I think you have it at a good price, im sure there's someone out there who would pay for that puppet, it looks great! but i agree that with expirience and skill developement and maybe even a better reputation you'll be able to charge much more for your puppets

Hey everyone.

Just wanted to update this.

My puppet sold for $25.  Then I added the legs for $8.  For a total selling price of $33.  Add in $8 shipping for the product (actual cost $7.75) and then take out Ebay and PayPal fees and I made about $30 on the sale of the puppet.

Not nearly what I was hoping for, but better than nothing.  I'm hoping that the person that bought him really likes him, and then I will get some positive feedback to use to build upon.  Also, this was a positive from the sale...the guy that bought him actually bid MORE than $25...I know because he placed two bids so one had to be higher than the $25, but unfortunately nobody else bid so it only sold for the starting auction price. 

Here are some of my ideas for the next puppet I'm going to list, which is basically the same puppet only without the hair. 

1.  I'm going to up the shipping costs to cover shipping AND handling.  The $8 covers shipping, but if I have to buy a box (which I didn't this time) that will be another couple of bucks, and I also have to get to the Post Office.  I'm thinking that I will up the shipping to about $12 to cover the shipping and handling. 

2.  I'm going to start at a bit higher price for the bidding.  After looking around and reading quite a bit on here, I think I underpriced myself and that low price may have scared some potential buyers off because they were under the impression that cheap price=cheap product.  Basically, they were looking for something that was good quality and my price was so low they thought there was no way they could get a good quality item for that price.  Right now I am thinking of a starting price of $40, with a Buy it Now of $60-65.  Here's going to be my "catch," if you will.  I'm going to INCLUDE a puppet stand to anyone that uses the Buy it Now feature for free.  If the puppet goes to auction, then the puppet stand won't be included, but could be purchased for a small fee on top of the final value of the auction.  I've had good luck with this type of strategy in the past on Ebay...offering things like free shipping or half prices shipping with Buy it Now seems to give people good incentive to just purchase the item with the Buy it Now.  I coul actually do this with the stand, a shirt, or a separate arm rod.  I'm thinking the stand would be a good first thing to give away, because I've got like six of them on my table....hehehehe...

3.  I am going to use a better auction template...probably just sign up for the $3 a month Auctiva auction service.  That will allow me to post more and better pictures, embed videos, and just generally make the auction more appealing to a buyer.  I found halfway through my auction that at certain times of the day my images weren't showing up.  Who knows how many buyers viewed the auction and just left because the pictures weren't there.  I think that the $3 a month for Auctiva will be money well spent...not only on the puppets, but on any of the other random stuff I sell on Ebay. 

4.  I am going to emphasize more about the "making" of the puppet.  I'm going to focus on the time spent and the fact that it's a custom puppet and not something you'd find in a store.  I'm really going to try and get it across that it's being made by someone...not some machine somewhere. 

5.  I now have two patterns for legs that can be put together in about 30 minutes.  I will offer to add legs to any puppet for a fee of $20.  Do you guys think that $20 is a fair price for adding some basic legs to the puppet that take literally about 25 minutes to put together?? 

I still welcome any other insight or advice.  I've done a lot of reading around here and I really think that I priced Dart too low to begin with, and that low price really made people's impression of him fall off before they even really knew what he was. 

I am also working on a nice little vampire puppet that you guys may have seen in my other thread.  I'm currently working on some clothing for him, and he's got a cool little surprise.  I'm thinking once I get him done I will make another one and try to sell that...but that will end up coming in at a completely different price point than Dart did...mainly because the clothing is going to come with him automatically and it's going to be fairly intricate and detailed...which means he's going to take significantly longer to make than Dart did, and thus will cost quite a bit more.  But that's another thread altogether. 

Thanks in advance for reading this long rambling, and like I said, I welcome all comments...and thank you in advance for them!!

Jeff

... and I made about $30 on the sale of the puppet.

Is this inclusive of your time spent making it?

I know because he placed two bids so one had to be higher than the $25, but unfortunately nobody else bid so it only sold for the starting auction price.

This is why I don't like ebay. There's a whole community of people out there who are more interested in the 'game' of bidding, than of actually buying items of quality. ... But that's another issue and not really relevant here.

1.  I'm going to up the shipping costs to cover shipping AND handling.  The $8 covers shipping, but if I have to buy a box (which I didn't this time) that will be another couple of bucks, and I also have to get to the Post Office.  I'm thinking that I will up the shipping to about $12 to cover the shipping and handling.  

You should be doing that anyway. You lose money every time you ship otherwise, which adds up over time. I always use a shipping calculator (the Australia Post provides one on their site) to calculate the cost of the shipping + cost of the box. -- Make sure that you have a return policy, and that it includes whether or not the customer is to pay for shipping the item back to you. (This is also expensive if you return the cost of shipping/handling)

2.  I'm going to start at a bit higher price for the bidding.  After looking around and reading quite a bit on here, I think I underpriced myself and that low price may have scared some potential buyers off because they were under the impression that cheap price=cheap product.  Basically, they were looking for something that was good quality and my price was so low they thought there was no way they could get a good quality item for that price.  Right now I am thinking of a starting price of $40, with a Buy it Now of $60-65.

Good idea. There's lots of sites out there on selling on ebay, I think perhaps a reading of them will give you an idea of the types of people who use it, the theory behind pricing, etc. I used to have a list of bookmarks somewhere, but may have misplaced them... anyway, learning about the auction process might help you with pricing that makes it worthwhile for you.

Here's going to be my "catch," if you will.  I'm going to INCLUDE a puppet stand to anyone that uses the Buy it Now feature for free.  If the puppet goes to auction, then the puppet stand won't be included, but could be purchased for a small fee on top of the final value of the auction.  I've had good luck with this type of strategy in the past on Ebay...offering things like free shipping or half prices shipping with Buy it Now seems to give people good incentive to just purchase the item with the Buy it Now.  I coul actually do this with the stand, a shirt, or a separate arm rod.  I'm thinking the stand would be a good first thing to give away, because I've got like six of them on my table....hehehehe...

This is an interesting strategy, and would probably work well. I think a stand would be best because most people who buy will not know how to store it and may ruin their purchase because of it. Whereas they're not likely to want to change the costume or use an extra rod. ... Make sure you add the cost of shipping/handling of the extra item/s to the total so you're not paying for it. (People don't question the cost of S&H normally)

3.  I am going to use a better auction template...probably just sign up for the $3 a month Auctiva auction service.  That will allow me to post more and better pictures, embed videos, and just generally make the auction more appealing to a buyer.  I found halfway through my auction that at certain times of the day my images weren't showing up.  Who knows how many buyers viewed the auction and just left because the pictures weren't there.  I think that the $3 a month for Auctiva will be money well spent...not only on the puppets, but on any of the other random stuff I sell on Ebay.  

I actually did research on online auctions years ago, and found that most people are more likely to make a purchase if there are decent images (video helps, but that was a new addition to ebay back then). Learn about SEO (search engine optimisation) so that you're also giving your product title/category placement the best possible chance of being found in search engines. (Note that most people who sell puppets on ebay title have "muppet" in the title, often "replica", etc. It may not be entirely true, but it's more likely to get hits than "foam puppet" or whatever)

4.  I am going to emphasize more about the "making" of the puppet.  I'm going to focus on the time spent and the fact that it's a custom puppet and not something you'd find in a store.  I'm really going to try and get it across that it's being made by someone...not some machine somewhere.

Head to Jarrod Boutcher's ebay page; he has a good, brief description of how his puppets are made. Emphasis on: custom, hand made, use of antron fleece, use of Scott foam, etc etc.

5.  I now have two patterns for legs that can be put together in about 30 minutes.  I will offer to add legs to any puppet for a fee of $20.  Do you guys think that $20 is a fair price for adding some basic legs to the puppet that take literally about 25 minutes to put together??  

Yes, but so long as it is inclusive of both time and materials.

I still welcome any other insight or advice.  I've done a lot of reading around here and I really think that I priced Dart too low to begin with, and that low price really made people's impression of him fall off before they even really knew what he was.  

I work with some people who have various online businesses. One of the things they've taught me is to experiment. Online trends change and develop; your methods of selling may not be one thing or the other, or may need to change over time. Test things out, and if you find one or two methods that work better than others, use those.

I'm the same way: I've discovered that I sell fewer patterns on my site if I remove a rotating banner advertising them. I've discovered that offering CDs (which include the patterns, plus extra stuff) barely sell at all despite being a better product than just a download. ... Etc. Trying stuff isn't a bad thing, and eventually you'll figure out what works best for you.

Na, This caught my eye.

I've discovered that offering CDs (which include the patterns, plus extra stuff) barely sell at all despite being a better product than just a download.

I know I am guilty of this kind of.  When I am on the internet in search of something I don't want to have to wait for it. If I am going to buy I want it then not later in the mail. I guess that is pretty typical. I have seen some sites that sell a download but for an extra fee well also send you a backup on CD.  I wonder if that strategy would work or is that how you already have it set up?

Is this inclusive of your time spent making it?

I spent about two hours making it...but most of that was redoing arms because I cut them too close to the seams and the polyfill was leaking out.  So no, probably not really inclusive of the time spent. 

This is why I don't like ebay. There's a whole community of people out there who are more interested in the 'game' of bidding, than of actually buying items of quality. ... But that's another issue and not really relevant here.

Yah, I was really just hoping for one more bid, just to see if it would spark some people going back and forth on it.  It had several watchers...but only ended up with one bidder. 

You should be doing that anyway. You lose money every time you ship otherwise, which adds up over time. I always use a shipping calculator (the Australia Post provides one on their site) to calculate the cost of the shipping + cost of the box. -- Make sure that you have a return policy, and that it includes whether or not the customer is to pay for shipping the item back to you. (This is also expensive if you return the cost of shipping/handling)

I don't really worry too much about handling, because the Post Office is right on my way to work and I generally have to stop there at least once a week anyways, so it's not like I'm going out of my way to go to the Post Office to ship things.  I lucked out with the shipping itself being basically exactly what I was charging.  But in the future I will definitely be charging more for that just to make sure I don't end up coming out on the losing end.

Good idea. There's lots of sites out there on selling on ebay, I think perhaps a reading of them will give you an idea of the types of people who use it, the theory behind pricing, etc. I used to have a list of bookmarks somewhere, but may have misplaced them... anyway, learning about the auction process might help you with pricing that makes it worthwhile for you.

I figure it can't hurt to try it.  What's the worst that happens??  It doesn't sell and I relist it for a lower price for no cost because it didn't sell.  I'm really hoping that people will see that little bit higher price and just equate it to better quality. 

This is an interesting strategy, and would probably work well. I think a stand would be best because most people who buy will not know how to store it and may ruin their purchase because of it. Whereas they're not likely to want to change the costume or use an extra rod. ... Make sure you add the cost of shipping/handling of the extra item/s to the total so you're not paying for it. (People don't question the cost of S&H normally)

That's why I thought the stand, too.  It would give them a nice looking and functional way to store the puppet without having to worry about throwing it on a table or the floor or something.  Not to mention, it's nice to have a stand to display the puppet. 

I actually did research on online auctions years ago, and found that most people are more likely to make a purchase if there are decent images (video helps, but that was a new addition to ebay back then). Learn about SEO (search engine optimisation) so that you're also giving your product title/category placement the best possible chance of being found in search engines. (Note that most people who sell puppets on ebay title have "muppet" in the title, often "replica", etc. It may not be entirely true, but it's more likely to get hits than "foam puppet" or whatever)

I definitely will be adding more images and just generally making a more aesthetically pleasing auction.  I've been meaning to do that for a while now, anyways.  I sell on Ebay relatively often...often enough that paying for Auctiva for $3 a month would probably pay for itself in increased auction sales. 

I thought long and hard about throwing "Muppet" into my auction somewhere, but ultimately decided not to.  I think if I were to do that, I'd just add it to the body of the auction instead of the title, so that it would pop up in any searches that searched the entire listing.  Maybe just something along the lines of "Quality Muppet Style Puppet" or something like that. 

Head to Jarrod Boutcher's ebay page; he has a good, brief description of how his puppets are made. Emphasis on: custom, hand made, use of antron fleece, use of Scott foam, etc etc.

I will look at that as soon as I get a chance. 

Yes, but so long as it is inclusive of both time and materials.

I think it is.  I can make the legs out of the scraps of fleece that are left over from the rest of the pattern, so the fleece cost is absolutely minimal.  And it did only take me about 30 minutes to do, not including the fact that I had to make a foot pattern up because the customer was interested in some reptile style feet.  I'm actually glad, though, because I think the feet I designed work better with the style of puppet that the Glorified Sock is, so I'll be using it repeatedly.  So the fleece is minimal, and the $20 is basically for 30 minutes of work. 

I work with some people who have various online businesses. One of the things they've taught me is to experiment. Online trends change and develop; your methods of selling may not be one thing or the other, or may need to change over time. Test things out, and if you find one or two methods that work better than others, use those.

That's a great idea.  I think I'll just go ahead and put another auction up with the ideas that I've had and just see how it goes.  Like I said earlier, the worst that happens is it doesn't sell and I have to relist it. 

Na, This caught my eye. I know I am guilty of this kind of.  When I am on the internet in search of something I don't want to have to wait for it. If I am going to buy I want it then not later in the mail. I guess that is pretty typical. I have seen some sites that sell a download but for an extra fee well also send you a backup on CD.  I wonder if that strategy would work or is that how you already have it set up?

I sell through Lulu.com, and they don't offer that sort of thing. I've yet to find a decent replacement site, Lulu is pretty much the only site out there that doesn't charge exorbitant fees and still allows you to sell your own stuff. It's a good idea though.  ... I do understand why people prefer the downloads, the CDs were initially just there because a lot of people who download via Lulu have trouble actually finding the download button. (Despite the staff being quite aware of the issue, they never seem to fix it)

I don't really worry too much about handling, because the Post Office is right on my way to work and I generally have to stop there at least once a week anyways, so it's not like I'm going out of my way to go to the Post Office to ship things.  I lucked out with the shipping itself being basically exactly what I was charging.  But in the future I will definitely be charging more for that just to make sure I don't end up coming out on the losing end.

Er, I think there was a misunderstanding. I'm talking about the cost of packaging; bubble wrap, boxes, etc, should all be included in the cost of the shipping & handling. My local PO is two blocks away, so I walk there; but that doesn't mean the box I ship my puppets in is free to the customer. (Unless I miscalculate! )

I figure it can't hurt to try it.  What's the worst that happens??  It doesn't sell and I relist it for a lower price for no cost because it didn't sell.  I'm really hoping that people will see that little bit higher price and just equate it to better quality. 

Exactly. People act like selling on the net is a paint-by-numbers job if you know what you're doing. Actually it's incredibly difficult, because you're at arms length and can't deal with the customer as you normally would. In a shop, you can judge the level of interest by the number of visitors, the looks on their faces, what they touch... on the net, all you have are cold web stats and the occasional feedback from a buyer. It's far better to experiment and see where it leads...

Maybe just something along the lines of "Quality Muppet Style Puppet" or something like that. 

That would work fine. The word "muppet" is what people look for (don't underestimate the ignorance of the average buyer. We know why "muppet" in sales terms is taboo - they don't), but the other words will be just as good for SEO.

... Sounds like you have a good plan, and the rest is just a learning curve.
Hope the next one sells like hot cakes!

Alright, giving it another go with another one of the same style of puppet.

This one starts the bidding at $35, with a Buy it Now of $65.  The Buy it Now includes a second arm rod for controlling both arms and a choice of shirt for the puppet. 

I couldn't find it on ebay.  Did you list it under another account?

Is this it !
330460517357

Oh ok.... I guess I thought that was the original auction. Duh.... read the fine print silly.