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I have a customer who says he thinks he is interested in a bear and would like me to hold it for him as he is on holiday for 5 days. Well, I think it is 5 days. They said next Saturday, but my husband said he thinks they mean a week from this coming Saturday. Is it common to hold bears without any downpayment? I could say payment would have to be by a certain date, I guess.
Hugs,
Ellen
Posts: 3,540You'll have to play it by ear with this one. If you've got several other creations and no one else is interested in it, you could hold it without pay. What I usually do is have them send along a deposit. Don't buy the bear? I keep the deposit because that bear could have sold in full to someone else while it was on hold. It usually gives the buyer an incentive to continue with the transaction.
I won't hold a bear for more than 24 hours without a definite order placed and I always ask for at least the deposit payment to be made, with the order confirmation. In fact, unless I know the customer, I won't hold a bear at all without a deposit and confirmation of when the balance payment will be made (in accordance with my layaway terms).
Posts: 8,574I would hold a doll, but only for a very very good customer....and I can think of only three who would qualify.
Its your call, Ellen. Does this customer come across OK? Has he bought other bears
with no problem?
Which ever way you go we wish you special blessings and ood sales!!
gollyhugs
dilu
LuxembearsHi Ellen,
As artists we all want to make a sale but I think I would have to agree with Paula. Our bear industry is a business. You wouldn't go into a retail store and ask for an item to be held for any amount of time....without a layaway deposit.
A good customer, or even a friend, should understand that this is a business.
Good luck and let us know how things work out for you. 
Thanks for your answers, Debi, Paul, and Dilu! And Judi! -- you must have written at the same time I was adding something to the post 
The customer did buy another bear, but I haven't shown the bear at all yet. So there isn't anyone who has seen it yet. I would like to put it on eBay or in my Etsy shop (also trying to get my website up). I'm just starting out selling, so would like to get the sale. I could hold it until this Saturday (not next Saturday!), but it does give me somewhat of an uncomfortable feeling to hold something without any commitment on the buyer's part.
I got the impression they felt they couldn't buy it now because they are on holiday, but if they have access to a computer, seems like they would have access to pay by PayPal? If they don't have access to PayPal right now, maybe they couldn't put down a deposit now?
Hugs,
Ellen
LuxembearsEllen, Sounds like you have a warm heart. 
:hug: In the end you need to do what you are comfortable with. And especially just starting out. Those first sales are so important not only because it gets you started but it also helps give you confidence. 
Best of luck to you.
Back Road BearsMy first thought was that he's waiting to see if they have any money left after their holiday to buy anything more.
I agree... this Saturday is one thing but if it's NEXT Saturday forget it... too long w/o a non-refundable deposit.
We are running businesses here, have bills to pay, etc. Do this once and he's going to expect it over and over.
Laurie Lou BearsI think that if it was me I would say that I would hold it for him for the agreed amount of time with a non refundable deposit so it shows some commitment on their part but strictly after that date the bear will go straight back up for sale and they lose the deposit.If he is not in a position to lay down a deposit I would say the he could have the bear if it is still available but if a buyer comes along before that time you will sell it.Some times customers want a bear but don't have the funds.You could wait patiently and in the end he pays or he could change his mind and the sale never goes through-it is one of those things where you don't know which way it will go but you do have a business to run and you just have to decide what is best for you.I always like to be fair but firm so you know where you stand and so does your customer.
Laurie :hug:
Daphne makes a really important point ... bear in mind, whatever your decision, you will be setting the expected terms for future business with this customer, so it's important to work out at the outset how you would like to proceed with this and other customers regarding future sales.
Thank you everyone for all your advice. It is so helpful and has made me really rethink what to do. I think you are right to think about the business, the type of business practices I want to have, and not just the one sale. I hope they will pay the deposit and the sale goes through.
Hugs,
Ellen
Posts: 280I recently finished up a bear and planned on taking it to a show with me. A friend had spent the afternoon with me while I worked on it, and e-mailed me after she got back home that evening to say she wanted the bear. She had taken photos of it to show her husband and he was in agreement that they would take it. I offered to put it in the mail, but since we were going to see each other at another show in two weeks time, she said to just bring it with me.
At the show, she and her husband both asked if I brought the bear, which I did. They were going to settle up with me at the end of the day. I held that bear all day long, and late in the afternoon, she admitted she had purchased a bear from someone else. The bear she purchased was beautiful, and she got a great deal on it, but I learned a valuable lesson.
I've always said that when money is going to be exchanged, even between friends, it becomes BUSINESS. Too bad, I didn't follow my own mantra. I feel certain that I could have sold that bear at the first show, and if not, at the second one. Now, I don't even want to bother with it. Maybe I'll keep it as a reminder to myself.
Luann
I would only hold the bear IF I knew the customer very well. Without a deposit it is open to abuse and you can end up losing a good customer. I would politely say if the bear is still available when they return you'll be delighted to offer it to them, but without a definite deposit ( which takes 1 minute with paypal) you can't really hold the bear on the off chance they will still want it when they come back. A week is a long time..and business is business! Try going in to a store and asking them to hold an item with no down payment for a week...see what they say!!
Cat Gabriel CraftsI've just recently had 2 bad experiences with holding a bear (something I've never done before), and I certainly won't be doing it in the future. In the first instance, the buyer paid half the amount and then kept coming up with excuses as to why she hadn't sent the second half. I ended up holding the bear for 2 months! In the end I sold the bear again to another buyer who also stalled with her payment and I ended up holding him again for a further month! He has finally now been adopted and off to his new owner tomorrow, pheww! lol:) I really wouldn't recommend it unless you have clear layaway terms set out.
