One possibility is to come armed with a single sheet (maybe half-sheet) with a listing of several resources pre-printed. List some of the craft supply sites, some of the retail puppet sites and one or two of the pattern sites.

The list could begin with a paragraph that explains, "Thanks for inquiring about my puppets! I appreciate your desire to find the best quality puppets and crafting supplies, I share that desire. Although I can't afford to give away all my "secrets" I am pleased to offer you a starting place for you to develop your list of sources. I wish you the best as you create and perform."

DEFINITELY include puppetsandstuff.com on the list!

That's a great idea. It's worded in such a way that it shares the info, while still asking people to come back for more.

I agree, the list of a starting point for general resources is a great idea.  A lot of the how-to books have a generic list of suppliers in the back.  I also agree that you should be your own supplier.  Why not be a supplier of puppet supplies if you are buying the product for yourself.  You just buy a little more and make it available to those inquiring of your supplies.  I also have to agree that today, there is no excuse for anyone to NOT find what they are looking for.  Before there were computers and the internet, yes, it would be difficult; but then again, there was still the yellow pages.  By the way, one was delivered to our door the other day and my three year old son asked what that was.  I told him it was a door stop as I used it to prop open the screen door to haul in the groceries.  It's still sitting outside and really, I get more use out of it as what I told my son it was.  Kid already knows how to use the computer....CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?!  I'm totally not kidding either....SCARY! 

Aloha,
Nikole

Thanks.

I do offer a page of puppet resources at the workshops I teach.
In the puppet building classes I teach things that are not on the pattern I sell (shortcuts, etc.).

I have offered to sell blacklight fabric, and also pointed them to One Way Street for fabric. Interestingly.... none of those who have inquired about my sources have ordered fabric!  I explain to them I buy it by the (HUGE) bolt, 100 yards or more at a time. I think they want it at cost, which I cannot do.

For a number of years I was involved in a very exclusive Christmas market (not selling puppets, but other items). It never ceased to amaze me the people who would stand in front of a booth or table and make sketches of finished items, write notes about it, copy poems and sayings, etc. We posted large signs "no photography, sketching... (I cannot remember the wording but it was very tastefully done)."
We still had people stand in front of our tables and tell the person they were with "I am going to copy that, I like that idea." 
It would seem the least they could do was buy one! LOL

Last year our church had a booth at a Christmas Street festival. We made very unique candy sticks to sell. You would not believe the number of people that picked them up, looked them over and said "oh our scout troop can make these," or "I will make these for my son's class." There was nothing difficult about making them, (time consuming) but at $2.00 each you would think they could buy one if they were going to copy it.

Perhaps the problem is, as with all other art forms, there is a misconception that something can be done just as professionally - but for less money - by the person at home.

Perhaps the problem is, as with all other art forms, there is a misconception that something can be done just as professionally - but for less money - by the person at home.

I think there is more than this.
When I take idea's with at home when a saw a theater or here on the forum I change it to my own idea. Look to the pattern of the topic for the Brazil pattern. http://puppetsandstuff.com/community/index.php/topic,3396.0.html
With the same pattern they make different puppets because the makers are different.

At the other hands people say I can copy this take the idea home but do not a thing with it. Creative people put a lot of idea's in their head and use a little bit of it. I put picture on my computer because I like the eyes, ears, mouth, technique or the material. I don't want to copy the puppet (I don't like that) I only want to use it as an idea for my puppet making

I think you must have to drawn a line somewhere you want they can get information patterns and so on. But people will always use idea's from puppets, shows and so on. I read this a lot of time here on the forum to that they learn when they see, hear others work. Here in Holland I don't know (yet, I hope) where go get information for making puppets. I learn a lot on this forum by seeing pictures, read the tutorals and see the video's. So far as I know there aren't workshops here to make muppet-puppets.

Yes, I think there is a fine line between copying what you see and taking what you see and applying it to your own work.

Problem is that with most people who think 'I can do that for cheaper', they are (in my experience) copying because they don't know how to apply it to their own work or have their own style; they simply want something exactly the same. Hence all those replicas out there.

It truly is rude for peope to do that,but I don't think they think of that.I often how they would react if the same thing was done to them.Trust me they would  Not like it all!
Brenda

When want to duplicate something you have to know how it is done.
When you see a puppet it isn't said you can duplicate it.
For years ago I saw a mouthpuppet from folkmanis, I like the system but not the mouth pulling out and the price was to expensive for me. So I decided to try to make one myself. I bought an enrnie puppet and made a pattern of it. I also had a pattern of  a doll I like the shape of the head. I mixed the patterns and started to make the mouth more need. I changed every time I made the pattern changes what I didn't like. I think I made 12 puppetshead out of an old curtain. But I didn't succeed. The mouth was still coming out....... I was almost their I liked the shape of the head but the mouth I wasn't sattisfied with
After seeing again sesamestreet with the kids (and try to find ot how it's made) I decide to search for pictures from muppet puppets maybe they could help to solve the mouth problem. I looked a hole day and in the end I found what I needed. Foam construction. I didn't had time to try it on my own pattern but I think that it will work now because I know how to build a foamhead.
I did have the skills to change and make a pattern but not how to improve the mouth...................

maybe the biggest issue in this is that people don't ask how you did it but do it and in a way steal your idea...................................