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Bright BearsSince I started making miniature teddy bears in 2005, over 100 of them have been adopted by generous collectors all over the world. Starting slow, after two years I got a steady flow of adoptions, motivating me to design and create the next bear each week. In the past two months adoptions dropped fast, whether it was on eBay or on my own website, and I just wonder whether you experience the same, and what you think is the best thing we can do at the moment to make a positive change in a hard time.
As I live in the Netherlands, a country too small to go to local trade shows and sell all my creations, selling online is my only real option, and it worked fine in the past. What would be your best bet if this happened to you?
Back Road BearsI think it's happening to a LOT of us. Online networking.... link swapping, blogging and listing your bears everywhere you can to gain exposure in a variety of markets and audiences is probably the best thing you can do. And be mindful of your prices. People simply aren't spending what they used to and most (not all) are going for the lower priced items. I'm not saying LOWER your prices, I honestly don't know what you currently sell at but good advice for everyone is to consider, if you don't already, is making some simpler and smaller, thus less expensive bears to keep those collectors who have had to cut back still in the loop, giving them bears they might still be able to afford while watching their spending. We don't want to loose collectors!
Some places to consider (just a partial list... I'm sure there are more I'm missing!)
Sell here:
www.etsy.com
www.ebay.com
www.bearpile.com
A banner ad here on TT is $19.95 for 6 months.... very affordable!
Blogging can bring you new collectors too. Check out some of the other bear artist blogs like SReetz's, Paula Carter's, White Forest Bears'.... ones who update regularly showing what they are working on, what's for sale, etc.
Don't give up and don't have high expectations! If you can ('you' meaning anyone reading this), stick it out as long as possible. Keep creating and trying to sell.
Bear-Handshi guys.
for me here in portugal is the same so relying on the internet is my main selling place. i do have a question though, when we keep making more bears because thats what we love to do, do you take old bears off your sites and change them round with new ones, then at a later date put them back on your sites again? i was wondering because it can look stale if the same bears are on your adopt pages, if not what do you guys do and how do you store your creations?
bearhugs susan
Back Road BearsI think keeping things fresh is good! When it comes time to put a bear back up that was already on your site once before you might considering changing his accessories/clothes/etc. and maybe even giving him a new name. There is nothing wrong with giving a bear a new look, IMO... it just might help him find a new and loving home!
Bear-Handsthanks for the idea Daphne good one xx
"a bear by kim"its the same for me too.
fortunatly iv had a fair few commision orders recently, however i have got a strong guestlist for my website, with some really lovely bear collectors on.
in my exprerience, if you are selling from your website, the majority of visits to my website are linked back here on teddy -talk x
White Forest BearsThanks for mentioning my blog Daphne! See a perfect example of why blogging works - people think of you, and it's a great way to get any thought across to your collectors and visitors that you can think of....something that's hard to do on an ebay page or website gallery.
Plus it's a great outlet for me to ramble on and on! lol
Back Road Bears
Carlyle Bear Co.This is a great topic. :clap: Especially for us "newbie" bear makers. I have only been creating and designing bears for a year and half and I love it! But, that being said I have been really discouraged recently because my ebay items haven't generated the interest that they did in the beginning. Of course I will continue making my bears because I love doing it and it is something I devote time to after my day job. Sometimes I wonder where I will put all of the bears that I make that don't find homes though. 
I have recently started a blog and I am trying to wade through photoshop elements to create a new banner. I love reading suggestions like the ones above about new ideas and it helps to hear that even those of you who have been doing this for a lot longer than I have are experiencing some challenges.
A question to all of you...I used to sell on Etsy and I only sold 2 bears but I am thinking of re-opening my shop on there as a form of advertisement if nothing else...have any of you been successful with Etsy?
Bright BearsAfter posting my question, I am happy to report that today, only a few hours after adding Bright Bear Alfred to my Etsy shop, he was adopted by a returning collector. Earlier this week I created a Facebook account and she found me there and read about Alfred on Etsy. She decided to adopt on the spot. What a great customer, and what a great example of how social networking helped my bear get the exposure he deserved.
I am putting all tips I read here on my to-do list and try to work hard on them, one by one, whilst making a new bear design (because you would almost forget the bears while doing all the marketing stuff...). I hope for more good ideas, but thank those who have replied already.
Boechout, AntwerpTessa, as a teddy bear lover and not an artist, I know that many artists share your experiences about how difficult it is becoming to sell your bears.
And I fully agree with most of them that getting the people to notice your bears is the most important thing.
That is why I liked the idea that Susan (susiray) suggested a few weeks ago ("Christmas websale gettogether" on general topics): why not join forces and organize an online show with different artists from TT? I didn't respond to her post, because I thought I should mind my own business 
(sorry Susan), but since there is a general agreement that sales are down and that getting publicity is important, I think Susan's idea is great.
Many of you will be familiar with the shows that TBACA (teddy bears and critters Australasia) put on and they are a great success. I loved their last theme of a black and white ball 
. Maybe you can use this opportunity to offer some of your bears that have been on the shelf too long; I know I am a sucker for poor teddies that have difficulties finding new homes 
.
I hope this will be useful to all you wonderful artists :clap: .
Hugs,
Peterbear
Bright BearsPeter, your reply on this topic is very wise, and I will talk with my husband (not only a photographer but also a web designer) what we can do to put together a website for online shows. Or use ones that already exist. Anyway, your tip is now on our mutual to-do list, and I thank you.
