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Jane Perala May 25, 2006

I just received an email from Dave announcing the change to the prepay system instead of the commission, so I imagine he is gradually getting out the notices, but it is taking time.  I think it is a shame that people couldn't be honest about paying the commission when they sold a bear, and unfortunately this is what has happened because of it.  Hopefully he will be able to get a decent following and it will still be a viable option for selling bears.  Also with Nancy's Bid4Bears there are now several other options for those that don't want to go the ebay or show route.

Off to bed now, Good night!

Jane P.

shantell May 25, 2006

I got the notice too...it does seem to make me feel better.  I just wish it had been prior to but I'm not going to complain.  He's making a huge effort and that's what counts.

Thanks Laura Lynn for stepping up for all of us.

Hugs,

Delartful Bears May 25, 2006

I agree, thanks Laura Lynn.  I completly understand where he is coming from.  I would imagine 5 years of people taking the service for granted would start to become annoying.  It amazes me that he's done it for the past 5 years without any change.

It is a bummer that we have to pay.. but he's not asking a lot, and you have to agree - his webpage IS the best.  I get the most hits from it than any other webpage, so I personally believe it's worth the money.

Danni

Darren Ellerton May 25, 2006

Hi All

Re Bearpile I have too defend DS as I received an email notification about the new site and conditions.   We seem to be forgetting the point it appears that  dishonesty has been a contribution to this situation, as DS relys on people being honest and paying their commission so this problem has spoilt it for a lot of artists.

I do realise $120.00 is alot of money, but for a one off advert in a magazine it costs approx £47 for just one tiny 16th page add in colour, so you are hoping collectors will buy the magazine and see your advert.  Regarding Ebay this is not a cheap option either, and what if you don't sell your bear? yes you can relist for free, but you still have a final sellers fee.

I do feel its a little unfair to say you could pay your membership and  he could close the site at a later date, but I do think he has put a lot of trust in us in the past  to pay our commission on a gentlemans agreement, so if he has trusted us why should be not trust him.

At the end of the day you have to do what you think is best for retailing your work, but nothing is for free these days, and you only get what you pay for!

The thought for the day is if there are less bears on Bearpile, less competition.  Also it is like the Sweet Shop scenario too much choice, you can't make your mind up, so in the end buy nothing.  (But in my case I am not a quitter!hahaha!)

Hope we don't lose another outlet  for selling our bears, due to lack of support, it is getting a bit thin on the ground.

Best wishes
Jacqui and Darren

kbonsall May 25, 2006

         I don't have the money to have this go on along with running my own website!        

Densteds May 25, 2006

I also received Dave's email... I haven't really had much luck selling on bearpile so I won't be signing up.

shantell May 25, 2006

I renewed for 3 months.  I'll take it from there.  The way it was setup before was nice in that you only paid if you sold...but this is probably in the long run better for both Dave and for the artist.   Before, the fees could really add up if you sold very often and actually paid them.  I think I paid close to my renewal in the first month alone.

I'm glad he was able to make it work so we didn't have to pay the whole  $120 upfront.   I think I shall email him my thank you's.

Hugs all,

kbonsall May 25, 2006

I dont have money in paypal yet so I cant pay this even if I wanted to... is it a direct withdrawal from an acct or do you pay up front?  I HATE PEOPLE TAKING MONEY OUT OF MY ACCOUNTS!

thumperantiques May 25, 2006

I've never had bears on bear pile, but was thinking about it.  I'm curious, now that it's a "pay up front" situaltion, is he still taking a percentage of the sales cost or has that been totally exchanged for the monthly fee?  I love ebay, but I pay almost $9.99 just to list each bear AND have a final value fee.  I think $9.99 for 5 bears is a really good deal, especially if you don't have to pay a percentage of sales? 

                                                          Hugs,

                                                          Brenda

thumperantiques May 25, 2006

I just re-read the posts and noticed Jane's said that the monthly payment is replacing commission costs.  I was also mixing up the "5 bears/month" with Nancy's new store system on Bid for Bears.  So it's $9.99 for unlimited bears/month - I think that's a great deal!  Once I get caught up, I think I might try it.  I really think it would work out cheaper than commission, especially if you sell a few bears a month.  Once people figure that out, I'll bet a lot of artists will be back, especially since this fellow sounds like a really good person.

                                                 hugs,

                                                 Brenda

Winney May 25, 2006

Thanks Nancy...this is wonderful !....Winney