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Many of us have gasped a little, when we've found earlier designs being resold on Ebay by what we thought were undyingly devoted collectors of our work. It can be frustrating to say the least and if we allow ourselves to be insulted, then possibly a wee bit insulting too - or is it?
I've been selling my designs for many years now and they regularly pop up for resale on Ebay. I'm sure people resell for all kinds of reasons and Ebay is such a useful tool for that purpose. The trouble is, it is also such a public tool and our teddy bear world is tight knit, so it's unrealistic to think that such auctions will slip past the good folk whose opinions matter the most to us. Will it affect their perception of what we do when a bear we'd long forgotten about reappears? Personally, I don't think so - it certainly doesn't affect my opinion of other artists' work.
The first time I realised my work was being resold in this way, I was quite shocked. I still have the bears my parents bought me as a child and so reselling beloved personal belongings, was beyond my comprehension. I guess I didn't understand that a new teddy bear these days bought by adult collectors, sometimes has to fit a colour scheme for a newly decorated bedroom, or has to be the most up-to-date example of work so that it's more recent than a friend's most recent hug addition ... and so on! The reasons for resale are too diverse to calculate! I have a few collectors for example, who buy my work, keep it for a time and then resell simply to be able to buy from me again.
I had noticed quite a few of my earlier bears popping up on Ebay over the past year. I recognised them immediately and knew exactly who had bought them. They had been collected over many years by a lady who had stayed loyal to me, right from the outset of my very early days as a bear maker and had continued to buy from me as the years passed. Each of her bears was introduced on Ebay at an opening bid substantially lower than the lady had paid for her bears and I think most sold at at not much more than the opening bid. I wasn't shocked, hurt or anything other than pleased for the seller each time one of those bears was rehomed. The reason? The bears were obviously being sold by my collector's husband and I didn't blame him one little bit. About four years ago, I received a telephone call from his wife; she rang me regularly but this time she sounded unwell. We chatted for a while and I told her I hope she felt better soon ... that was the last time I ever heard from her. She sadly passed away very unexpectedly. Recently, her husband has been selling her extensive collection of bears gradually, using Ebay to help him to find them new homes.
So, it just goes to show, our bears are resold for all kinds of reasons. Just as some of us like to offer new homes to elderly bears whose history we may never know, so many of our own designs will find their way into new situations over time. I don't think it's right to concentrate too much on a secondary market seller's reasons for selling, I think maybe it's more appropriate for us to smile when one of our older designs finds a new home ... after all, maybe his new owner couldn't afford a brand new design at retail price and is now being rewarded for their patience and hope, by finding a favourite maker's work for sale on Ebay, at an achievable price. 
Very well said Paula !
Chowlea BearsThank you for putting it so eloquently.
It could possibly have been very difficult for the gentleman to dispose of items so greatly loved by his wife. Money was probably less important to him than finding a good home for her things.
Back Road BearsI think, for many of us, that the bears we put our loving labor into become part of us, like a little bit of our soul is put into each bear. They take on personality and are 'alive'. Often it's hard to part with each of them even though we're thrilled someone has paid a nice price for them. Then to see that collector turn around and sell off one of those bears we poured our heart into... well, it's like someone has fallen out of love with your poor little bear and it's heart breaking. This isn't pottery or jerelry.... there is serious emotion involved. As the "Mother" of the bears we make, that emotional attachment never dies, regardless of how many years go by.
But, if we choose to sell our work then we have to be prepared for things like this. How many things have you bought, used for a while, then, for any number of reasons, sold on eBay or at a yard sale, etc. Though we'd like to think our bears should be excluded from such a category why should they be?
I enclose a little card with my bear that simply states... "Should ever decided to find a new home for this bear, as the artist, I'd like the opportunity to buy him back from you." Followed by my website, email and phone number. I've received ONE call in the last 5 years. The woman's husband had lost his job, she was disabled and they'd had to sell off a lot of their things in order to pay bills. I went to her tiny little house to pick him up, she served tea and we chatted for hours. I ended up buying another artist bear from her too as I knew the artist.
We can't all afford to buy back our homeless bears. I only do it because of an emotional attachment. I truly am not concerned with seeing my bears sold on eBay. Regardless of what they go for! Though one woman fetched TWICE what she paid for my bear 2 years ago and I was bummed that I hadn't gotten that amount! Anyway, I simply want first refusal to buy back my bears because I can always use the inventory for a show, or do feel a tad better if I'm the one selling it on eBay. Some are like long lost friends that simply become part of my collection.
Whether we're bear artists, sculptors, painters, weavers, quilters..... if we sell something, it's bound to reappear on the secondary market one day. It's just the way it goes. I don't think it's anything to take personally!
Just think..... rather than just touching one life, bring a smile to ONE face...... that "rehomed" bear is going to touch more lives, make more people happy. How cool is that???
I sometimes get a good laugh at my older bears especially the wee ones.I am also amazed at people buying the ones I cringe at.We all have different tastes I suppose.I have no problem with the resale when they are older but sometimes I have had them sold on after a few weeks and after glowing feedback.That I find a bit baffling.Once they are gone it no longer has much to do with us makers yet after all the hours of work it can be a but hurtful.
I suppose its like kids we have to learn to let go ha ha.
Diane xx
Posts: 8,574
I love the idea of
RE-HOMED
It gives a totally different perspective to the topic.
My adopted mom gave gifts with strings, really heavy duty strings with barbed hooks attached to them.
I decided that when I gave a gift it was with no strings-in fact it was gone out of my life and memory.
So when I started selling I decided that too was the only way to do it. Even if my dearest bestest TT friend decided to sell or give away one of my gollies it would simply have to be the way it is- (and just perhaps that golly was causing to much trouble.)
I believe that our creations end up where they are supposed to go-because it isn't really the critter, it is the love that was instilled in that creation while it was being made, that is important-and perhaps the first purchaser was simply a little stop on the road to the real destination.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this timely topic.
Thanks for popping in y'all! This secondary market Ebay thingummy was bugging me after reading how much of an impact it has had on some of our TT'ers self-esteem.
Dilu, you've summed it all up so perfectly ... no strings ... that's exactly how it should be when we part with our work. The reason the bears (and in your case lovely gollies!) are so unique is that they embody elements of our personalities, something manufacturers can't achieve.
I remember reading a story called 'The little wooden horse' when I was a girl. It was a tale about the adventures of how the little wooden horse travelled from owner to owner, through various circumstances as they arose. I loved that tale - maybe that's just the way things are destined to be for some of our bears and as both Dilu and Daphne say, maybe some bears will touch more than one life. That's very cool indeed! :)
Diane, I peer out of a half screwed up eyelid with my nose all scrunched up in pain sometimes when some of my old bears turn up out of the blue on Ebay, but then I think of the fact that even back then, collectors parted with good money for them and must have wanted them very much, to pay cold hard cash for them.
Techniques and expectations in teddy bear crafting have become much more advanced over recent years and there is such a wealth of diversity available to collectors now, that maybe we overlook the fact that those early bears tugged at heartstrings in the way the teddy bears have always meant to. They were bought from us because they did that special 'teddy bear thing' and maybe nowadays, it would be nice to know that our more developed designs are still able to achieve the same passion in collectors, that those early bears inspired. I am saddened sometimes when I do a show for example and watch collectors wandering aimlessly, complaining that they aren't inspired by artist bears any more. I love to see their eyes light up as they hold a new bear for the first time and connect with it. That connection is what sold our first bears and I hope it lasts!
