Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

It would make me very unhappy to see my bears go for an adoption fee way below my 'normal' prices, and I also do not like reserve prices. I start with a price that is just enough to make me happy, but still about 20% lower than my website prices. Sometimes I use the Buy It Now option, I feel it is more fair than a secret reserve price. I had only a few sales where collectors used Buy It Now, so it is not the success I hoped, but at least they knew what the maximum price was and they could decide if that was good for them. Reserve prices are just not my thing, I guess.

Collectors can get a Bright Bear cheaper by waiting for it to appear on eBay, and it has worked about 100 times. I must admit that since October last year adoptions have slowed down, and I see other bear makers sometimes still sell by using low prices (often without reserves). I am sorry to say that USD $49 or something like it is just not enough to make me part with my creations, I'd rather keep them in my own collection until times have changed then.

I am happy to hear how you are all working with prices, I mean, we know we need all the input we can get to reach the fabulous collectors around the globe...

Almost a real bear, I love everything about him.

Not only is she a sweet doggie, her dress is also adorable. I am sure a caring adoption parent will take her into her home.

Rusty is gorgeous, I love the hair hanging over his eyes a bit, and the color is just great.

I love miniature teddy bears, and your sleeping Sonia is adorable. What a good idea to make a little sleeping cute bear.

Ooh, he is very nice, and the antennae are beautiful too. Like the paws as well. Great design.

I just can not believe what I see here... what a gorgeous polar bear, with all the details and softness. Thumbs up!  :clap:

Tip: disable the automatic white balance on your camera to make all the pictures color consistent.

Amazing, I hope you will find a very warm adoption home for him, he deserves it.

Great name, and very cute design. One has to love him!

Inspired by a busy beehive in the local children's zoo I sat down and created a small bee friend for a caring collector. If you like to watch bears and bees as much as I do, Honey is just the right teddy for you. Her big eyes beg you to come and eat honey with her.

You can find Honey on eBay this week...

Thank you all for the lovely comments. Nathaniel was adopted by a respected Bright Bears collector last night, so I am happy to say he will live in a warm home forever...

This little fellow is poor but oh so lucky to be alive. Dusty and his faithful dog sometimes walk in dangerous alleyways and dark parks, looking for something to eat and for friends to help. The both of them deserve to find a warm home, don't you think?

You will find Dusty and his dog in my adoption shop on Etsy...

Another cute avateddy, and very tasteful photography with the flowers.

I am lucky to have adopted one of Olga's bears, and he is so cute, just like the one above. I love the design, and the finish as well.

That is a beautiful picture, and one that can only be made using a SRL camera. A compact would never be fast enough to make it in these situations. What a compact is good for, however, is creating macro images of our bears. Due to technical reasons, it is easier to make a complete sharp image of a bear with a quality compact camera than it is with a SLR. On the other hand, it is great to make sharp portraits with an unsharp background with a SLR, and the compact can not do that as well. If you are willing to learn, and need speed and quality in lots of situations (also in low light!), the SLR camera is great. Otherwise, choosing a compact digital camera is a better investment. And just as important, buy a quality tripod, it makes your life a lot easier...

Oh, what a lovely baby, he looks very real, I am impressed.

Amazing how nice you all are in reply to my fairy bear. Please be honest if you see or feel something that should be different the next time I make a fairy bear, I can take it (and want to learn all the time). But again, thanks.

My husband uses a Sony Alpha 700 and Alpha 300 camera for his photography assignments, and makes all photos of my bears with those camera's as well. As they are Digital SLR camera's, they have removable lenses, and he uses a macro lens and a more general use zoom lens to picture my darlings.

Before, we used a Sony 'all-in-one' digital compact camera, the DSC-F717. It has a built-in high quality zoomlens with macro ability, and works just great.

The SLR's are great for very high quality images and are versatile for their ability to use different lenses and external flashes, the compactcamera's strength is its ease of use and its big depth of field (meaning even on close-ups your bear will be sharp from front to back).

My husband used to work with Minolta in the analog days, and since Sony bought that company years ago, it was easiest to just stay with them. But I am sure Fuji produced a follow up to the S7000 that you will like.

You may want to check out dpreview.com to find an extensive review.

Are you a teddy bear artist making one-of-a-kind stuffed bears, or a collector of limited edition handcrafted teddy 'objets d'art'?

Join "Artist Teddy Bears" to discuss your latest creations and post images of them, along with descriptions how or why you made them or how they made your collection even more special.

What a perfect creation, and also a very very nice picture, very professionally made. Congratulations on your talent.

A pretty girl in a pretty dress. And already over $23, so her adoption will turn out just fine. Nice job!

Flying to you straight from Fairyland comes Lauren, an enchantingly beautiful lady. She is a grown up fairy bear, destined to bring happiness to those who need it most. What a joy to receive some warmth and care from this little winged angel.

Lauren is available for adoption on Etsy.

Not only is Toffee a nice bear from a funny design, but you also know how to make great images of a bear, which I consider a big plus. Good luck experimenting, I hope to see more of your ideas.

Peter, your reply on this topic is very wise, and I will talk with my husband (not only a photographer but also a web designer) what we can do to put together a website for online shows. Or use ones that already exist. Anyway, your tip is now on our mutual to-do list, and I thank you.

After posting my question, I am happy to report that today, only a few hours after adding Bright Bear Alfred to my Etsy shop, he was adopted by a returning collector. Earlier this week I created a Facebook account and she found me there and read about Alfred on Etsy. She decided to adopt on the spot. What a great customer, and what a great example of how social networking helped my bear get the exposure he deserved.

I am putting all tips I read here on my to-do list and try to work hard on them, one by one, whilst making a new bear design (because you would almost forget the bears while doing all the marketing stuff...). I hope for more good ideas, but thank those who have replied already.