Just to post my two cents, I used ebay when I was first starting out so that my puppets were being seen. I never put so many that orders don't come in thru my site, but I find that I never have to worry about that. If they like the work they see on ebay, people will contact me with ideas of a different character that they had in mind. For every cheap puppet I sell on ebay, I sell at least two or three custom ones directly.
I have done two or three free puppet shows at libraries and have acquired a couple sales that way too..... but I'm still very uneasy about performing.... I'm awful at it. lol
I have decided to target my "paid" marketing efforts to education and therapy only because it's a personal preference. I feel like I'm making more of a difference if my puppets are being used in an environment to help people.
-Michele