Have you seen the Discovery Channels new TV series "Bear Feeding Frenzy?"  This new show is filmed on location at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.  It depicts what happens to hikers and campers who are attacked by bears in the wild.  It is narrated by Chris Douglas who provides his commentary from the safety of a thick walled Plexiglas box and the attacks are staged using mannequins dressed like campers.  Anybody watching would think that wild bears would just walk right up to them while they were sleeping and grab them by the foot and drag them off, which is not the case at all. Bear attacks are extremely rare and usually only occur when a bear feels it or its cub is threatened.  Animal rights advocates are outraged and claim the show sheds a bad light on bears.  As a bear lover, I wholeheartedly agree!

Source:  MSNBC.com/Today/Pets/1/6/2009

Promote yourself and your auctions at The Teddy Patch.  Here are a few tips that should prove helpful:

1. Upgrade your basic listings using our Home Page Featured option as well as the Category Featured option.  Use Highlight and Bold options to draw more attention.
2. Open an Artist Studio Store and stock it for increased visibility.  List your items in both places - your store and the regular auction listings.  New Stores are still free for a limited time only.
3. If you already have a Store - stock it with your work and advertise yourself and your website there!
4. Display a link to your Teddy Patch store on your website.
5. Email your customers and your friends and let them know where your listings are.
6. Consider offering free shipping or at least guarantee proof of delivery with insured postage.
7. Charge a reasonable postage or shipping charge.  Don't inflate your shipping charge to include a handling charge - more buyers will be attracted if you are reasonable and only charge what's necessary.
8. Offer multiple payment options as well as safe payment methods such as PayPal.  More buyers will be attracted and tempted to purchase if they can use a credit card or PayPal.  The small fee you will pay is worth the increased business.
9. Use good descriptive titles with key words that people are likely to search for.
10. Be sure you post good, quality photographs.  Regardless of how great your product is, people are turned off by fuzzy, dark or poor photographs.  Include several - you can post up to 5 for no charge.
11. Include good, detailed descriptions of your items.
12. Increase the number of your listings - the more items you have listed, the more you will sell.

Do you own a Teddy Patch Store?  (aka Teddy Patch Artist Studio Store)?  If you do own one, do you use it?  If you owned a teddy bear shop (on the web or a brick and mortar store) and you opened another one, you're going to tell everyone about your new shop, right? 

Selling your bears and collectibles in your Teddy Patch store will save you cash in overhead costs, so it makes sense to stock your store and tell your buyers to shop there first, doesn't it?

Build your shop, stock it, and they will come!  Tell your buyers where you are!

We specialize in Teddy Bears and other collectibles.  The Teddy Patch no longer charges any listing fees and only a small final value fee if your items sell.  We are also currently offering free Artist Studio/Stores!  I've been noticing all the complaints about eBay not only about their high fees but also their weird new rating system.  Personally, I have not used eBay for quite some time.  When you own your own auction site, it doesn't make much sense to the competitor's service - and frankly based on what I'm hearing I don't plan to list there anytime soon.

Yes, The Teddy Patch is one of the "little guys" but what is so bad about that?  I firmly believe if folks would tear themselves away from the hype, they'd find that The Teddy Patch would fill the bill without bleeding you dry in fees.  Let's face it, times are tough and getting tougher.  Collectibles prices are falling and customers are getting harder and harder to find, as artists we all have to cut back somewhere. 

The Teddy Patch offers free listings; free stores (for a limited time); free, worldwide advertising; free membership; no hassle, and less exposure to fraud.  What other auction site offers you all that?

Why not bring your work and your customers to our site for a try? 

Hope to see you at The Teddy Patch soon!

In order to not have to repeat myself too much, please read my previous post - Confessions of a Collector Junkie. 

I was able to purchase some wonderful bears and thoroughly enjoyed myself at this auction.  I wanted to share two lessons I learned from this experience.  As I mentioned in my first post, this collection belonged to a lovely lady who passed away several years ago.  Her collection consisted of over 600 bears of all types and manufacture.  This collection was obviously cherished and lovingly built over quite a period of time.  It was really quite sad to see how these bears were just "disposed" of to the highest bidder for pennies on the dollar.  If this were my treasured collection, I would be turning over in my grave!

I also mentioned earlier that very few of the artist bears sold.  This was quite a surprise to me since I, too, am a bear artist and I know how many hours and how much effort goes into creating them.  Blame it on the economy I guess - or not?  Most all of the Steiff bears in the collection sold - but not the artist bears.  Go figure.

I digress ... back to my lessons.  I learned two things for sure:

1.  If you collect artist bears, buy what you love because it speaks to you and not for any future prospect of increase in value. 

2.  Enjoy every bear in your collection.  Relish each precious little face; don't miss the beauty and wonder of each special creation and the friendship and comfort that each one brings.  The only true value of your collection is the joy it brings to YOU.

I recently attended a public auction featuring the entire collection of a lady who passed away several years ago.  Her collection consisted of over 600 bears including artist bears, Hermann, Steiff, Merrythought, Deans, VIBs and many, many more.  This collection was amassed during the 1980s and very early 1990s.  Some of the artist bears included some wonderful, very early examples of some of today's best-known artists.

For me, this auction turned out to be a bear collector's heaven!  Two things about this auction were every collector's dream:  Very low beginning bid prices and minimal bidder competition!  I was thrilled to be able to purchase several wonderful pieces for my own collection (many more than I should have!) ... and I truly regret not purchasing more!

Even as this auction turned into every collector junkie's dream, I am very concerned about two things as a result.  The fact that there was very little interest overall (a result of the bad economy?) and the fact that, with few exceptions, the artist bears did not sell (and some of them were wonderful!).  The bears that did sell were the Steiff - my estimate is that about 80-90% of them sold.  Contrast that with the fact that no more than 10% of the artist bears and other manufactured bears sold - what a difference! 

The lessons I take from this experience as I analyze them now, will be the subject of another entry.  Stay tuned!

The Good News:  The Teddy Patch membership is increasing daily and the number of auctions listed on a regular basis has more tham doubled.  Also the number of hits at The Teddy Patch in the last 30 days have increased by 200%! 

The Bad News:  There are still very few buyers!  The buyers we do have are looking but not bidding on the artist bears.  However, other small collectibles and supplies have been selling well. 

We're planning a final holiday sales flyer on December 15th with lots of Buy-Now items for last minute purchases.

I hear from so many teddy bear artists these days that tell me their business has slowed down tremendously or died altogether.  How is the U.S. economic downturn affecting you?  Whether you are a bear artist or a collector or both, you are most likely affected in one way or another.  As collectors, how has the economy changed your collecting habits?  Are you still collecting at the same pace as you were?  Are you scaling back on your purchases ... perhaps buying less expensive bears or postponing that purchase all together?

Many collectors are in panic mode trying to sell their collections.  I've heard from many collectors who are doing just that and selling out their collections entirely.  If you are a collector or dealer, this is a great time to pick up some very fine pieces at bargain prices.  Just like the stock market advice - always buy low and sell high.  Some of you seem to be doing just the opposite - buying high and selling low!  Perhaps it is time to "hold tight" and not give away those precious collections too quickly.  Unless you are really desperate for money, I'd suggest you hold tight rather than giving your precious collections away!  But if you must part with them, may I suggest listing them at The Teddy Patch?  All our listings are free ... you won't go broke on listing fees and we only charge a small final value fee if your items sell.  We will also advertise for you for free too!  Yes, we are the 'little guy' but we have a large following and can get your items out there for collectors to see at least - for free.

If you are an artist, are you still producing those bears even though they are not selling?  What about your prices?  Have you reduced your prices to get your bears to sell or are you holding firm?  With costs of  everything going higher and money getting tighter, how are you adjusting your business to deal with this challenge?  Where do you channel that creative need to make your bears?  Do you just bottle it all up and hope it will go away, or are you still creating bears but at a more cautious pace?  Has the price of mohair and the lack of collectors caused you to reduce your production or even stop it altogether?
 
Have you been to The Teddy Patch lately?  Stop by today and check us out - we will help you sell your stuff!  www.theteddypatch.com



 

Teddy bear collecting can be a wonderful and satisfying hobby.  Unfortunately, too many collectors approach the art of teddy bear collecting as a shopping spree.  Compulsive buying addictions can be translated into collecting most anything.  Do you have 20 pairs of the same shoes in different colors? Are there clothes in your closet that still have the tags on after several years that you've forgotten you even have?  Are you still holding on to those outfits that you bought that don't fit but you're sure someday you be able to fit into?  What about your collections?  Do you collect teddy bears the same way?  Are you truly collecting or are you just accumulating?

Collecting is a very careful selection process based on personal preferences, goals, and parameters which you set to define your collection.  These may change or you may modify them from time to time, but a well thought out collection contains only the specific items that fit those parameters.  In contrast, an accumulation is simply items purchased randomly and piled up, so to speak, without any specific goals or parameters.

The number of items you have in your collection should be totally unrelated to the type or characteristics of the particular bears you collect.  An ideal collection should be the very best of whatever type of bear you chose to collect.  Attempting to collect the very best of anything requires some research and discipline.  Add to your collection only those bears that truly fit the criteria you've decided upon.  Set a limit on size or particular type of bear for instance.  Try not to acquire duplicates of any particular bear. 

There are two types of collectors.  The born collector and the latent collector.  The born collector is deeply passionate and utterly addicted to his quest.  The born collector is someone who generally prefers that the desired object be difficult to obtain, because if it's too easy to get it's a whole lot less interesting.  The amount of items in the collection or the rationale for their purchases are of no issue.  For all born collectors, there is never too much and the hunt is everything.  The latent collector starts out as an heir of grandmother's dolls or grandfather's toy trains - things they loved from afar as a child but were forbidden to touch or play with.  These types of collectors are not particularly interested in the history of their items or manufacture methods, nor are they more than simply curious about values.  The true value to them is mainly sentimental.  Should the latent collector discover that his treasures are truly valuable then he/she may become an educated, late blooming, full-blown collector.  However, unlike born collectors, the latent collector isn't usually driven to own all or every item that exists in his area of interest.  The latent collector, while now passionate, makes his choices based still more on love for the collection and interest in the particular thing as it relates to historical past - most frequently, his or her own past.

If you are a born collector you would probably keep it, but if you are a latent collector and you come across a particularly wonderful bear that captures your attention but is not suited to your own collection, donate it to a worthy cause or pass it on to a friend who would love it and give it a good home!

While it hasn't been scientifically proven, there's lots of experienced bear collectors out there who will swear that teddy bears are good for your health.  Just like pet ownership (which has been proven to be good for you), teddy bear ownership has been linked to stress and anxiety relief - and stress and anxiety have been linked to heart disease.

When you've had a terrible day or are going through a stressful event, Teddy will be there for you.  Talk your problems over with your favorite teddy bear!  He will always listen with an open mind.  He will not judge you or try to give you advice - he will just patiently listen.  Friends are good for that too, but oftentimes well meaning friends can sometimes say the wrong things or make you feel worse.  Teddy will provide a non-judgemental soundboard for you to express your toughts and feelings without giving potentially negative feedback.  

The stress release you get from having a teddy bear to talk to can translate into savings in your pocket.  Studies have shown that pet ownership results in fewer doctor visits and fewer medications.  My bet is that teddy bears can do the same thing.  Give it a try and see if it works for you!

Of course, if your teddy talks back to you it may be a good idea to seek professional help ...