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Don´t give up!!!!! Your bears rock!!!!
Bears by Jodi
SouthHi Ladies and Gentlemen too,
I have been reading these posts for many months and now feel I must respond. There are times as a collector that I want to buy and times I must slow down for a month or two. This time of year for me is it. Taxes, grand children, spring break=our kids, etc. etc. and etc. I am a collector of bears. Many bears from artists that are members here on TT. I think many of the posts are very helpful and that many of you are so very supportive of your fellow artists! How grand~ However, there are a few of you that are just down right mean and vindictive in a sneaky way! Have you ever looked to see how many people are logged on as guests? More than 95 percent of the time, guests are logged on! Many of these guests are collectors reading your posts. The collectors that buy your bears! Many of us have found you thru TT. I have bid on and won 5 bears from TT artists in the past 5 months. In fact, I was one of the collectors that spent the most on a bear from you ever~ Made me feel like a Queen! Have become e-mail buddies with 3 of you. Does that put you in a shill bidding category????? Do you think as a collector I would have bought your bear if it looked like Joe's down the street. They are all in a league of their own! I do not want to spend 5,000.00 dollars on 3 bears to have them all look like the bear next door. They are all different! Beware! The insecure, mean and vindictive person you feel is your friend may turn around and put you in the shill bidding category!!!! And consider you a copy-cat~ How sad, that it has all come to this! Shill bidding???? Did the person that keeps using the word; "shill bidding", really look into the bidding??? Many bids have been made with many other artists here on TT. And those bids were won!!!!! I for one am going to consider where I spend my money from now on~ I think it might be helpful if you all leave your dirty laundry at home in the washing machine where it belongs and keep this post to helping each other! UNLESS OF COURSE YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO BACK UP WHAT YOU CONTINUE TO SAY~IN THAT CASE, PLEASE COME FORWARD WITH IT AND BRING ALL THIS TO A CLOSE!!!!! Sincerely, Debbie~A BEAR LOVER
Online
Bears by Jodi
Thank you for taking the time to set us all streight, some times we need a good bonk in the head !!! :redface: Were just human ..... for give us.And thank you for being a collector who appreciates good art.We ALL need more of you .God's Blessings be uppon you today.Jodi Falk
Bears by Jodi
I too appreciate hearing a collectors point of view. Sometimes I think we get so wrapped up in our bears and take things so peronally when they don't sell. There really are so many factors that we have no control over. Really, should we expect to sell EVERY bear we make for the price we think we should get?? It is only natural that we think they are wonderful because we created them with all our heart. But, everyone sees beauty differently and maybe some bears (including mine) just don't appeal to others. That's o.k. I am sincerely grateful and always really thankful for every bid I get. I don't take any of it for granted.
Collectors are real people not money machines that we should EXPECT to dish out $$ like there is no tomorrow. They have personal lives that may limit their spending at times too. I feel like Jodi, there are soooo many bears that I would love to own, but I just can't justify spending the money. That does not mean that I think a bear isn't worth the price, I just can't afford the ones I want. As we've talked about before, bears are luxury items and sometimes the collectors just have to pass by. We just need to be thankful for those times when they feel they can afford our bears. I know I am !!! It always amazes me how someone chooses my bear over all the available ones on ebay or elsewhere. To think they wanted something I created with all my heart is what being a bear artist is all about to me. What a blessing that mine spoke to them at a time when they had the funds.
Sorry for rambling on, I usually keep my nose out of this stuff. I think we just need to remember that without the wonderful support of collectors where would we be ??? I hope I'm not sounding preachy or nasty. That is not the tone of my post at all. Just my heartfelt opinion today about selling , that's all. :hug:
Bears by Jodi 
puca bearsTammy - well said!!! And it is SO good to hear from a collector, so thankyou, Debbie.....
without you and all the other collectors, we would all just be dabbling in an expensive hobby!
big huggies
Maria
Hahahahahahahhahah .... BIG MOTHER was watching....
Burlison BearsUm, I'm kinda confused by Debbie's post. I've only been here a few weeks so I don't know what shill bidding is. Debbie seems angry at someone, but I don't know who she's directed her comments too. I must have missed some big debate/feud that happened here.
Anyway, Debbie I appreciate hearing your collector's point of view. Definitely, we should never take collectors for granted. The few collectors I have for my bears are very sweet people and I appreciate their love for my work. Their comments mean the world to me.
-Eliza
Storytime BearsJodi
I LOVE your new picture, when you look at it , it makes you smile.
I am so happy you are getting an article, :clap: I am sad it's outside the US so I won't be able to read it. 
Your work is so wonderful, it deserves a cover! With all the bright colors and happy faces wouldn't your bears on a cover just jump right off the newstands. :dance:
Bear Hugs
Congratulations Jodi!!!
I know myself I bid on other artists work with every intention of purchasing it if I win the bid....I know alot of the times things that I bid on will end up way out of my price range, but I bid with the hope that the collectors who are bidding as well and able to go higher will have slept in that day and I will win :crackup: !!
It is nice however to hear a take from the collectors, it would be great to hear from others as well, and how they see things, and the fact that it isn't our bears but a wake up call that there is life outside of bears and sometimes that life gets in the way at times and we won't always see the bids rack up....
I know myself when I put something up that doesn't do as well as I think it should, I re examine the piece to see if there was something I could have done differently with it, change it a bit so it doesn't look like others work, and try my best to make it my own and unique...prime example would be my little sheep dog yesterday, I thought he was an amazing puppy, but....he wasn't the normal breed that I usually work with and therefore I doubt that there is as much intrest in a breed of dog that is as popular as say a yorkie, but I wanted to make him anyways just to change things up a bit so that I wasn't just creating what I knew what I would sell, but to put a bit of diversity out there...might be a while before I go out on a limb again, but I am glad I did as I gained some new collectors for my mailing list that wouldn't have been on my mailing list if it was a little yorkie, so to me that in itself makes him a success!!
Hugs,
Krista
Thank you Ellen, I don't plan to stop making where my heart takes me, but may try to build up more of a collector base before venturing into the unknown again!!! :hug:
You are so welcome Ellen, sometimes I know what I want to do, but sit down with my hubby and go over all the pros and cons and it really helps me come to a final decision in the end of what to do next!!! He is a great sounding board and I believe everyone needs to think out loud sometimes!!!
I can't wait to see where you go next Ellen, your critters just make me go all warm and fuzzy inside no matter what type of critter it is
Yes Please collectors please let us know what you think!
Hugs,
Krista
Burlison BearsI want to sincerely thank everyone who has posted such sweet comments about my bears and everyone who has offered help, advice, and support. I Love You Guys! 
Oh, and Maria from Puca Bears...thank you so much for not only adopting Milo but taking him to a bear party to show others. I'm sure he had a wonderful adventure and got an opportunity to stretch his little legs! Give him a hug from me. I miss that little guy.
-Eliza
Hi Eliza
Your bears are adorable and I would not be discouraged about them not selling as they are all so sweet.
You just need the right person to come along and fall in love with one of your bears.
Congratulations Jodi on getting a write up in a magazine - that is brillant news.
Also it is great to hear the words of a Collector - thanks Debbie for your input into this topic always great to hear from a collector.
Hugs
Carolyn
Bears by JodiJodi Falk
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)Really, should we expect to sell EVERY bear we make for the price we think we should get??
This point has been made many many times: many of us are from The Show Circuit - I can count on the fingers of one hand, the # of ppl that sell out at any of the typical big shows. The rest of us know that we've got stock for the next shows on our schedule.
When the intended market is online, a piece is created and presented, sold and we go on to making the next one, which again is offered sold and the cycle repeats. That's just not realistic in terms of the thousands of bears that get Face Time at any show but don't leave in a collector's arms.
It's better to think in terms of continuing to produce at a steady rate, whatever that time period is for each of us, be it a day or 2 months per creation—offer it and if it doesn't sell, think of it as if it had been on a show table: the intended owner that is going to love that bear just didn't come to that particular show on that particular day. They will eventually find each other!
Pace yourself and keep working—and improving/honing your skills—at the same rate, the same amount of time. It's too easy to get into a slump and even become depressed if the one singular offering you currently have available hasn't caught the right eye yet. Think like a show exhibitor and keep working on building up your stock. Eventually Life is going to throw you a curve ball when you're unable to work; having stock ready will carry you through these times.
Just don't become discouraged when you have only one piece on offer and it doesn't sell the first time out. We would all feel pretty badly at shows if we all had just one bear on our table and the person who needed to bond with that bear couldn't make the show that day.
Looking at 'the larger picture' is the trick. Most of the show exhibitors tend to have the same shows that they do year after year; if a bear did not sell in March and I attended 4 - 8 other shows that year, and it was still in my stock at the end of the year, it got to 'retire'! And went to a donation like Good Bears of The World or a raffle donation at a show. They rarely got the chance to see the same group of collectors during the next year.
What I'm saying is to keep working and don't work in a cycle of individually sew, show, sell - sew, show, sell, etc.. That puts your emotions in a spin. Keep sewing and slip the online showing and selling in in-between 'bear work', during the hours you're at the computer, separate from the set number of hours or days that you dedicate to the sewing end of business.
Burlison BearsBobbie,
What wonderful advice! Thank you for that! That really puts it into perspective for me. I've never done shows so I've never thought of it in that way. Makes a lot of sense.
And I also like that you said to keep the business end of it separate from the sewing/work part.
Many thanks.
Eliza
Haus of Bears, Inc.Your Bears are soo nice made, I would get discouraged too,
I know why Mine are not selling, they are not that good than everybodies here on the Board.
Sometimes I see some real, real nice Teddies at a very low starting bid on E-Bay, but nobody bids on them either.
With E-Bay it is always a Gamble, I keep gambling even so I am loosing, but, got to try it and hope for a win someday
Rita
Bears by Jodi Burlison BearsRita said:
Your Bears are soo nice made, I would get discouraged too,
I know why Mine are not selling, they are not that good than everybodies here on the Board.
Rita, that is so not true. I've been impressed with many of your bears! I admire them all the time in the Showcase area and Teddy & Friends area. I'm surprised you say that yours are not selling. It certainly has nothing to do with their looks cause they're adorable! So I guess I've figured out from this thread that sometimes bears just don't sell. The right person for them has not come along to fall in love with them. Or perhaps many people would love to have it, but cannot afford it at the time. I know it's very easy to get discouraged. We're both together in that! But we just got to keep at it and hope that things get better. And read what the all-wise Bobbie said about selling. She makes some great points. And it totally makes sense.
So keep at it, Rita and have more confidence in your wonderful bears. The last thing they need is their "mommy" saying they are not as good as everyone else's bears.
-Eliza
Storytime BearsRita your bears are too CUTE!!!!!!!!!
ebay is the worst place to get a feel for how good your work is, I have seen some of the best artist do badly on ebay, Lisa Pay is one of my all time favorites and she has had a horrible time on ebay. Some artist don't do well, then all of a sudden catch fire and go crazy with sells, then some that have been doing well seem to have their sales dry up.
Just keep plugging away , striving to become better, not because you need to, but because you will be learning new things along the way, I am always looking at my work saying "hmmmmm what can I change to make it better" I never seem to be able to make that perfect bear in my head, Karen Delorenzo seems to be able to make that perfect bear that is in my head man that girl can sew!!!!!
Burlison BearsOmigosh, Ellen! I can't believe you hated one of your raccoons! You do such lovely realistic raccoons that I can't imagine you wanting to throw it out! And then you won an award for it!
I guess all us artists on here are our own worst critic! We all seem to be the most harsh when it comes to our own bears...and I think it's because so many of us are perfectionists. Just the other day when I finished my latest bear Ainsley, I said to myself, "Well, you've really screwed this one up. Here's another one that won't sell." And then to my amazement I've gotten more wonderful comments on it from you Teddy Talkers than any of my other bears! True, I don't yet have a bid for it even though it's priced cheap...but now I do know that others really love Ainsley. And the funny thing is if I saw the same Ainsley bear made by someone else I would adore him!
I think we all need to have more confidence in our work.
-Eliza
Burlison BearsAs an afterthought to what I was just saying...I really thought some of you super talented artists never doubted your work. Whenever I see certain bears and other creatures that are just top-notch I say to myself, "Oh that artist is so talented...I know that they never have to worry that their work is not good enough...they know that their creations are perfection!" Now when I hear that Ellen has doubted her raccoons and has just today said that she was nervous about listing her new penguin and wondered what people would say about it.....it just blows my mind! I thought she knew her work was wonderful and perfect! Now I am thinking probably many of you on here that I think do the best bears/creatures are actually doubting their talent!
-Eliza
We all go through it Eliza, whether an experience artist or a fairly new comer like myself, I am not expecting anything spectacular with my kittens but they nearly ended up in the trash bin last night and went through three different bodies before I was a smidgen happy with them!! Keep up the awesome bears and before you know it you won't be able to keep up with the demand!!
hugs,
Krista
