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Amanda Jul 18, 2005

Hello everyone.

I only sell on ebay at the moment. I was wondering things like is it better to start off with a low price or does it make your bears look 'cheap'?

Do reserves put people off or, like my husband says, it makes sure you get a fair amount. £50 is the lowest you can put here in the UK.

Is it better to end your auction, for example, 7.00pm Sunday when people are at home so they could maybe up their bid, or late at night so they would put their highest bid in before?

I know its a quiet time of year now so any ebay tips or experiences would be welcome.

kbonsall Jul 18, 2005

Good questions. I can't help you with this but would like some answers to these questions as well!  I haven't listed anything on ebay yet but was told by a coworker that her sons sell things on ebay and have told her not to start the bid at more than $0.99 - I know that I dont care to part with any of my bears for anything close to that! I wouldn't mind buying a few for that but won't part with my own for that!

clare14 Jul 18, 2005

Hello Amanda

I mainly sell on eBay as I work and have 2 small children, so don't get the time I would like to do shows.   I have found it hard though to get a fair price for my work, and more often than not lose out, not even covering the cost of my materials. VERY deflating indeed.:(:(

I have tried both ways, starting at 99p and at a higher price.   My higher priced ones would either not sell, or would only get one bid, while the 99p start would always get bids, but like I say more often than not would not reach a high selling price.   I've never put a reserve on.

I think 'most'  people on eBay are after a bargain, I know I do!!;)  I have an artist friend who is a lot better known than me, and she can name her price.   She told me off for selling my bears so cheaply once, but I get upset even more if they don't get any bids at all!!!  Tee! Hee!! 

It's hard - I'd love to hear other comments regarding this!!

Anyhow, love you avatar bear!!   So sweet!!   Let us know how you get on!!

Black Forest Bears Jul 19, 2005

Hi,

I am in the same "Shoes" than Amanda,
if I start at "my fair" price, I dont get bids, if I start low, than I dont even get the money for the materials.
I think it depends a lot how "famous" you are as an Bear Artist.
If you did not win any Awards, or got featured a lot in Magazines, your Name and Bear dont worth a lot.
This is my experience, maybe someone has a different opinion.

Rita

kbonsall Jul 19, 2005

I love bears and am thrilled to get good prices but after getting them for such a good price, I feel guilty - being a bear maker now, I realize how much time, money and love go into these little creatures! I am about to sell my 1st on ebay and have a lot of questions floating in my head!

I have noticed, and will do it myself, I wait until the last couple of hours to bid on something, hoping to get a better price

WildThyme Jul 19, 2005

GOOD Questions!  I've been selling on e bay for about 5 years now... first one of a kind sculpted dolls & baby faeries, then mini bears, and now small to mid sized mohair bears.... I tell you, I don't think I'll ever truly have it figured out.  Here are a few things that I've learned through the years.  All generalizations, of course!  We can all probably think of many exceptions to the rule.... And remember, this is just my little 'ol opinion, feel free to disagree!  I just LOVE selling on e bay... but there are plenty of folks who don't like it... and don't do it!  Do keep in mind that not being able to fetch a high or even fair price on e bay really isn't necessarily a indication of the quality and desirability of your work.  Selling on eBay is a bit of an "art" itself.     
1. According to e Bay statistics, the most folks are logged into eBay at  around 7 pm California time.  Many people choose to have their auctions start and or end at that time for that reason.  I've always found that having almost all your auctions end at the same time (for example-- auctions end at 7:15 PM, whether its a 3 day, 5 day or 7 day auction) gives people something they can rely on... they know that every Sunday night after their news program  they can "tune in" and see what Artist X has on e bay at the moment...

2.  Having a nearly constant presence.... There are a LOT of artist bears on e Bay!  From talking with many of the folks who are interested in my work, I know that not one of them actually sits down and looks at each and every artist bear available at any given time!  I do my best to get a bear listed every week, or every other week... (We are in the process selling our house & buying another -- so I've been pretty bad lately!)  When people know that there is always something of yours to take a peek at... they are more inclined to do so.  The more someone looks, the more likely they are to bid.

3.  Good Ads -  There are lots of different opinions on this one.... should you be cute and make up a sweet story about your bear, be concise and factual..... I tend to lean toward overly long detailed descriptions AND poems, stories, etc.... Probably NOT the best thing! 

4.  GOOD PICTURES- need I say more?

5.  Oh... I think it always helps when I put a nice facial close up as the picture that is going to show up as someone scans through the endless list of other equally sweet teddies.  Your buyer is going to fall in love with the face first!  No matter how wonderful your teddy is overall,  the face is certainly what draws the most folks in.

6.  When I can afford to, I try to do the "Featured Listing" option.... yes, it's expensive, but I do find that I get many more "hits" and many more bids when i do it.  It usually pays for itself with a higher end price, but not always.  When I find that I am selling to the same three collectors over and over again, I always try to do the featured auction or a highlighted (purple bar)  auction to try to bring in a few more people.

Am I rambling here?

As for pricing and reserve, etc... I am still desperately trying to figure that one out!  I think it's really tricky!  I put a reserve on sometimes, and sometimes I don't.  I don't think it's made a huge difference either way for me.  I do know that sometimes I do it if I truly can not imagine parting with a particular bear for less than a certain amount. 

I could go on and on.... I guess those would be my best tips though.  I'm always happy to answer questions though if there's something more specific that you wish to know about.  I almost never even get a chance to look through other listings on e Bay anymore... so maybe I'm out of date with my opinions.... When I was making dolls I spent HOURS scanning through.  After baby 3 came along, I am lucky just to get my own auctions up and running!

OMG... you guys have spell check here!  How lucky for me, and even luckier for all of you who have to read my posts!  Though... it won't catch my own bizarre made-up punctuation rules!

Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Amanda Jul 19, 2005

Hello and welcome Kim. Thanks for your opinions. Like you say there seem to be no set rules, but good advice all the same. I think you are spot on about getting a following. I have not had anything on for awhile but I was getting more hits. All experiences are welcome!

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner SponsorJul 19, 2005

Kim, thanks much for sharing your expertise for selling on ebay . . . sounds like you are very knowledgeable.  I still haven't taken the plunge, but have been seriously thinking about doing it.  Your suggestions are very helpful!

WildThyme Jul 20, 2005

Sue Ann,
  You should give it a go.... !  Since I started selling on e Bay right out of the gate without having already built up a name and a following, it was a bit of a slow start for me.  You certainly won't really have that problem... everyone already knows who you are! 

The "constant presence thing" is really what gains an eBay specific following though.... I think so at at least.   Though I absolutely LONG to be able to do a show like so many of you do!  I've never even had the ability to go to a bear show as a spectator!  I was really hoping to get to the June 23 show in Columbus, Ohio.... but I'll be knee deep in moving boxes now on that day!

Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner SponsorJul 20, 2005

I've gotta pretty much give a big "ditto" to everything Kim says, with some extra emphasis on her statement that it really helps collectors if they know your auctions will ALWAYS end at the same time. 

A long time ago as I started out, I watched eBay to see when the high price point artists were ending their sales and it was inevitably Sunday night around 7pm PST, so I chose that time as my own ALWAYS auction end point. 

Later, I read somewhere that it's actually a statistically verified fact that 7pm PST (West Coast time, for you international folks who, like me, can barely keep track of their own time zone!) is the time when most people are on eBay.

Having said all that, Keep Away! from my auction close time.  Laughing here... ;)

I think a constant presence is great (and am kinda afraid about my own LACK thereof over the last, stagnant months I've had)... but I think it might be even better to have a Mailing List option available to your repeat/new/potential collectors BEFORE ever starting up on eBay. 

You can reference your Mailing List -- which you'd put on your website (also a very good thing to have in place BEFORE starting up) -- in your listing with wording like, "See my ABOUT ME page for more on my company, and to join my Mailing List, which entitles you to news and updates on the freshest bears out of my studio."  Or some such thing.  Remember that it's against eBay policy to reference your website (or ANY third party website, for that matter) in your auction listing directly.  You can, however, point viewers to your eBay ABOUT ME page without consequence.

I use my Mailing List each and every time I have a bear going ANYWHERE, be it eBay, a retailer, or once in a blue moon, as an exclusive to the Mailing List subscribers themselves!

Never underestimate the power of a great photograph.  Especially a close up of a sweet face.  If you hope to be paid for both your materials AND your talent and time, remember to show off what you can do!  It takes a very long investment of energy and effort to create any teddy bear by hand.  Take the time to photograph those efforts well, using lots of light, and a pretty backdrop, and crop your photos to show off the very best parts of your bears.

Last, add some professionalism to your listings.  If you don't have the ability to create your own templates, hire someone to create one for you; use eBay's themed pages; or enroll in an auction template service.  I use The Seller Sourcebook and think they're fantastic.  It ends up costing me about $7/month and the fees are set up to autodraw from my PayPal account, so it's a total no brainer.

I do think the extra formatting, crispness, neatness of display, color coordination, etc., of these kinds of services can add dollars to your final bid price.  It reflects that you take your work seriously.  If you don't, why expect someone else to? 

As in all business ventures, you must first value yourself and your own work and makes choices that reflect as much.  Then, if you offer a quality product, the buying audience will happily follow.

Hope this is helpful.

Winney Jul 20, 2005

Very helpful Shelli as always...Winney

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner SponsorJul 20, 2005

Thanks, Winney.  You're appreciated. :)

Here's a bit of wacky irony/karma for you all to digest...

About two minutes after writing the above post, which focused in large part on the ABSOLUTELY, FABULOUSLY IMPORTANT ROLE OF THE MAILING LIST IN BEAR SALES, I went to my email program to compose a long overdue letter to my Mailing List re: my two newest bears, soon to land at Collins Gift Shop.  And, lo and behold, my Mailing List -- heck my entire Address Book! -- had up and disappeared.  I have absolutely no idea what happened.  <sigh>

Happily, sorta :/, I had saved various versions of my contact list over time, and could reconstruct my Mailing List from that.  But the saved version did not contain the "Groups", like my PBB Mailing List, from which I was working.  It only contained individual names and email addresses.  So it was really a hit-or-miss bunch of guesswork on my part reconstructing the list.  I'm just hoping I didn't accidentally mail to too many folks who had previously asked to be unsubscribed, and were, but had not made it off my saved version.  <sigh, again.>  I hate getting people riled unnecessarily.

Thanks for your ears... eyes?... in "listening" to my woes.

Winney Jul 20, 2005

Shelli..That is scary..wonder what really happened? It's got to be a time consuming job to find all the addresses to replace... Winney

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner SponsorJul 20, 2005

Hoo boy, Shelli . . . so sorry about the loss of that mailing address list!  As much as I love being in these progressive technological wonder days, the computer is a point of stress sometimes!  But lots of thanks for your observations about selling on ebay . . . one of these days I'll do it - I think!!

kbonsall Jul 20, 2005

Shelli - you dont have to worry about me taking your business!  you are a pro whereas i am an amature! ;)LOL  At this point, i would be glad to pull in $30-$40 for my teeny bears (ususally at the most 3") and around $75-$80 for my real fur bears (which are usually a little bigger than the teeny - say about 8" at the most)  You gals that are part of this board really give me something to strive for, maybe I too, will be a name among the bear makers one day... *sigh* i can hope, can't i

doodlebears Celebration AmbassadorJul 20, 2005

Shelli I'm sorry to read that you have had a problem with your email. Just last week all of my email messages disappeared and I was unable to retrieve them. I had enquiries for bears that I had not answered so I lost sales because of it.

Great Ebay info, thanks to both of you Shelli and Kim. I have sold on Ebay and have found it ok although it's always a bit of a gamble. My best and craziest sale was when I sold one of my patterns. Two people got into a bidding war and the pattern finally sold for £37 GBP which is around $64 USD. Just think about it , there was three A4 sheets of paper one colour photograph and a plastic bag...CRAZY!!!!

Jane.

kbonsall Jul 20, 2005

i have noticed a lot of patterns appearing for sale on e-bay recently.... i can't wait to witness battles for my bears LOL

bearsbybeesley Jul 20, 2005

Kim and Shelli, great info. I agree totally about the ending time of an auction as well as being consistant. (Although I do not always head to that) Nanug is on ebay and I am trying my first 10 day auction. I dont know that I would do that again though. Also I totally agree with putting your bears on ebay on a regular basis. At least when your name is fairly new. This is what I have been doing and I look at it as cheap advertising for ones web site.

No I have not had great success on ebay but will keep working at it. I recall a few weeks ago saying I hate ebay but that was because I took the entire process to heart. I have learned that one cannot do that. Good luck everyone.

Hugs Louise and Garnet

Eileen Jul 20, 2005

Aaargh, Shelli :(

It's happened to me, but in my case my MacAfee Spamkiller was the culprit.

Eileen

WildThyme Jul 20, 2005

Just another wee word (or two) about auction end times again.... I do occassionally get "yelled" at very gently of course by a few of my east coast folks who are in bed at 10:00 on Sunday night!  So I do sometimes try to end a few at 5 or 6 California time....!  Not everyone wants to grab a latte at 9pm so they can keep their eyes open until 10 pm... though I Do!  Coffee anytime is fine with me!

Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

kbonsall Jul 21, 2005

I am an east coast gal here!  I usually do my buying between noon and 5 - eastern time, of course!