Grey Beaver Puppet

[dkmontgomery]

Check out this new grey beaver puppet I just finished if you get a chance!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=290222054102&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=019

 

[Conor IX]

Dan,
That puppet looks great! I really like the colours of the fur and the pads of the hands and feet. His dungarees are great too.

I would suggest that you tone down the text and layout of the page though, the text is like one of the advertisements you see on TV that are just way to over the top. Or the gag in The Simpsons where Homer designs a webpage and he has too much going on in the page. And the layout is really garish, from the flashing light sidebars to the multicoloured text to the photograph with the electric blue background. It makes me want to exit the page straight away. The puppet is strong enough to hold the viewers attention without the unnecessary devices you put in there. The bad design kills the impact of your puppet. Maybe pick up a book about design or consult a designer if you're going to design your own pages. Because at the moment I think you might be doing yourself damage and losing out on money with your layout. I hope you haven't taken offense, and understand I'm not trying to be offensive, but helpful.

 

[dkmontgomery]

none taken

Dan,
That puppet looks great! I really like the colours of the fur and the pads of the hands and feet. His dungarees are great too.

I would suggest that you tone down the text and layout of the page though, the text is like one of the advertisements you see on TV that are just way to over the top. Or the gag in The Simpsons where Homer designs a webpage and he has too much going on in the page. And the layout is really garish, from the flashing light sidebars to the multicoloured text to the photograph with the electric blue background. It makes me want to exit the page straight away. The puppet is strong enough to hold the viewers attention without the unnecessary devices you put in there. The bad design kills the impact of your puppet. Maybe pick up a book about design or consult a designer if you're going to design your own pages. Because at the moment I think you might be doing yourself damage and losing out on money with your layout. I hope you haven't taken offense, and understand I'm not trying to be offensive, but helpful.

Hi! No offense taken. Actually, I did not design the template being used, it is an auctivia template for ebay listings. I personally don't know if people on Ebay care about what the templates really look like as I have tried several different ones over the years. I just happened to pick the light up template for this one. Thanks for your input.

 

[Conor IX]

You'd think a multi million corporation could afford to hire someone with good design skills, huh?

I prefer the plain white background one the best. But once again, great puppet and I hope the auction goes well!

Conor

 

[staceyrebecca]

I've been selling my work online for two years now, and by far, the best layout is the most simple, with your first photo being the most "seductive"

Great puppet! I do agree with Conor regarding the flashy text. More than likely if someone likes your work enough to buy it, they'll do so regardless of whether or not you tell them they should.

People like advertisments, but they don't want to know they're being advertised to...if that makes sense.

Again, nice work.

 

[Kevin the Frog]

Dan, first I have to say that I've really enjoyed watching your puppets progress over the last couple years on ebay. They've gone from simple "church style puppets" for lack of a better term, (that I don't have the talent to make) to some really neat characters and designs lately. The earlier puppets only really had a problem with the mouth being wrinked, or the eyes being off center or pupils not being round, but lately they have been looking a lot lot better. I think you deserve the most improved puppet award on ebay for this season.

All those nice things being said, I've wanted to tactfully say the same things about the design and wording used in the auctions.
I would just use the default template with a couple sentences about the character, a list of lines about the features (antron fleece, arm rods, etc) and that's it, you don't need to sell it. Also, I would suggest just close up pictures of the puppet. You look just like a friend of mine and I think about that everytime I see one of your auctions! People want to think about the puppet, not the creator. Just another humble thought.

Keep up the great work, it can only get better and better!

 

[staceyrebecca]

Oh, hey, kevin, I'll respectfully disagree on one point...I *adore* thinking about the creator! That's what separates the handmade from the mass-produced. There was thought and emotion behind what was created, and seeing his joyful face makes it better for me. At least one photo with the creator makes me smile.

The things I find super-helpful when shopping online:
Dimensions
Materials
Weight
Perks (hey, this one has a cuphodler!)
Color description (monitors don't always tell all)
Flaws (or what you'd consider to be flaws)

Great photos always make me happy. The macro button is my best friend.

I think everyone is offering up all of the advice in love. Hooray! This calls for a donut.

 

[Kevin the Frog]

Yeah, my comment about not thinking about the creator didn't come out right, and was probably due to the fact Dan looks EXACTLY like a good friend of mine. EXACTLY! So, I've been seeing my friend, who could care less about puppets, selling puppets on ebay for several years, ha!

Yes, glad to see positive and "lovely" comments here. Dan deserves the support, and the donut.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Aw, he's really cute!

 

[dkmontgomery]

Thanks much!

Hey, Thanks for all the advice. I do think I am going to start going with a more basic design in the future on Ebay listings. Plus, it would probably save me some time on doing the listing. I am not really sure where I got side lined into all the colors, ect.... But after some of the suggestions I can totally see some of it. Plus, I believe I can save time.

Of course, thanks for the comments on my imporvement on my puppets. I am constantly striving to improve. It has been a great learning process (trial and error) and I have picked up many helpful tips from people just like yourselfs here on Muppet Central that have enhanced my abilities. I still have a long way to go, but do plan to head that direction. I appreciate all the great advice and encouragements here.

And also, it is nice to know I look like a friend!