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Out 'n About BearsHi Sheila
I am fairly new to bear making, and selling on e-bay, but I have sold a few. I dont think there are really any hard and fast rules as to who will sell on e-bay, other than the fact that a few popular bear makers always sell, because they have a strong following and are well-known.
I have found, more than once, that it is well worth re-listing bears that dont sell, as they have sold second (or third) time around. I think the key to it all is patience. I havent sold a bear for a month or so, but before that, I sold two very close together.
Good luck--and dont get disheartened--it isnt worth it!
Helen
Adorable BearsHi Sheila,
I haven't been visiting TT very much lately but couldn't help but reply to your call for help. Like others I visited your website and think your bears are wonderful. You seem to have a special style ,which is important. It is not the fault of the bears or your talent in creating them. I think many people are reluctant to buy or sell through ebay at the moment as so many of us have had our accounts or listings compromised. I would look at making your website more user friendly...just don't ask me how as I have to pay someone to do any major changes to mine. I find people like to often buy on impulse and so a buy button is essential on your website.
I had a couple of months last year when I didn't sell a bear. However, I love making then (despite pain in both hands), plus there was a huge stash of fur that I couldn't ignore!. So I started making without thinking about selling. I spent many more hours on each bear /koala or Panda...I had fun and a change developed in my style. Since Oct 05 I haven't been able to keep a supply of my work it is selling so well. I list as much as I can on my website but often people will email me and ask me to contact them as soon as I finish one of my creations.
So please keep faith in you talent and follow Mindy's advise in marketing your work. Ebay is not for everyone!
Best wishes,
Susan
www.adorablebears.com.au
I wanted to add one more important thing that I've been keeping close to my heart since Ruth Johnson of BEARS & BUDS mentioned it to me last year. It reinforces what Mindy has been saying in her posts.
And that is that, as a seller, YOU have the responsibility of making sure you stay "top of mind" with your customers. Customers in every area -- not just bears by a long shot! -- historically have "short memories," and need "reminders" of what's available, who's selling, and how to get what they want and need. (No offense intended to the collectors among you; this is just marketing-speak!)
Therefore, as a producer, as a seller, you have to maintain what Ruth calls TOTMA -- Top of the Mind Awareness.
In short, that means GETTING YOUR STUFF OUT THERE AND IN FRONT OF THE BUYING PUBLIC.
eBay is ONE way to do that.
Magazines are another -- in the form of paid advertising, editorial publication, and contest/award placement in which your bears are published.
Bear shows and events put your work LITERALLY in front of your collectors. As does shoppe exposure, and forum participation/showcase. If you're reading this post, you've already taken care of that particular aspect! One less thing to do!
:)
It's not always easy to part with work that might otherwise bring you income but it's also a good idea, not just from a humane perspective, but from a marketing perspective, to donate your work when and if you can to charitable endeavors like last year's TEDDIES 4 CHARITY and the KATRINA and TSUNAMI benefit auctions, as well as special events like TBAI in which a portion, or all, of proceeds from the sale of your auction piece go to endangered species. This not only gets your work in front of yet another new and different audience, but it buys you "goodwill" -- a positive association between your work and your name -- and that's something money can't EVER get you.
Anyway, just wanted to add Ruth's concept of TOTMA to this discussion. It's a happy little mantra I recite to myself when I get to thinking, CRIMINIES, BUT THIS IS SO MUCH WORK, AND WHY CAN'T IT JUST BE ABOUT MAKING BEARS???
Your work is lovely, Sheila. Please don't get discouraged.
:hug:
Mountain Dreamer BearsHang in there Sheila! :hug: Your website it attractive and easy to navigate and your bears are adorable. The 'Honors' section of your website speaks for itself, so it's not you or your bears!
I think everyone has given you good advice here which I'm going to take to heart also! I haven't gotten the courage together to put my first bear or critter up for sale yet because I know how disappointed I'll be if it doesn't sell. It will feel personal to me, but I know it won't be. (At least I hope it won't be! 
) Yikes! See how insecure I am! lol! 
I will take the plunge soon and I will try to remember all this advice too.
Meanwhile, your bears are great Sheila and I can't wait to see your new design!
hugs,
Bonnie
EsmerldasThis topic brought me to mind of a story that another bear artist (Kelly Dauterman) told me:
When we show our bears there will be lots of folks that will see them and comment about how wonderful they are. The may be one person that will see your bears and say "it looks like a monkey", and that will be the one you remember.
I think that like any artist, everytime we make a bear and put it out somewhere, we are putting a little piece of ourselves out there and it is discouraging when no one instantly falls in love with the creation. Its hard to be thick skinned about it (almost harder than when someone makes a comment about one of your children).
I haven't yet found the solution to the "how do I get noticed" problem either, and I've been doing this for 20 years....I do know that I can't seem to make the little critters stop popping into my head, so I'm going to keep at it.
"trust your instincts, close your eyes and LEAP!"
Hi Shelia,
I just want to say how sorry I was to read your letter that you were feeling blue today.
I visited your web-site and think that it is great, as are your Bears.
There has been so much good advice on this topic and all I want to say is hang in there
and I wish you all the very best with your Bears.
Hugs
Carolyn
:hug: :hug: 
:hug: :hug:
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)Hi all,
I'm going to test the limits (number of characters allowed per post) in the next 2 (or more, if needed) Replies. I studied the eBay market for years before plunging in full-time 9 months ago. My 'conclusions' and those of others are the articles.
TY, Laura, both you & Sheila are old friends. Where you live Sheila, in the upper Midwest, there aren't many top quality shows anymore and if you travel, you're looking at about $1000 in travel/show fees before you even leave home.
What Laura is referring to is a column I've been writing for a deacde in the British Tedi Bach Hug's quarterly newsletter - Letter from the States. It was in 2 sections, which I'll cut 'n paste here.
I've got just as much opinion on all aspects of marketing; this one refers to only eBay sales.
And I still steadfastly maintain that the #1 principle one MUST accept before selling on eBay is that THE CUSTOMER SETS THE PRICE. If you can accept that, you will succeed. There are ways to modify/control that, e.g., with a Reserve or higher starting bid, but that's the bottom line!
Plus, you absolutely cannot become known unless you post regularly. It should be with a regularity that becomes a pattern; every 5th day, weekly, bi-weekly, but not much farther apart than 1x every 3 weeks. After becoming established you can ease back. I'm now at once every other week.
And don't forget to politely question every buyer:
What auction length do they prefer?
What ending day?
What ending time?
Would you like to be added to a private Advance Notice list?
Try to accomodate as many of these requests as possible.
And follow through with Thank You's and special prezzies for Collectors - I do this at least once a year, usually around Thanksgiving - when I'm most mindful of being Thankful that Collectors exist! (Though I'd still create even if I sold nothing.)
For health reasons I've had to stop travelling (after 14 years on the show circuit), from Sinfapore across the States & Canada and into Germany. The internet is now my sole outlet. I did as Laura said: I determined to post weekly for at least 6 months; while the shows & mags know my name, I was a big Zero online. That took AT LEAST 6 months to build up. Carefully plan your choices of items; list the lower priced ones to sell first, accept that if only your first bid price is picked up - you've at least had a sale, a new collector and exposure!
OK, as soon as I serve dinner - I'll post. Hope there're not too many typos here. Family is growling at the Studio door....or maybe it's their empty stomachs....
Bobbie
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)I'm back.
On the network news I've just heard that the Miss America competition is going online, with a series of 7 programs to introduce the contestants before the actual pageant, which has traditionally been a once-a-year event. I'm convinced that the internet is a major force for all businesses. I've never polled this, but I'd say that of all collecters of all-thing-teddy. probably 75% are not within easy access to bear shows and just as many do not know about how many teddy mags exist in the world.
Here's my first article/column on the eBay market:
Letter from the States©
by TB3 of RKR4CDS
Summer 2003
Hello all,
The ideas that have been percolating in my brain for the past year have come together into a 2-part Letter; the subject is eBay and bears, in particular – Selling. I’ll state right here that these thoughts are solely mine (to absolve Vanessa & TBH from any responsibility!) and I’m approaching this from a collector/browser’s viewpoint. I’ve had over ___ transactions on eBay in the past year or so; all but 2 were purchases rather than sales. In having viewed thousands and thousands and thousands of auctions, it’s only the teddy bear ones that seem to suffer from 2 maladies – see if you can spot them; these have all been taken directly from unidentified auctions [some are by dear friends of mine that I wouldn’t think of embarrassing or remonstrating) in the past month, on various sales lists and have all been repeated more than twice.
The first situation:
“just listed 3 tiny _
just gotten a chance _
just added 3 new kits _
just wanted to take a moment _
just listed a tiny _
just re-listed _____
just to let you know _
just around an hour left _
just listed a darling _
just listed __ on eBay
just a quick note _
just gone crazy listing _
just listed a brand new design _
just finished _
just posted _
just a friendly reminder _
just wanted to let you know _ “
And the second instance:
“..all dressed up and no place to go
last chance
urgent appeal
oh woe is me (sniff, sniff..)
no one seems to love him
my bears are so sad.. no one seems to want them
no bids! Xxxxx is feeling a bit down
feeling very disappointed…”
Now take all of the pot shots at me that you will, but the curmudgeon in me has to ask 2 questions:
1 – What seems to be the most over-used word in sales’ pitches, and
2 – What would induce me to **buy a bear that is under such a dark, dark cloud?
I feel that sellers don’t realize, as they type in their auction’s text, that the same or very similar words are being used in most of the listings above and below theirs. My eyes tend to glaze over as I scroll through the listings of the countless things offered –- and I realized that I was looking for that ‘something different or special’ that set an auction apart and didn’t repeat banalities.
A bear is done an injustice when it’s presented as a ‘failure’, one that no one else wanted so I’m begged one more time to “take a peek…”. Even in the Help section of eBay, it’s recommended that if an item doesn’t sell or even receive a single bid, to allow perhaps a few weeks to a few months before re-listing. Surfing tends to come in waves (a pun!) and the most likely people viewing it this week are the same ones that passed over it last week. There is a small monetary allowance for re-listing quickly, but should be used only when there has been a mistake in the original listing. Giving a sale a bit of breathing room will allow it to be seen by a number of potential buyers that for whatever reasons, were not able to surf in January but will be back if March, April and July.
This points to a fundamental difference between what has been this method of selling teddy bears and the tried and proven method that’s stood for a dozen years: exhibitors at bear shows work up a variety of pieces and will display them during a year or so of shows. Most will retire a bear after it’s been seen in all of the markets they’ve contracted to attend if it hasn’t been sold in the year. It’s understood that there is an owner for every bear: perhaps it was meant for Florida and not Oregon. Or it will be featured in a magazine ad. Or a web site. Or it will go to eBay. Or it will be donated to a charity auction like Good Bears of The World. There is some gap time of a few weeks to a few months between fairs, when the exhibitors’ production kicks into high gear and then the traveling bit has its turn.
Ebayers don’t have the same time constraints and they don’t seem to work on more than 1 bear at a time: a ted is made, posted on eBay, stays until it sells while one more bear is being made, which then gets its turn. I’ve polled a number of bearmakers and collectors and was very surprised to learn that the collector bases are 2 entirely separate groups, with very little mixing of the purchasing styles and markets. Most eBayers don’t attend shows and most fair attendees like the camaraderie of meet ‘n greet and feel eBay is too impersonal. And the group that subscribes to the bear magazines is about equally divided between these 2 camps. While eBay is a great place for beginners to get their feet wet without having the huge financial obligations entailed as a show exhibitor, it’s still a smaller market than the combined number of bear shows around the world annually.
This is the opposite, manic face of the morose ad:
“..new sweet sweet mini cub on eBay
his face just screams Pick me up!
Xxxxx is 3” of sweetness
Xxxxx on eBay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this little girl is the sweetest thing since honey…
you won’t be able to resist this sweet bear…”
Excuse me, my teeth ache….
OK. I’ll allow that there are more bubbly personalities in this world than my decidedly pragmatic one, but through this whole ‘diatribe’ (when you get a column you get to write like this every so often) there is such desperation shown, which is very off-putting to some buyers. It’s trite and I think it behooves all sellers to create novel, unique ways to market their goods, just as the bears are all novel and unique.
Probably my biggest pet peeve is the term ‘adopt’. For some reason I’ve always associated it with children and infrequently with pets from a shelter; a certain amount of money is paid (humans) for connecting the Wants and the Wanteds and for past boarding fees (pets)…. and the paperwork for both always involves fees. There is an exchange of goods for money involved when buying a bear and to hinge that to a word that involves a similar action between humans seems barbarous. We ‘buy’ bears, we don’t ‘adopt’ them. As a bear maker I want to be paid for my time, materials, overhead and talent therefore I’m paid my asking fee. My ‘price’ is proportionally higher for a collectible than it would be for a living being. It may seem a more gracious term than ‘buy’ but to me it denigrates the totally human emotions involved in adopting a living being that will become part of my family.
Whether yu agree or disagree, I invite you to share your comments with me
rkr4cds@comcast.net
or
511 Berkley
Elmhurst IL USA
60126.3728
..to be continued…
Hugs across the miles and Controversially Yours!
Bobbie Ripperger
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)Letter from the States©
by TB3 of RKR4CDS
Winter 2004
Christmas ‘03 is one week away and I’ve plunged back into using eBay, and into finishing my eBay report. It’s said that the first 2 or 3 weeks of December are a more difficult time to be selling; perhaps monies are being directed into the usual Holiday channels instead. And perhaps it has a pick-up period near the end as the cash that’s appeared in stockings and boxes and parcels seems like permission to indulge ourselves! Whatever the curious buying and selling habits that cycle through, I’m giving the opinions of my correspondents as Food For Thought. And the only consumed ‘food’ guaranteed not to be regretted in a few weeks!
It seems most sensible to break this down into sub-topics. If you’ll recall, I gave a very cynical view of eBay in the first half and invited members to challenge me, agree with me or tell me to… well, I’ll leave that to your choice. But apparently no one was brave enough to take me at my word (and believe me – I wield NO power in the bear world!!) or the column didn’t reach the opposition last time; everyone agreed with me. And they thought of things that I hadn’t and wrote them ever so much more eloquently. I have a total of 65 responses quoted; for brevity’s sake, I’ve combined many similar quotes into one.
No one’s name is used – to protect The Innocent: (those that wish to use eBay in the future and don’t want their own words to come back to haunt them!) So here’s our Collective Wisdom; some ideas to consider (or reject) and appropriate (or not). These words are all theirs as I spouted all of mine last time!
1 – BECOME A REGULAR
I think that the most important component in eBay success is to be posting regularly. You can’t put up just one or 2 teds over a few months and expect to develop a following. eBayers must see a history of continually (but not necessarily continuously!) posting new work, whether you post once a week or once a month. The eBayers that shop for their bears online develop particular patterns for watching the market as it suits their schedules and will take note of your time period for posting if you do it regularly. Don’t become discouraged after a few irregularly posted bears don’t sell. You must create an eBay Presence to be successful.
You really have to spend the time and pay your dues. You can have the most awesome product out there, but if people don't know your name, you get lost in the crowd. There are SO many people selling nice products on eBay, and unless there is a reason for yours to stand out, even an outstanding product can go for a very disappointingly low price. Learning to use keywords in your description, title, and putting up the best pictures that you possibly can are keys to eBay sales.
Don't give up; just don't expect your early work to sell like the "big fish" right away! Practice, practice, improve, improvise. Get the little critters in people's hands so they can see the qualify of the workmanship.
I thought mine were good enough to give it a try to sell on eBay in 1999. Big disappointment as my bears didn’t get one bid. But… I kept trying, starting the bidding at only $5, No Reserve, no BIN (Buy It Now) prices listed. I hoped for attention for my bears, and I was just happy that someone wanted my bears, even if the price was less than their worth. I hoped, if they held my bears in their hands and saw the detail in the work they would come back and bid again.. I knew I had to earn it, and that’s how it went…SLOWLY…but better every year. I used a reserve price only once, and that bear did not sell, so I don’t use reserve prices anymore.
If a bear does not meet the price I think he is worth, I am still pleased and happy that the bear did find a home. Not everyone can afford to bid high, so I am happy they were able to win. And the high bids balance out the lower bids. Don’t look at each bear’s selling price as a judgment of your talent; average the prices out, as would a bear show exhibitor when tallying up the profit & loss of a fair. eBay is a place to get exposure – I sell in both markets and for the most part the buyers are 2 very different and separate groups.
I notice many new bear ‘artists’ on eBay go for high prices right at the start. They see what some of the top sellers are getting and judge their work to be of the same worth. Sure, it would be wonderful if all of the bears sold from the start for high prices, it does not work that way. I think it’s important to practice, and feel good about what you make, before you start selling. Compare your work to the pictures online of the top sellers: are yours sculpted as extensively? Are yours hand shaded? Are all of the features (ears, eyes, limbs) balanced and well attached? Have you learned to set eyes into sculpted sockets? All of this separates a ‘practicing bearmaker’ from an experienced bear-maker. And the most important thing - I think someone said it before - HAVE FUN IN WHAT YOU DO!! Your bears will show it!!
2 – DO YOUR HOMEWORK
I can testify that eBay is not a fair gauge of anything. eBay has an average of around eleven million auctions on at any time. ELEVEN MILLION! Imagine trying to attract buyers in that crowd. I posted an item in both the Bear>Artist Offerings category as well as in Doll/Dollhouses>Miniatures; within 8 hours of posting, it was already pushed back to page 17 (out of 2028 pages of 30 auctions on each page) when listed as ‘Newly Posted’. If even I had trouble finding it 8 hours after it first appeared, how would a prospective customer ever single out my one miniature teddy bear.
If all else fails, if you sell your bears at just about ANY price; you are getting paid to learn how to do something. How rare is that!! Take golf for example. My husband pays a pro nearly $100 an hour for lessons, spends a ton of money on equipment, 30.00 - 60.00 bucks just to play a round on the course. And at the end of it all, he's several hundred bucks in the hole, but he’s Happy! Even if you are selling at $20 a bear, you are certainly paying for your materials and eBay listing fees, and probably have a couple of bucks left over. You are getting PAID to LEARN a craft! It’s an apprenticeship of sorts, whether it’s at shows, to the readers of bear mags or online. Compared to the cost of ‘higher’ educations – trade schools, college, etc – it’s a considerably smaller tuition.
3 – PRICING AND QUALITY OF WORK (Not surprisingly the most addressed category, as it’s always a problem for all of us!)
I saw a bear that was the first eBay listing by a new seller: the starting price was $49, with a BIN of $259. This seller had no track record on eBay – totally unknown to the online buyers – and I don’t care how much she gets at a show or to her others clients, eBayers want a track record of Feedback and appearing regularly to build confidence in you and your work before you’d ever get that price. The BIN probably scared off buyers, as I watched the seller’s next few auctions with the same pricing style – none of them got a single bid, though I could see some improvement in her skills over several months of work.
An opening bid of $175?? BIN can be that high, but for a relatively unknown seller – No Way!! Bidders can become wary of her auctions in the future if that becomes an established routine.
Starting bid - $125, BIN $135. That’s too close in pricing to make Buying It Now worthwhile to me.
Opening at $125 and a Reserve Price of $135? This seller hasn’t read the fine print in the Help section! The Reserve price is what you would not sell the bear for less than. Think of it as the wholesale price you’d use to sell it to a shop.
I really dislike seeing sellers putting their prices up high automatically, just because that’s what others are getting. There are 4 old time miniaturists in particular that I see doing this, even when they’re still making the same patterns that they’ve used for the past 6 – 10 years. AND…. there’s been no improvement in their skill level – the bears are identical but for different fabrics. AND…. their bears don’t sell on eBay. It must be a case of “Hope over History”.
I think price is a factor; you have to start lower than it’s worth if you’re new to eBay so people will buy and fall in love with your bears and want more. Then gradually raise your price. I am NOT speaking from personal experience as I’m a collector, it’s just observation.
My work started very slow, until I ‘proved’ myself with Positive Feedback and word of mouth, and now I can't keep the inventory full. My dollhouse quilts and mini afghans also had a slow start until I finally had a few successful sales at very low prices. I made some simple, quick things and sold them for pennies on the dollar. I'm now selling them quite well (Power Seller status). My advice: Start low with the first ones, and you'll probably lose money, but they will sell. Word WILL get out, and you'll be on your way.
One cannot set or demand a price as one would at a show. The buyers on eBay determine your prices. If you can live with that principle and learn from it, you’ll become successful.
eBay isn't really a good indicator of your talent and creativity as one thing I've found that is the same on most bears that are sold on eBay; their feet touch. I've been watching all the bears for the last couple of months and I've found that the ones that don't sell are the ones whose feet don't touch. (Bobbie’s comment: “And when seated, that their ‘bottoms’ are touching the surface, not just the backs of their legs from having positioned the leg joints too low.”) Just an observation, but from now on, I'm going to make sure that when my bears are standing, their feet touch. (No more Cowboy effect!)
4 – PRESENTATIONS
SPELLING!! GRAMMAR!!! I probably represent every teacher and lexicographer online – Where did we go wrong????? The two/too/to and there/their/they’re mistakes are so common as to be almost lost causes, but using Exorcize instead of Exercise or millenary instead of millinery and “I’ve modestly shaded her face to highlight…” instead of “I’ve shaded her face to modestly highlight…”. TURN ON SPELL CHECK! PLEASE!!!!! And get a Thesaurus to spice up and eliminate repetitive words and phrases!
*Sorry these photos didn’t turn out very well. He is really a lovely color.
*She is really gorgeous and the pictures don’t do her justice.
*Pardon the poor pictures.
*She is a little upset with me because her photos do not show the nice purple color that she is. She has forgiven me and she is here in all her glory….
(Bobbie: having learned the hard way – one MUST invest time in learning to do macro photography to present our mini to best advantage. And yes, it will also mean some new equipment if you don’t already have lighting and a macro lens. I bought an antique Marcasite brooch this week for $12 because the 2 photos were so blurry – unless one knew what it would really look like from past experience with collecting this type of jewelry. My gain; the Seller/Photographer’s loss.)
“His beard and hair may need to be fluffed up a bit after his journey to your house! Also, please note that the scanner made this 3-D sculpture look more flat than he is in real life.”
Please PLEASE – don’t even waste money listing on eBay if you’re going to lay your bear on a flat bed scanner for photos!
Sounding desperate was not something that would make me want to buy it! No more “..looking so sad…, …feeing lonely…, …no bids yet…”
I dislike seeing the counters giving the visitor stats. If a bear’s had 173 visitors, is starting at a reasonable bid and not had a single bid makes me wonder what’s wrong with the bear or the seller’s history on eBay. I think the counters should be hidden and accessible to only the Seller.
Adding heart-tugging value to your exquisite creations with simple but effective props will make what we both know to be worthwhile even more appealing to potential buyers. Perhaps two photos, one with props & one on its own may also help.
5 – ITEM DESCRIPTIONS
MOST importantly, put your name right out there at the beginning of the description. I can’t begin to tell you the frustrating minutes I’ve spent reading & rereading some Auction’s text trying to find out who created something that caught my eye. If I can’t find even that basic info, I move on to the next item
Separation of Church and State – this may be nit-picking, but I do not like to see references to God, bible quotes, chapter and verse lines and similar inclusions in eBay auctions. It’s OK on a website (though I wish it were only on personal family sites rather than business ones but that’s their prerogative to write and mine to read) but not in an auction listing.
What is it with the cloying, teeth-rotting practice of using sugar-based derivatives of ‘Sweet’? One auction recently used “sweet, sweety, sweetie and sweetest’, TWICE for each word in just 2 paragraphs!
Oscar acceptance speeches – “THX to my mom/sis/second cousin-twice-removed’s husband’s Granny's next door neighbour for teaching me all I know about making bears and supporting me in my new venture" and then the already established bear maker "introduces" the new person on all the lists when advertising the auction. Nepotism/Reflected Glory?
It amazes me how these types of listings seem to attract buyers willing to pay such high prices, as the bears appear to be clones of the original as are the listing descriptions themselves. I prefer to be factual and write the listing in a friendly but not over-the-top manner.
The sickly-sweet sales pitch of 'adopting' a bear rather than 'buying' it is daft. The other comments about the use of 'Just' and 'Upset/discouraged/tearful because no one is bidding..' etc., is all 'spin' in the attempt to sell stuff. I also find this annoying: no maker trying to sell a bear should try to sell it by giving it 'feelings' because the bottom line is the fact that it is a toy. It has no feelings and it has been made with the express purpose of getting money for it.
One Seller removes the images from her auctions immediately after the close. “I don’t want anyone to copy my work.” Excuse me, Miss Paranoid – haven’t they just had 5 days to do that?
Put the right key words into title: mini, crochet/felt/mohair, etc.. As fickle as eBay is, I just try to keep in mind that if I was starting out 10 years ago, that I'd have no other choice but to travel by car or air to a doll or bear show, pay money for a table, a hotel room, food, etc.... and still not necessarily make a dime to cover any of the expense! You've gotta admire those who have gone before us and "made it" the hard way! We have it easy compared to that!
6 - BIDDING TACTIC & OPTIONS
Looking at the bid history and the Feedback of buyers and sellers yields a wealth of information: the average price range that a seller’s work gets, what a buyer is willing to spend, if there’ve been past problems, links to other auctions and other seller’s items for sale (Bobbie: That’s how I found the Marcasite brooch; I don’t browse the Jewelry categories!) and the names of sub-categories that I didn’t know even existed.
The Teddy world watched on tenterhooks in November as 2 auctions blew the top off the bid ceiling. Both went for over $17,000. I don’t know if the sellers got their money – I would have been VERY nervous as the Bidder had a Feedback of 2. Just 2 previous eBay wins. Perhaps they’d just won the Irish Sweepstakes!!! It appears that one person kept on entering higher and higher bids, when there was no competition. She obviously thought that she needed to, so how can that be? How is eBay set up? Surely you can tell if you have the highest bid so that you don't go bidding against yourself needlessly.
Some suggestions:
**Having ANY number of items more than 1 up at once – you’re your own competition. It costs no more to list 1 auction every 8 weeks than it does 8 auctions in 1 week.
**Put your reserve price as the least amount that it will take for you to part with them, similar to the 25% - 50% discount less than Retail that you’d give to a shop owner and then hope that that will generate some interest.
**Be sure to take lots of good pictures so people can really see the condition your stuff is in and include pictures of all the accessories that you are including as well.
**Watch the same eBay categories for a minimum of 1 – 2 months to get an idea of what level of bids/prices people are getting. Put things into your eBay Watching and check out their final selling price when the auction is over. That should give you an idea of what to expect.
eBay was questioned as to the best way to sell w/o sounding like a lottery: eBay told me I could use the BIN (Buy It Now instant purchase Option), with “Free” Shipping. The shipping can actually be included in the price of your bear.
For example, if you want $100 for your bear, ask $125 or what you might think the shipping fee will be. You start your bid where you want to at $10 or $1, with a reserve of $100, but if they use the BIN button for $125.00 they will receive ‘Free’ shipping anywhere. If they do not use the BIN button and bid on it as a regular auction, then they must still pay for shipping but it will be listed as a Shipping Fee on the invoice. eBay explained in their email that all this had to be explained well in my description. Well, it still sounds like a come-on to me, a shell game; there’s No Free Lunch…
It always takes at least two people bidding against one another to drive your sale price up. That may seem really obvious, but once you have at least two people who are interested in owning your work, your sales will increase. Maybe the single bidder you have would be willing to pay 100.00 for your bear, but they get it at your opening bid because you haven't built up a big enough collector base yet.
I’ve done Private ID auctions for a while. I don’t think there is difference between showing the bidders’ names or not as sales are about the same as before. But I prefer the private auctions, because people cannot see who is bidding against them. And I don’t receive nasty emails anymore from disgruntled bidders and other artists; there are a lot jealous artists out there, and if they see one of “their” bidders is bidding on someone else’s auction, they get jealous... and email me… poor people ..
This makes me laugh: there seems to be a new game of one-upmanship, called “Let’s see how low we can start and still show everyone else that we can get $200 - $350 for a bear”.
A seller started out with a $2.00 listing as she always does, but instead of keep bidding why do the bidders not wait, and bid at the last and try to get a lower price, rather than inciting a bidding war? It seems as though they are bidding against themselves at times. They must not know how, or they have money to burn.
7 – SECONDARY MARKETING
Some control in secondary market- I have a blocked Buyer list for several reasons:
*I'd rather not sell a bear than have it go to one that will resell at less than half its worth, which implies a lower value of my work in the minds of other future prospective buyers.
*I want them to be photographed & presented well - these second market pics are not.
*It's been known that changes are made to the bear, which then should no longer be called "XXX's work".
*Lastly, 'What's wrong with this picture?' There's got to be a problem with someone who continually buys high & resells low...
IN CONCLUSION -
To Bobbie: “Please don't write articles about the 'praise' that some people get after they have posted messages on the lists about their “bears not having received a bid” or “I would love to know what everyone thinks so please visit this sweet bear. If you have time don't hesitate to email me as I'd love to hear what you think of him” (do they REALLY want to hear what I have to say or just receive lauds?) because if you ask for opinions on those topics too, I shall only want 'to go into a new one' in a similar Scrooge-ish manner!!!
And don’t forget to put your full name on every auction website. This seems like a no-brainer, but I’ve saved many auctions and websites that have no artist name anywhere…
So – this has apparently been a simmering, just-below-the-surface topic for lots of others too. And I’m sure all of us feel better for having sounded off! The air has been cleared to face a Bright New Year! May all of your Troubles be tiny ones and your Sales – Whopping Big Ones!!! This may be YOUR $17,000 year! My Best & Warmest Wishes for 2004!
Hugs across the miles – Bobbie Ripperger
Baird'sBears
:clap: Wonderful articles, Bobbie!!
I laughed, I cried, I cheered, I winced, and I learned. Thank you!!
Eileen
Now I will throw in my two tuppence worth,having been in business for the past 20 years and run and sold 3 successful businesses, my experiences are these,
Selling is hard work, never mind what you are selling. What works for one, might not work for another, but that does not mean you must not try it.
In business, there is no Mr Nice man, unfortunately, and if you think there is you will burn your fingers.You will make mistakes but learn from these mistakes it will strengthen your business.
Your customers are always right( even if you know they have pulled the bears leg off) you have to smile and say Mrs Jones, of course I will replace poor Billy's leg !!!!, look after the customers that you have.
Do not put all your eggs in one basket- while I can, I travel and use every means of spreading my bears around, and it can be hard. I recall sitting in Switzerland after a show, the hotel being empty, as most people had checked out, the small town asleep, and me bawling my eyes out as I had travelled so far and only sold two bears for the whole week-end.
Not one to give up, I got up in the morning, camouflaged the puffy eyes, packed up the left over bears and thought well if the customers did not come to me, I would go to them- well I did sell them - to the Puppenhausen Museum in Basel.
One can never just sit back- never mind how successful you are, you always have to be one step ahead, always giving your customers something new, building up a client base, send out news to them, birthday wishes, season greetings,just anything.
And always respect other bear artists, and other people in the industry,
Lynette
Bears-a-Bruin!Fantastic Bobbie, thankyou - I agreed with pretty much everything you said (except the private auctions - I'd take a lot of convincing about those!).
What I find most interesting are your poll results...I’ve polled a number of bearmakers and collectors and was very surprised to learn that the collector bases are 2 entirely separate groups, with very little mixing of the purchasing styles and markets. Most eBayers don’t attend shows and most fair attendees like the camaraderie of meet ‘n greet and feel eBay is too impersonal. And the group that subscribes to the bear magazines is about equally divided between these 2 camps. I had suspected this, and it does make sense when you think about it.
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)Thx to those that replied off- and on-list!
It was a very thought-provoking time for me, with much food-for-thought in the insights of others.
To explain my new Private Auction policy:
At the time those articles were written, I had not been an eBay regular, as I was traveling and exhibiting at 6 - 10 shows a year. I had never used a Private Auction, as either a Buyer or Seller.
I've gone to it in the past 4 months though, but only for my more expensive items - those starting at $100. I have at least 2 collectors with very deep pockets and I'd noticed that a pattern had developed, after becoming a regular and builing a small collector base there: when one placed a bid, the other stopped bidding. Which is good for them with a lower end price than I used to get, but bad for my bottom line.
So I'll say this again, while it would be nice to be altruistic and not care about selling, I do do this for the money. Crass? No. I'd rather get no bids and keep the sculpture than sell what took one solid week of work for my minimum bid of $100. Private auctions have been working and it solves this problem - for now - so I'll continue this option.
The other eBay option would be a Reserve price or a Buy It Now, but those seem to be too self-limiting for me at this point. You must constantly fine tune your businesss to meet your individual needs. And put the control in your court as much as possible, while still understanding that the customer sets the price!
Flying Fur StudiosBobbie, wonderful read! Thank you. Alot of time has gone into those articles.
I am also an ebay researcher, and I totally agree with just about everything you say.
But, at the risk of being very unpopular, I think the real downfall of ebay, isn't what Scott said, although he does have good points.
But the problem I have with ebay, is artists practically giving their bears away. I know, you guys say you have to start somewhere on ebay. But what on earth are we doing to the 'collectable bear' market if some collectors can get perfectly wonderful bears for so cheap? Then, now they are hooked on artists bears, but just can't imagine spending more then $50 for one.
This is what I see to be a big problem. You show your collectors what you are worth.
I've said it before, louis vuitton didnt start selling their handbags cheap, just to get started. No, the established themselves as a high end product and that's what needs to be done on ebay.
I have never "given' anything away on ebay. I would rather donate it to charity, or give it to my mom etc. But I don't know who buys my bears, and if they only paid $20 for it, are they going to cherish it? Will it really be around to pass down?
I just don't love the idea of a new collector market thinking that the normal price for an artist bear is under $50. Guess that would never happen at a bear show, but I've never had the chance to go to one. Probably never will either.
But, I guess I'm different bec. I also work full time, so I don't need to pay my morgage from bear money. But at the same time, I would never jump into making bears untill I could pay my morgage with bear money.
So, please don't hate me 
, I know many of you may sell your bears for cheap to get started. That's okay, just not what I would do.
And that's MY rant for the day.........
WienSheila, well, unfortunately my experience in selling teddies is limited to 2 teddies I sold to somebody who knows somebody who knows my mom
I´m sending you a virtual handkerchief, because I don´t want you to be sad about something that you didn´t cause yourself.
I understand your point so well: I´ve been browsing ebay and I don´t understand it. Basta. I´m a gifted buyer on ebay but selling ( whatever) hasn´t worked so far. 
It puzzles me, how really sweet and lovely and beautiful bears don´t sell whilst one really gorgeous plush dog, beautifully offered on ebay wins $ 6.100,- *getting dizzy in the head* ( I can get a car for that prize)
Your bears are sweet and lovely and beautiful and gorgeous, so there´s nothing wrong with them.
The lady who sold this incredible dog is a well known artist; people obviously just long for her wonderful creations.
So one needs to have a name in the teddy business, as it is with every business. I guess.
In my humble opinion ebay is not the suitable medium to sell your teddies for what they are worth, unless of course, you´re well-known in the collectors world.
What I think, that could improve your business could be to finalize your homepage and make it look like one where the viewer knows, that he can buy teddies.
I think, the internet is an incredibly good medium to sell anything to anybody in the whole wide world...and maybe even beyond 
, it made the world a much smaller place and gave me the chance, to participate here.
I wish your teds, that they find the owners they deserve and I wish you good luck in finding these new owners. :hug:
Gaby
.....I have at least 2 collectors with very deep pockets and I'd noticed that a pattern had developed, after becoming a regular and builing a small collector base there: when one placed a bid, the other stopped bidding. Which is good for them with a lower end price than I used to get, but bad for my bottom line.
I can understand that Bobbie! I know that I've been going back and forth on this.... and you've really hit the nail on the head with that point. I know that my best friend and I have the same taste in bears.... so if we see the other is bidding on a bear... we don't bid against eachother! I know some people will, but there's many others who will not. Thanks for the additional food for thought!
Baird'sBearsBut the problem I have with ebay, is artists practically giving their bears away. I know, you guys say you have to start somewhere on ebay. But what on earth are we doing to the 'collectable bear' market if some collectors can get perfectly wonderful bears for so cheap? Then, now they are hooked on artists bears, but just can't imagine spending more then $50 for one.
Excellent point, Heather--
The answer is probably that (as Bobbie says) eBay is a special market with special requirements, where the buyer sets the price. We can sell elsewhere, or not sell, but an auction's an auction.
I think that just as unknown artists need to accept the fact that their first offerings on eBay won't likely sell for much, if at all, collectors need to accept the possibility that the artist's prices will rise. It's altogether likely that six months or a year later, a bear similar to the critter somebody won for $20 would cost her $200.
In this case, the collector would have little right to complain that the higher price was unfair--it's just the way the eBay market works.
I suppose bear artists could get together and agree to set starting bids at a level that protected the market. If we ever get around to setting up a professional BearArtists' Guild similar to what the doll artists have, this might be worth thinking about.
Eileen
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)Continuing saga on eBay - I too haven't bid against friends, Laura, and it's quadrupled when I see one of my collectors holding the high bid!!!
So one needs to have a name in the teddy business, as it is with every business. I guess.
Well, not necessarily, if you're thinking that the 'name recognition' comes from magazine exposure and show attendance. I 'thought' I was pretty well-known on the show circuit, so it came as a great shock that I was a Nobody online. That's where the 2 separate collector bases come into play. The fulcrum swings toward more ppl having internet access than ability to attend shows within their travel distance/ability.
eBay is not the suitable medium to sell your teddies for what they are worth, unless of course, you´re well-known in the collectors world.
When I put my business plan into action last May/June, I looked very carefully at what I had on hand to sell. I ranged the items so that I'd begin selling my kit models, my past mohair & uv work and any item that came from my earliest needle felting days. I feel that they are not representative of my current skill levels, so was willing to lower their prices.
I started with those that I thought were the least expensive and worked upward. Each was assigned a 'spot' on the calendar. I still have at least 18 - 24 more to list, without the addition of new work. Some pieces were held for the appropriate season or holiday and others were items seen at the same show 2 years in a row but not sold.
Those earliest auctions, in my plan to become a regular presence, created a recognition of my name & work, though not my current style. That less-expensive collector base has evaporated, though I still see glimmers of it in the Bid List, when I have some of the less expensive items listed. To not totally disregard those collectors, I mix in the kit models and a few more seasonal items to keep them interested. It's a good mix to show with my current work, which is getting the retail price that I'd been selling for at shows.
...don't love the idea of a new collector market thinking that the normal price for an artist bear is under $50.
All things are 'relative'; if I'd priced a bear @ $110 at a show and got $50 on eBay I'd add these to the equation:
*Does this piece represent my current skill level? (No.)
*Is $50 better than sitting here in a box, providing that I no longer want the bear (I collect sheep, not bears)?
*Did I just place a bear in a collector's hands that cannot afford my $450 bears?
*To them, isn't this just as precious as a more expensive bear? (Is the $50 bear going to be worth any more or less to the family inheritors than a $500 bear, if they're not aficionados themselves? I cannot begin to tell you the # of white Steiffs I've seen in antique shops in the Retirement Belts in the States, AZ/FL/etc... To a non-collector, a bear is a bear is a bear...)
*Am I being paid to learn part of a new skill (online marketing), which I'd pay tuition for elsewhere? Yes.
Thereis[i[u no Secondary Market for artist bears. I've seen too-many-to-count artist bears by some of today's top artists in shops, online and every market available. (If you want to feel like small potatoes after garnering $500 on your last bear, see what someone else would pay that collector for it a year down the road) A bear is appreciated most by the person who first bought it and those that might be the inheritors aren't even a factor.
There are some manufactured bears that have become highly collectible, but we artists have yet to have had enough impact on the bear world that our work will be highly valued and sought after when we're gone, either from the bear world or from this life.
Three years ago I saw a Beverly Port bear, recognized as the Mother of the Artist Bear World, being offered for pennies on the dollar. I watched it for over 14 months, every time I visited the area, for all I know it's still in the shop.
Guess that would never happen at a bear show, but I've never had the chance to go to one. Probably never will either.
LOL - you prove my point about not having access to bear shows of any type, not to mention just the top echelon ones! I'll bet less than 10% of us here are within a comfortable driving distance of a good show, to and return plus the hours at the show within one day.
Rant on... it makes us all think!
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)One last point before I'm off to therapy (physical, not mental, though heaven knows I need that too!!):
as unknown artists need to accept the fact that their first offerings on eBay won't likely sell for much,
It's a whole lot easier for all of these points to be accepted by those starting their bear career online (websites & auctions.) and building their pricing into the rising level of their ability.
It's definitely Humble Pie eating time for those of us that've built a reputation elsewhere, to have to begin at lower prices, just to re-establish themselves in a new market.
Flying Fur StudiosWow, Lisa, I'm soo going to check out these bears. I'm honored that I know someone who sold a bear for that much. I'm sure it was worth every penny. You're so right, people pay crazy amounts for other forms of art, why not bears. Sooo cool!!!
Bobbie, good points about ebay. Really. I can tell you've really put alot of thought into this and I thank you for that. Any time saver is a good one!
I guess you're right, if you start selling your 1st bears on ebay, it's okay to get $50 for them, but if you come from shows and you're bears a realy good it is tough. But such is ebay I guess. I also see bears sell for alot of money and wonder if they would've gone for that much elsewhere.
I used to have a bit of a 'name' for polymer clay sculptures and felties. That was along time ago. Before I found artists bears. So, just as I'm about to start over on ebay, it should be really interesting to find my ebay truth. I hope it's a good one! LOL
I just can't say how invaluable it is to get advice from those who have really paid their dues.
Back Road BearsAs I missed this post while caring for my dad and honestly don't have the time or brain power to read all of your posts I'm just going to put my 2 cents in and hope I'm not beating to death anything already said!!
(I did read most of the first page of posts... Mindy's, Penny's and Shantell's posts stick in my mind.)
I agree with Mindy..... there are more places to sell than just the internet and eBay. Hello... haven't you all noticed that there are over a THOUSAND bears up for auction on any given day? What makes you think YOURS are going to be the ones that sell? I don't care how you design your auction listing. And yes, I've given advice on how to make your auction listing stand out but still.... that isn't necessarily going to sell the bear. Your photo on the search results page has got to be fantastic in order to draw folks to your auction listing first. If that photo isn't eye catching and endearing and daring the browser to come in for a closer look, you've got no chance. And then it's only by chance that you get bids. Unless you are Lisa Pay or similar with a very specific style or you cater to a special kind of collector (Lisa makes life like dogs.... all breeds... so any dog person into a specific breed with enough money is going to be after her work... that's a huge audience!!!) you have a lot of competition with artists trying to do what you are doing... sell.
If you were to drop say $150.00 on a teddy bear would you buy from an artist based on looks alone if you didn't know the artist? Wouldn't you want to see the bear in person first? We here as artists have the advantage as we know what mohair, alpaca, etc. FEEL like and we know the work that goes into such techniques as airbrushing, needlefelting, eye-lids, etc. We know the time involved as well so understand the pricing. If a description says it has cotterpin joints we know it'll have loosely jointed limbs and if it says it's filled with steel shot we have a fairly good idea of how heavy it's going to feel. Do you think a collector or would-be collector is going to know all these things from a picture?????
How many of you have had an increase in sales since joining TT???? I know I have. Why? Because we've gotten to know eachother here... that personal connection. And we've come to know eachother's work and techniques. I may have seen your work on eBay before but didn't know you. Now that we have personal connections I appreciate your work more.
It seems to me that you've got to get out there and MEET collectors. Not be lazy and sit in your pj's at your computer posting auction listings. Anyone can do that. Shows aren't as good as they used to be since the internet came along and artists decided to stay home and sell their bears that way. Now they can't even do that and are complaining that eBay is saturated and now shows are bad so what are they to do!? Well, duh..... get into shows again, tell the whole world what shows you are going to be at, offer a discount to your best collectors for the day of the show and bring your best work and biggest smile! Give shows a chance... many of us are working at trying to renew interest in shows, offer more to collectors and better deals to artists... but we can only do that if you PARTICIPATE in the show. It will take a couple of years for a new show to gain a great reputation and just as long for a show that used to be good to regain that reputation.
And remember you have to SPEND money to MAKE money. That means you've got to spend money on advertising, going to shows, mailings, etc. in order to sell your work and make any money. This takes effort folks! Not just to make the bears. The work doesn't end there! It takes effort to sell them and you'll get discouraged 100 times in the process. Did you all know that 80% of new businesses fail? Not just teddy bear artist businesses but any business... be it a restaurant, flower shop, auto repair shop, computer company, etc. It's just a fact. What does it take to be part of the 20% that succeed? A unique, high quality product, money, a great advertising strategy, fantastic customer service (which will require you to get out from behind your computer!!) lots of patience and perseverance. And did I mention a unique product?
What do you do if you can't afford to or aren't in good enough health to do shows or ads in magazines. Well, you are then stuck with the internet and word of mouth. Perhaps an editorial in a magazine if you are lucky. Contact your local newspaper about doing an article on the art of teddy bears in their art or special interest section. But to reach existing bear collectors that are serious and know where to go to add to their collection.... magazines and bear shows are it... or the internet where they will likely only seek out bears made by artists they already know.
And didn't anyone tell you that making and selling collectible teddy bears is NOT a profitable venture for the majority of artists????? That there are no guarantees? That you'll probably starve?? You have to do it cause you love to make bears and put smiles on peoples faces, not because you need to pay the bills. And as more and more people try their hand at making bears and think they can be artists and sell their work, the less of a chance you have of selling your work....you just keep getting more and more competition. Let's face it... the industry is now saturated with 'teddy bear artists'. We aren't all going to make it!
OK, this hasn't been a very encouraging post. I'm sorry about that, but it's necessary to face the facts, the odds and reality here! I sincerely wish there were as many collectors as there are artist bears needing homes and that we all had unlimited bank accounts so no one would think twice about spending a couple hundred dollars on a teddy bear. I wish that each and every one of you could sell every bear you made for the price you set and never feel discouraged. I wish a lot of things!!
There are a lot of books out there about selling on ebay.. including selling crafts on eBay. I haven't read any of them myself as I still believe in customer service face to face and like to meet my collectors there for sell at shows, teach workshops, give demos and talk about my art with just about anyone willing to listen... all of which result in sales for me in the end. But you might want to check out some of the book available.. yup, you can even do that online in your jammies!! :)
I hope each of you finds your nitch in the bear market... where ever it may be!!
Hugs, Daphne
Wild Thyme OriginalsYou know... one of the forms of advertising that we haven't yet mentioned..... Good old fashioned word of mouth! Now, I won't even pretend to know how things work for the show curcuit.... but eBay is a pretty small world as far as artist bears/collectors go. I have a couple of regulars whom I have come to know as dear friends, and believe me, the collectors talk to each other too... almost as much as us... well... maybe not as much as we Teddy Talkers do, but they do talk to each other as well. 
If you make bears that are high quality... the collectors tell one another!
And word of mouth can be just as valuable among the artists... I can't tell you how many e Mails I get asking if I make fur bears, or heirloom fur coat bears, or needle felted bears, or whether I can do a commissioned bear in the next 3 months, do I ever do antique-style ..... unfortunately....no, no, no, no and not yet .... but I can give them the website addresses of people who do, and I do so on a regular basis! It's wonderful to talk to people who are as passionate about collecting bears as I am about making them.... people LOVE to talk about their collections... and often times you can point them in the direction of artist's whose work they haven't seen before, etc....
It might seem a bit counter-intuitive at first... to point people in the direction of OTHER people's bears, but you know what.... It certainly does quite a bit to further the "industry" as a whole, and I believe that the big karmic circle swings around in my direction occassionally too! 
Edit: Oops... daphne... you must have posted while I was writing... YOU mentioned word of mouth too.... I think it's REALLY important!
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals
Posts: 3,177I believe that the big karmic circle swings around in my direction occassionally too!
Kim - you are the Karmic queen my dear and i'll be taking you up on that offer of help with the flappy things
Penny - in the Lotus postion and unable to get out of it................... 
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)Ty to all that've chimed in on this topic. I'm sure I pointed it in a new direction from where Sheila intended. It's still a valid discussion, as we'd all be smothering in bears if we didn't have all of the outlets that we do!
Lisa, though we've not 'met/interacted' before this, I do hope you didn't feel that an explanation was necessary. Your long letter was a nice follow-up; I think most of us followed the saga during the ensuing year. I debated leaving my parting line in on that 2003 column, but decided that it didn't denigrate you or you customer. We were all SOOoo pleased for you, thinking that it nothing if not show us that our work is appreciated by those willing to 'put their money where their mouth is', as we say here!
noticed that there are over a THOUSAND bears up for auction on any given day?
Actually, I think that there is a parity between the number of bears presented at a big show like the ones by ABC & Bright Star and the number on eBay on any given day, comparing number of bears to the number of viewers in both venues. There are well over a thousand bears at these shows. Compare the number of collectors viewing them on that in-person sales day compared to the tens of thousands viewing certain eBay categories of bears each day; I think the percentages come out pretty equal if not tipped a bit farther on the side of the online exposures.
What do you do if you can't afford to or aren't in good enough health to do shows or ads in magazines. Well, you are then stuck with the internet and word of mouth.
This is me now, after 14 years exhibiting and it's still a pretty good trade-off. I've advertised, I've won major competitions (Lisa's pup won out over my Hedgehog Mama & Baby for a TOBY, and it WAS/IS better than mine was/is!!), been a featured artist in a number of international mags, exhibited at and taught from Asia to Europe, but am not part of an inner circle clique or different from any of us here. Just someone plugging along every day, enchanted by the process and eager to get on to the next idea!
Perhaps an editorial in a magazine if you are lucky. Contact your local newspaper about doing an article on the art of teddy bears in their art or special interest section.
Been there, done that (on a farly regular basis). An article in your local paper looks good on your career resume but doesn't reach your target audience and being in a TB magazine reaches a % of your focus group, but they are still in the same boat as those seeking their 'fix' online - they cannot meet you nor touch your work.
Another part of my Private Listings choice for posting is to get my work into more hands; if one person continually purchases my work, which is Very flattering, no one else can appreciate the fact that my work truly is very firmly needle felted and not likely to fall apart in normal handling. I have too pieces I've bought (for comparison) and too many emails from ppl (students & other NFers) complaining about the quality of the NFed work they've purchased, and how long they spent continuing to needle it to make it stable.
But to reach existing bear collectors that are serious and know where to go to add to their collection.... magazines and bear shows are it... or the internet where they will likely only seek out bears made by artists they already know.
Still cannot hold bears in mags and the limited number of show attendees and the number of true bear artists is unknown/hit-or-miss, as we cannot attend all of the shows we'd like to, nor are they always near our biggest supporters. Or in areas of the country that can support artist bear prices. As much window-shopping goes on at bear shows as on the internet.
Yes, if you've been away from the online marketplace for a short period, it is starting over. Which is why it makes more sense to re-list a bear a few months later rather trhan immediately, because the 'audience' does turn over frequently.
And didn't anyone tell you that making and selling collectible teddy bears is NOT a profitable venture for the majority of artists?????
Yes, my tax accountant, every year! She (a HUGE collector) has yet to see an artist in any field make a profit in 3 out of 5 years. Most of us sink it right back into our business and hope that the deductions will not too far outweigh the net profits.
On a side note:
As to calling oneself an artist, I do this only recently and with great difficulty. Too many ppl use this adjective too freely, as soon as the last seam is closed on their first bear. I've always felt it was the perogative of others to use, but not one's self in describing our own work. It's only in the last year or two that I'm comfortable using it - sparingly - because new fields that have opened to me have proven that I've found a niche - for now....
My rants are over. It's time to start some Creating!
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)I suspect that a lot of your info is hard to hear, especially for us newbies--but only because it's so true and so necessary.
I guess I'm just old & jaded!
Talk about there being a down-turn in the bear business was going around when I began in 1990 - and has continuously been perpetrated ever since. I think most of us go into any new venture wearing rose colored glasses; it always looks fresh and exciting to newbies and after a few years, when reality sets in, it appears to be in 'a down-turn'.
Those that were saying this back in 1990 were surely remembering 'the good old days' of 1986 or 7 or 5... when everything was fresh and exciting.... and we'll be hearing it yet again in '10 & '25, speaking about the 'good old days' of '05...... LLLLOL
