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Hi, I have been building up a mailing list over the past 6 months and its making me stressed. I feel such a terrible pest e-mailing upon completion of each bear that I sometimes sneak em onto the website or ebay without telling the mail list people - then I feel really bad about that too like they will think they don't matter. Do other people send details of every single bear or do you miss a few out for fear of being a nuisance. What about ebay bears, do you tell your mailing list before they go onto ebay. I feel bad about this and find it hard to send those e-mails for fear of being a pest and still feel bad if I don't!!!! Would love to know your views on this.
Warm wishes
Pauline
Pauline, if people signed up for your mailing list, then by all means, use it! They want to know when you have bears available, and where!
I think my mailing list is one of my most invaluable tools and was devastated when we exported my email files to our new computer and I lost my mailing list "groups." The names & addresses were still in my Address Book but the mailing list itself didn't export as a unit so just last night I sent eMails to every last person who might have been on that list to verify so that I could send out an update within the week. I felt like a nuisance doing THAT, but reminded myself that these people chose me and my bears to follow, so they'd WANT TO be on that list.
The same is true for you or anyone about whom someone has purposefully and consciously chosen to subscribe. You've been chosen and that, by definition, means you're not a pest, but rather are following the instructions someone else has provided you. Namely... KEEP ME INFORMED!
Don't feel bad about sending notices to your mailing list. Feel proud, and use that marvelous marketing tool to your advantage!
Sunnie BearsI used to email after every bear, but now I only email when I do a significant update on my web page. I may wait until I add 3 or 4 bears before I add them to my page, then I will email.
Sonya
Laurie Lou BearsThat is a very good question Pauline.I haven't got around to doing a mailing list and was thinking about it and you have asked some interesting questions and I will be interested in the replies.I thought that if you do have a mailing list and it gets too long how much time are you going to be spending everytime you finish new bears and have to keep notifying people and as you said can you feel like a nusiance in keep sending out these e mails?If you don't send them out each time you could miss out on potential buyers and upset someone who missed out on that special bear that they would have loved to have.
Laurie :hug:
These responses remind me that maybe use of mailing lists depends in some part on business practice. For example, I work at a snail's pace and usually only offer one bear at a time whether on eBay or from my site. And they're more than week apart -- lately, more like a month or more apart! -- so I don't get that 'pestering' feeling based on how I do my bearmaking alone.
Good points, Sonya & Laurie! Didn't think of that. Maybe if you sell differently than I do, such as in bigger "lots" of bears at your site that are released/posted all at once, it makes sense to send out mailing list updates less frequently, covering more bears per notice.
I still think, though, that the "I'm a pest" thinking doesn't belong in this realm. These people asked to be on your mailing list because they WANT to know and if it gets to be too much they'll either start unsubscribing like crazy or they'll let you know. Better yet, you can ASK them! I've learned a lot about customer preferences by asking them directly in their newsletters to please let me know their opinions.
Great food for thought, all! Thanks for the other perspective!
Thank you so much Shelli I appreciate your comments and has made me feel a lot better about it. That is really awful what happened to you with your files hope you got it sorted now!
Thanks Sonya and Laurie, I know Laurie I can imagine if it got large, what then. If I ask somebody by e-mail if they would like to be added and they send back yes, I sometimes wonder if they said yes cos they didn't like to say no - oh dear.
Warm wishes
Pauline
Bears by EdiePauline, like Shelli, I feel I am doing a service to the people who are on my list by sending it. Every so often I will add in a note that I am updating my list and if anyone no longer wishes to be on to just let me know - they have that option at any time of course but I figure it doesn't hurt to do that every once in a while.
Laurie, as long as you make a "group" mailing list then you are only doing one email and sending it to the whole group so it doesn't take any longer no matter how many names are on the list. I send my ebay notices out for every bear that I list as soon after I list it as I can (although sometimes, if I know I am going to list another bear within a day or two, then I will wait and just send out one message. I always send the notice to myself and blind carbon copy it to the "group" so that all their email addresses are hidden and kept private.
Shelli,
I had the same thing happen to me, when I had my hard drive cleaned - was just devasted to have lost my list! Only I didn't exactly lose the whole thing - it was still there but with only about 6 names left on it for some reason so I didn't even realize that it was compromised until a few people started asking why they weren't getting my notices any more! At the same time I couldn't figure out why my sales had dropped dramatically - proof that a list really does work! It was a headache recreating it for sure!
Delartful BearsHi,
I always state that I send one email per week. that way I don't feel bad and that way they know what they are signing up for. It's worthwhile! I wouldn't be a member of a list if the owner sent more than one message a week.
Danni
Real Deal BearsOh Gosh Pauline, I felt the same way you do. Thankyou for posting this topic.
Danni had a good point about letting them know what they are in for.
Sorry Danni, could never work out how to do those quotie things 
Shelli and Edie hit the nail on the head, why would they sign up if they didn't want to know what's out there.
I think it's because I am very shy that I get nervous about sending out.
I was wondering if that was the case?
BrisbaneThese are the reasons I haven't started a mailing list yet.... 
It's on my things to do list but I have all these types of issues and questions I need to sort out!!!
And does anyone know if you are allowed to put a mailing list link on your ebay auction page????
Newcastle, OntarioSarah,
You're not allowed to have a mailing list link "on" your auction page, but I'm not sure about a ME page - that might be acceptable.
Pauline,
I email my contact list, after my auction is up and running, I just click the "email this auction to a friend" and use the same email to everyone, and just change the address each time. A bit of a pain, but I prefer to do it that way.
hugs,
Brenda
Thank you so much everyone for your input, it is very valuable to me.
Edie, how do you "send blind" e-mails so group e-mails do not see each other's addresses. Up to now I have been doing them one at a time from my e-mail address list and just copy and paste the content as I thought everybody would see each other's e-mail addresses.
Thanks again
Warm wishes
Pauline
I email my mailing list first every time I have a new bear to offer, or a news update for my collectors. You can always put a 'if you no longer wish to receive my mailings please email me ..' notice at the bottom if it bothers you.
I think mailing lists are an important way of keeping in contact with people who have supported you and expressed an interest in your work.
It's polite to send blind copies to keep email addresses private, I usually send the email to myself and blind copy by highlighting my mailing list addresses in my address book and clicking on 'bcc', that way all names and addresses are hidden.
Matilda Huggington-beareI have no idea how to do a mailing list. But I do send out an email to those that requested and to any others I can think of. (big cheeky grin) with this bid4bears thingy I have emailed several times to keep them updated so they dont forget. (big cheeky grin).
Dont worry about being a nuisance. They can always block your mail or delete it. Like I do with some of the trash that hits my email box. Its no biggy and easy to do.
SO DONT STRESS 
