other manufactured stuff in there. The Aussie ebay just did something to its categories so most artist bears end up in the main bear section. Then you have to search through everything to find what your looking for. 
Definitely try bearpile. No junk bears in site and you are able to easily find a particular artist!
PennsylvaniaI think I'll try Bearpile and some changes on Alfred, I have started with the shading and a new nose. ;)
So, it's a boy Bear? I thought it was a girl Bear because it was sitting on some pretty lace in the picture.
I agree with the others' comments. The shading and the nose could be tweaked.
Now, just take this with a grain of salt.
Generally, the Bears we like the best are ones who look happy.
We like pensive or reflective Bears. Many of our Bears have a very dignified look, typical of many of the mohair Steiffs that you see a lot.
Your Bear, "Alfred," has that dignified look. It is very fitting for a Bear who wants that "vintage" look.
Alfred has a cocked head in his picture. He has that "inquistive" look.
Now, take a look at the little brown Bear in Alfred's lap. He's got just a hint of a smile on his face.
I think Alfred's dignified, yet inquisitive look suits him. I'm not suggesting you change Alfred's mouth but, if you think about a Bear's mouth in the future, these are the directions I might suggest.
Let Alfred tell you how his mouth should look.
SarchieI think a rusty bell on a peice of gingham ribbon (perhaps dyed with tea) would look lovely or perhaps a small rusty key.
I agree, this would look fantastic and suit the style you are going for I think..
Astrup BearsHi girls.
I have worked on Alfred today and made some changes as suggested yesterday,
I hope it shows on the photos , its was hard to get them really good - but I hope you can see it.
Alfred got a new nose, shading here and thereon the muzzle, ears, paws and eyes and he got
a new tee dyed collar with a silk ribbon.
PennsylvaniaAlfred's nose looks good. :)
And, he got an ascot. Very dapper! 
LOL - at Evilbay - it really is not good just now. I must admit I'm not keen on reserve auctions, but I have started to put a reserve on because there just is not the interest there at the moment. I must be honest, Bearpile is slower than it used to be as well.
I agree, that one of the problems is the amount of 'non-artist' stuff that clutters up the category. Ebay will remove items if they are seen to be in the wrong categories - maybe we should start reporting some of them?
I have no objection at all to Russ, Charlie Bears etc., being there, but they should not be listed under OOAK Artist Bears!
Lisa, I like the changes you've made to Alfred. He looks great! 
In fact, please don't tell the other bears, but he's my favorite on the page. Shhh...
~Debora
I love Alfred's new nose!
The shading on the paws also looks very authentic - like real aging.
Becky
