What makes a good auction listing?  

You might have the coolest item for sale but how you present it can make a real difference!

First of all, a good photo is worth a thousand words.  Your pictures can make or break your auction.  Be sure to always include good, clear pictures! 

Take your pictures in natural light if possible - avoid direct sun.  Teddy bears always look their very best when photographed outdoors.  If you must rely on indoor light, make sure there is enough light that you can take your photos without a flash.  The glare from the flash "flattens" out the look of the mohair and washes out the actual color of the fur.  Also, make sure there are no obvious shadows in the picture.  Be careful to focus your shot so that your pictures are crisp and clear.

Adding more pictures also makes a difference.  Since extra pictures are free with your Teddy Patch listings, why not take advantage and upload lots of pictures from different angles?

Keep photo size no larger than 150K.  Sizing photos  can be done with any digital imaging software.  If you don't have a good program, do a Google search for "resizing photos" and you'll come up with lots of hits including dozens of free software packages designed to resize your photos; some of them will even do the resizing for you on line.  A good rule of thumb to keep your pictures under 150K at 72 pixels per inch resolution.  In pixels, this is about 200 x 250 pixels, in inches it is about 3 x 3 inches.

Use your Artist Studio/Store (it is free!) or About Me Page to detail general information about your shipping methods or other information not directly related to your auction item.

Create an effective sales policy. Clarify your payment terms, shipping method and costs, and clearly describe your return policy.

Let your title 'sell' the potential bidder. Use compelling words to get bidders' attention.

And last but not least, describe your item carefully. Use descriptive and compelling words to tout the merits of your item.

(Paid Announcement)

Regular Care Tips for Your Bears

Antique and Vintage Bears

When you first bring home that special new antique or vintage bear, don't immediately mix him in with your current collection.  Inspect him first and make sure he is free of bugs.  Mohair tends to attract larvae from carpet beetles and moths which feed on the wool fibers.  Larvae from beetles may attack wood-wool/excelsior stuffing and even animal fleas can make a cozy home in the mohair.  Check the fur carefully by parting the fiber and check for larvae castings (small oval, paper-like casings).  Check the joint crevices carefully and around his ears where they join the head.  An early sign of moth infestation is often tiny holes in the paw or foot pads.  If your new bear shows any signs of infestation, place him in a plastic bag and put him in the freezer for 4-7 days or seal him in a plastic bag with mothballs for 2-3 weeks.  However, if your bear has a working growler or squeaker, do not put him in the freezer - use the mothball method instead.  If your new bear is of the mechanical variety, seek the advice of a specialist before treating him by either method.  When your bear emerges from his treatment, brush him gently to remove any debris and introduce him to the rest of your hug.

If your bear needs cleaning, carefully wipe him with a slightly dampened towel; let him air dry then give him a gentle brush with a soft brush such as a toothbrush.  Be careful not to dampen or touch his paw or foot pads as the moisture may stain them.  Never, immerse jointed bears in water (antique or otherwise) - the water will cause the wooden joints to fall apart.

If your bear is damaged and needs repairs, consult an expert.  Poorly done or unnecessary repairs can decrease the value of your bear.   Please take your bear to a reputable, skilled restorer who specializes in restoring vintage and antique bears. 

Always display your bears out of direct sunlight and away from direct heat or moisture.  Periodically vacuum your bears gently to keep them clean and pest-free.  When vacuuming, use a low power setting with a piece of old pantyhose or gauze over the end of the nozzle.  Be careful not to damage claw stitching and be careful to keep clear of eyes, buttons and labels.

Modern Bears of Synthetic Fiber

In 1955, synthetic fiber and machine-washable, unjointed teddy bears were introduced.  Because these bears were made of synthetic fur and stuffing and had plastic eyes, they could be washed and dried.  Steiff produces many items now that are also washable.  However, pay close attention to care labels on these types of bears because not all synthetic bears can be washed as some materials react badly to water.  Oftentimes the labels will indicate 'surface wash only.'  If the bear is truly washable (not just surface washable), you can immerse him in warm water with either a mild baby shampoo or a woolen detergent such as Woolite.  Gently remove any stains with a soft brush and carefully rinse.  Pat him dry in a soft towel and hang him to dry in a bag such as one used for delicate items - don't clip the bear directly to a line to dry by any part of his body.  When completely dry, brush the bear with a teasel brush to separate any matted plush fibers.

Never send your bear to the dry cleaners - the chemicals used are harmful.  Never put him in the washing machine unless his label clearly says he will survive such an ordeal.  And never store your bear in a plastic bag as moisture may build up and cause mold or discolor the fur.

Hello, fellow Archtophiles!  I have a question for you!  Are you feeling the pinch?  How is the U.S. economic downturn affecting your habit?  Whether you are a bear artist or a collector or both, you are most probably affected in one way or another.  Are you feeling the pinch?  How are you "feeding" your habit?  We would like to know!  Maybe you don't have as much to invest in your business or to feed your collecting habit.  Maybe you just need to "cut back" a little bit for awhile until things calm down. 

Those of you who are bear artists know the addictive drive that pushes you to create that "perfect" bear.  This addiction is bad enough if you're only creating bears.  Couple that with the double whammy of also being a collector and then the addiction becomes overwhelming.  Withdrawal is always painful ...

There are so many new artists on the scene and the competition between them is incredible. As a result, teddy bear art has matured to a level where there has been an amazing evolution in style, quality, and presentation.  This is all wonderful and great for the hobby, but when financial times get tight - what happens to all the creativity?  Do you just bottle it all up and hope it will go away, or are you still creating bears at a feverish pace?  Has the price of mohair and the lack of collectors caused you to reduce your production or even stop it altogether? 

As collectors, what is happening?  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?

Are you in panic mode and trying to sell your collections?  I've heard from many artists and collectors who are doing just that and selling out their collections entirely.  Is this the norm, or the exception?  If you're selling out (or trying to) what venue are you using?  Bear shows, on line auctions, classified ads?

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 I see are 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.

Part of the problem perhaps is combined with the fact that some of our collectors have become bear artists and shifted their focus.  Perhaps the remainder have so many options and artists to choose from that there just aren't enough collectors to go around.  And then there's the economy going South.  As artists, are you lowering your prices to attract more collectors?  Which is it?  Maybe it's a little bit of everything combined.

We want to know what you think!  Tell us how you are managing!  How have you changed your habits? 

Hello friends, Humphrey B. Bear here.  I've been asked a lot lately to write an article about my close German cousins, Teddy-Hermann Bears.  Actually, I have hundreds of cousins - some are favorites and some are not so favorite.  My two most favorite are Steiff and Teddy-Hermann Bears.  I'll talk about my Steiff cousins in another article - today it's Teddy-Hermann.

These bears date back to 1907.  Johann Hermann began making teddy bears in Sonneberg/Thuringen with help from some of his family members.  Actually Bernhard, Johann's oldest son, founded the Teddy-Hermann Company in 1912 and located it in Hirschaid.  Bernhard moved his business to Sonneberg soon after, but Sonneberg became a part of Soviet-occupied Germany after WWII, so Bernard Hermann and his family relocated the business back in Hirschaid.  Once they moved back to Hirschaid, the business was renamed Teddy-Pluschspielwaren-fabrik Gebr. Hermann KG.

The early Hermann Bears had short mohair and a shaved muzzle.  Other characteristics included large round ears set on the side of the yead, a horizontally-stitched black nose, y-shaped inverted mouth, upturned paws and black claw stitches on the paws.  Early trademarks of Teddy-Hermann Bears include the inscription "BE HA Quality German."  This wording changed in 1930 to "Marke Beha Teddy Burgt fur Qualitat."  Gebr Hermann used green-and-gold paper swing tags from 1952 until the 1970s, when they began using red plastic and red-and-gold paper tags.  The words "Hermann Teddy Original" continues to be printed on each circular tag. 

Teddy-Hermann evolved during the 1980.  Previously, they focused on children's toys and collectibles and during the 1980s they began to focus on the adult collectible market.  Their Model 63 collectible bear replicates a classic Gebr Hermann teddy bear.  Special editions and replicas follow this model including Bernhard Bear.  Black Forest Bear, Standing Bear Luftikus, Arnold the Athlete, and Golden Jubilee Bear were produced beginning in 2002.

So, fellow architophiles, that about covers it for Teddy-Hermann Bears.  Thanks for tuning in.  I'll be typing to you again soon - maybe we can talk about some more of my furry cousins. 

May you always have honey!

We have instituted a new software upgrade at The Teddy Patch.  This upgrade has been good in that it fixed a myriad of problems including many syntax errors that our users have been experiencing.  There is still some work to do to bring it back up totally.  The members area has a slightly different look with much improved functionality.  New features have been added including a new RRSS Feed and a Bulk Lister. 

The new RRSS feed makes Teddy Patch auction information is available through Rich Site Summary (RSS) alerts or feeds, which allow you to see auction summaries without having to check The Teddy Patch daily for updates.
With RSS, you can see Teddy Patch auctions right on your desktop by installing the free RSS reader.  Most RSS readers will check for updates once every hour.  Usually, a small alert pop-up will appear on your desktop for a few seconds if there is something new.  After you've installed your RSS reader, you can keep tabs on oursite and other websites or blogs you visit by adding their RSS feeds to your reader.

The Teddy Patch RRSS will feed you regular updates on the latest auctions and your favorite sellers. The RRSS button is located on the left side of the front page towards the bottom and is self-explanatory and easy to use.

Our new Bulk Lister allows members to list similar items in batches.  The button to download this feature if you choose to use it is located on the members page.  

OK, this article might be a little tongue in cheek but I'm often amazed at how many bear collectors I've talked to are guilty of these exact things! 

Here are the 5 top ways to ruin your teddy bears:

1.  Leave Your Bears on Display and Never Dust Them!

We all love to decorate with our teddy bears and it's so tempting to place them all over the house.  It's perfectly fine to leave them out on display, but if you let them just sit and gather dust, you will be sorry.  Dust will dull and damage the mohair and any costuming your bears are wearing and can, over time, ruin the value of your bears.  If you do display them outside of closed cabinets, be sure to dust them regularly.

2.  Display Your Bears in a Bright, Sunny Window

What's even worse than leaving them out to collect dust is to display your teddy bears in a nice, sunny window.  Nothing can be more damaging to teddy's fur than bright light.  Not just bright sunlight either, bright incandescent and florescent light is also harmful.  It will definitely fade the mohair color and any costuming and over time will eventually damage the fabric underneath.  This is a definite NO!

3.  Store Your Bears in an Attic or Basement

Once you begin collecting lots of bears (and we all do eventually), storage space becomes a problem.  Or, perhaps you have become the proud owner of an antique or vintage collection through an inheritance.  Don't be tempted to stick them away in a nice dark corner of your basement or attic.  Unless it is a temperature controlled area, these types of storage places tend to experience extremes of hot or cold and this can quickly cause serious havoc with the condition of your bears.

4.  Keep Your Teddy Bears in Plastic Containers

Keeping your bears in plastic containers can definitely protect them from dust, pests and other hazards.  But it causes another problem.  Air tight plastic can hold moisture, which creates mold or mildew over time.  Mold and mildew is impossible to remove and it causes terrible odor problems with mohair which is difficult if not impossible to remove.  A bad smelling bear, even if in otherwise perfect condition, will reduce its value significantly.

5.  Let Your Dog Play With Your Bears or Let Your Cat Eat the Mohair.

I have some personal experience with this one and had to learn the hard way.  Cats absolutely love mohair - I don't know why.  My cats are attracted to it like catnip!  One of my favorite cats took a liking to one of my beautiful, very large and expensive Steiff bears.  This bear was too large to fit in my cabinets, so he was proudly sitting in the middle of my guestroom bed.  I didn't notice the damage at first, but apparently she kept working at him and when I finally realized what was happening, the Steiff was ruined!  When I tell this story, everyone asks if I still have the cat?  Of course!  I love cats too!  And when it came right down to it, I knew I loved her more than I loved the Steiff.  But I learned a very difficult and expensive lesson!  If you have dogs, be careful too.  Dogs have been known to think teddy is a new squeaky chew toy and they especially like to chew on those suede or ultra-suede foot pads.  If you have pets, display your bears in separate rooms where your pets don't have access or in enclosed cabinets where they are protected.

    

 

We've made big changes for sellers at The Teddy Patch.

There is plenty of bad news in the world today...

• A U. S. recession appears imminent and prices of everything are rising. 
• Unemployment is increasing.
• The United State is at war.
• The consequence of higher oil prices automatically translates into high prices for consumer goods.
• U.S. Postal Service shipping costs went up 4-8% for 2008.
• Our planet is threatened by global warming.
• The collectibles secondary market has gone soft
• Collectors are scaling back their purchases and attendance at shows is down
• Artists are doing what they can to cut costs

Its time for some good news.  We know as artists and sellers, you are doing your best to cut operating and sales expenses.  This is what we're doing to help:

• The Teddy Patch has eliminated all listing fees!
• List all your items with absolutely no financial risk!
• If your items don't sell, you don't pay!
• We will only charge a nominal final fee for any items that sell.
• Stores and advertising prices have also been drastically reduced!

Why are we making these changes?  Shouldn't we be raising our prices in response to everything else?

Yes, perhaps we should, but we feel the artists and sellers out there need a financial break for a change and we want to be at the front line of the effort!  So, effective immediately, all Teddy Patch listings are absolutely free!   
The idea that one must often "go in the hole" to sell one's wares has go to stop!

Prices are going high enough everywhere else...and it stops right here at The Teddy Patch!  Listing options are also free; add extra pictures, highlight your auctions, use special features such as buy-now...at no charge...zero, zip, Nada!   A nominal final fee will be charged for any items that sell.  Please see our Site Fees page for all the particulars.

We hope you will join us soon and see what a difference FREE can make!