e-bay-ing Your Puppets...

[Phantom]

I'm definitely not the Audubon guy.

I'm just trying to be a purple cow in the puppet ministry market. I appreciate what you are saying and if and when I get a solid reputation, I will assess my situation. This whole puppet ministry thing is beginning to unfold before me. I don't know where it will lead, but I feel like I'm finding my purpose.

Thank you for "don't de-value YOUR work or YOUR worth!!" You, sir, are wise. Of course wisdom is the ablility to make good choices, and the ablility to make good choices comes from experience, experience comes from making poor choices and poor choices come from a lack of wisdom....I figure I'm somewhere in the loop...

 

[ButchCat]

I use to build puppets for eBay and I was doing real good for a while but then more and more people got the same idea and where selling their puppets on eBay too and sadly that made my sales drop and it became very hard to make a living at it anymore. I just wasn't getting what the puppets where worth anymore so I stopped. I wish you all luck with it but the ride does not last long and after a year or two you will see it go down.

Good Luck

Terry Angus

 

[Fozzie Bear]

I'm definitely not the Audubon guy.

I'm just trying to be a purple cow in the puppet ministry market.

Glad you didn't do the job for the Audubon...way undervalued job.
So, how does being a purple cow suit you? I've been playing a "mule" most of my life.

Thank you for "don't de-value YOUR work or YOUR worth!!" You, sir, are wise. Of course wisdom is the ablility to make good choices, and the ablility to make good choices comes from experience, experience comes from making poor choices and poor choices come from a lack of wisdom....I figure I'm somewhere in the loop...

This is one of the best sentences in the world!! The loop is great writing!! You've GOT to fit that into a script somewhere, someday, somehow...

I use to build puppets for eBay and I was doing real good for a while but then more and more people got the same idea and where selling their puppets on eBay too and sadly that made my sales drop and it became very hard to make a living at it anymore. Good Luck Terry Angus

I wondered what happened there. The puppets you've built were great! Hope you haven't quit building them. Out of curiosity, Terry, didn't you ever submit a resume to all the different companies you can think of? I mean, with your history and all, that should help you stand out above-and-beyond other such resumes!

 

[Phantom]

That's part of the reason I started my own site. The only reason I would consider e-bay is to market my site or to move inventory (Inventory? That's funny, I have one puppet for sale). I know several people here are e-baying and doing well. I don't want to be the competition at auction.

The exciting thing for me is that I'm starting to generate some traffic and word is spreading.

(I'm hoping I can establish myself locally also and like I said, market to the puppet ministry crowd. My team started with "Sunny and Friends" and that was the first thing to go when I became the leader. I'm not looking to revolutionize the world or even puppetry in general. I'm looking help others teach kids about Jesus.)

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Cool. Just PLEASE (for me) don't have Puppet Team/Ministry as part of your title. Every church ALWAYS does that. Do something different, PLEASE (for me).

I've so far been a part of Agapeland Puppet Team, His Hands Puppet Ministry, and one other title. I really hate Puppet Team/Ministry as part of a title. I also hate pre-recorded tracks. When I was performing puppetry with groups, I always fought hard to be sure we could do things live!! Pre-recorded music is fine with me, but I want to do live vocals.

And, look at me. I'm just rambling rambling rambling today, aren't I.

"Hey, look! There's Kev!"
---------------------> "Blah blah blah blah blah."

I'll shut up now.

 

[Was Once Ernie]

The underselling of artwork or cartoons or puppets or costumes underminds the entire process of creativity, and also undervalues the worth of the work we entertainers put into our projects!

A-men to this! I'm constantly fighting this battle in the writing of TV cartoons. I've turned down jobs when I needed the money because they weren't paying enough. And yes, there's always someone else who will come along and do it for that price, but at least I feel good about myself. If more people would refuse to do the work for rock-bottom (or below) wages, they would have to pay what's fair.

 

[Beauregard]

A-men to this! I'm constantly fighting this battle in the writing of TV cartoons. I've turned down jobs when I needed the money because they weren't paying enough. And yes, there's always someone else who will come along and do it for that price, but at least I feel good about myself. If more people would refuse to do the work for rock-bottom (or below) wages, they would have to pay what's fair.

Hey there! Welcome back, not seenyou around these parts much. Looking forward to more stories soon!

 

[PaulyPuppets]

I totally agree that you should not undersell yourself when selling outside of Ebay. For example if I meet a producer who wants me to build him a puppet for a video production, I'm gonna charge him top dollar. But rest assured, he will get a puppet made with the finest materials and the way a puppet for this venue SHOULD be built. However, if you want to sell puppets on Ebay, then you better be prepared to sell cheap. The fact is most people who shop for puppets on Ebay have small budgets. But the way to make it work, is to use less expensive (but durable) materials, and to cut back on most of the features that a "TV" puppet would have. It saddens me when I hear talented people say success on Ebay won't last. If you're a creative enough puppet builder, you can make a puppet out of an old sock, and make it look like a million dollar puppet, and get at least 10 times what the sock is really worth. Look at your materials and ask yourself, "what else can I use that will work just as well, but not cost me an arm and a leg?".
Here's my list (and again, ONLY FOR EBAY SALES)....
1) Anti Pill or Alpine Fleece instead of Antron
2) Styro foam balls for eyes (They WILL last, just educate your buyers on how)
3) Unraveled hangers for arm rods (hundreds for only $35)
4) Thrift store bought clothes
5) Average foam sheets , not Scott foam
6) Learn to become a hot glue gun genius
You can buy all of these and more at JOANN FABRICS (except the hangers. Look in the Yellow Pages, or do what I did, and simply ask your local Cleaners guy where he buys them),
but for JOANN materials, stock up when they have monthly sales ONLY (30- 75% off at times)!!!
ALSO, take advantage of the SECOND CHANCE OFFER Option on EBAY, which allows you to offer your puppet to the runner up bidders for THEIR highest bidding price, then make a duplicate puppet for them. Just make sure you let them know it's a duplicate.
Make your puppets accessible to Ebayers and they will come back EVERY WEEK, I promise you. Please don't give up, guys ('specially you, Terry. You're too freakin' talented)...Pauly
http://stores.ebay.com/PUPPETSNSTUFF-PUPPETS​

 

[MrsPepper]

I am not a puppet builder, but of course I enjoy puppets, and I look at them occasionally on e-bay (which is more fantasizing than anything else, really). Don't stop putting them on e-bay, because people enjoy them! I always have a mental wish list of ones I've seen that I'd want to buy.
I realise that this thread is all about getting your money's worth, and as I have no advice on that, this post is a bit of a waste. But I just thought I'd let you know that the work really is appreciated.

 

[PaulyPuppets]

this post is a bit of a waste. But I just thought I'd let you know that the work really is appreciated.

Compliments are never a waste. Thank you.