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I haven't used eBay in ages. I had someone scam me last year and it put me right off but I wonder is it worth another try. There seem to be more and more rules and regulations that affect sellers and not buyers....so I do buy regularly but am dithering about selling at the moment.
Anyone want to share their feelings and or experiences with eBay at the moment.
I would be really interested.
I still use ebay Jenny as its good for getting new people.Its not like it used to be in the ooak section though as its full of mass produced bears and the second hand market.I seldom make bears these days as Im competing against myself on ebay.So many people have fallen on hard times and are selling their collections.
I get weary of them changing it about too though.I always end up going back again as I dont have as much success with bearpile and etsy.Its always nice to see one of your wee souls on there .xxx
Yes I get scared to look sometimes...I have seen lots of mine up for sale....eeek. They do sell but it's difficult and I like you am striving to be different as the cute bear market is saturated. So I am still making bears but interspersing them with bunnies, the occasional puppy and a kitten or two....I am also trying to break out of the cutesy bear genre without letting my collectors down...
That's hard because I still like making the cute bears but I do often yearn for something more.
eBay is like a monster now that is out of control....too much in favour of the buyer and not enough incentive to sell. I read somewhere that seller have to offer full refunds up to 3 months..I could be wrong...but that's fine on some things..but on a teddy...all it means is that you can be taken to the cleaners. I don't see many nice bears on ebay now...but I guess that means that the nice ones stand out.
desertmountainbearAs far as I know that if you choose to offer a refund the least amount you can give them is 2 weeks. I do think that the buyer can go back to Paypal with one complaint or another and try to get money back for 3 months. So because of that you need to keep good records of emails and mailing receipts etc.
I have not had a bear for sale since October because of this show that I am getting ready for, but I will continue to work with ebay. I have always done well there.
Miser BearsI tried both Ebay and Etsy. After 3 months, my bear on Etsy had a mighty 3 views. On ebay My latest bear has had 41 views in a week 
Custom TeddysWhen I get desperate, I go to eBay. Sometimes I do really well there, sometimes not so much. I think 
the return thing is "recommended." They want you to offer returns for up to three months, but you don't have to.
Well that seems fair...but I think I read that they were going to insist selllers offer returns on all items . I do offer a full returns policy on all my bears...I think that by law in this country you have to on goods sold by distance selling but that rule doesn't apply to auctions.
I have had great auction sales in the past and would quite like to try again , it's just that it can be quite risky. I have been scammed twice on eBay, once by someone who ran the bid up to some ridiculously high price, which I was very suspicious of given they were a 'zero feedback' bidder, then didn't pay and it was a false address.....that was just someone either with an axe to grind or just making mischief...I am sure things like that go on all over the palce but ebay seems to attract them like wasps to jam. I remember someone telling me how a bidder ran up the bid on their item , didn't pay, then subsequently offered a lesser amount to buy the item...all just to put off all the other bidders then go in with what they really wanted to pay.The trouble is that eBay don't deal harshly enough with such people...I think that buyers who act like this should have consequences like sellers do.
GermanyI have also eBay. It is good sometimes, sometimes not.
The bidders are not so active. Often I have doubt whether it lies to my bear. However, the new owners of the bears are always very happy.
Boechout, AntwerpJenny,
From a collector's point of view, I have mixed feelings about e-bay at the moment:
- on the one hand I see some artists selling their bears and doing very well (like Joanne said: her bears always sold well on e-bay)
- on the other hand I see more and more artist bears being sold second hand and the prices they generally go for are very low. This is good if you are a buyer and looking for a bargain; there are plenty of those to be found; but if you are a seller/artist, it could well be that you are competing with your own bears on the second hand market (unfortunately I have seen several of your bears being offered on e-bay and on bearpile 
)
Luckily I haven't had any bad experiences with dodgy sellers on e-bay, but I don't think that should deter you from putting your bears on e-bay. Maybe you could put one of your "less expensive" ( 
) bears or other critters up for auction and see how it goes.
Maybe I can give it a try.... it might be worth a go!! But I don't worry about my bears finding their way back to the market. The bear market is a fickle one. Tastes change and there will always be a market for second hand bears. Its sad and in a perfect world they'd all find a forever home but thats not how it works. I don't get emotional over reselling too much these days. The first time it happens it hurts.... But I hope that because I try to keep varying my portfolio of work rather than just making the same pattern over and over in different fabrics I hope I can keep going!!! Thats the theory anyway
Fingers crossed!!!! 
Germany
Yes Jenny, you are right!
In the creations is so much from us. Also heart!
