Are there any teddy bear lovers here?

[Pooh67_68]

jenniferma
I did check all the different brand of bears on eBay and NONE struck me as o' my so cute must have. So I guess I just keep searching.

diznygirl and Diane, I'm not looking for any particular brand just thought I see what everyone else collects.

Diane, I too used to collect anything that was a bear, but have gotten rid of all of it except for a few stuffed bears.

Here is my Pooh's minus one that I got after this picture was taken and minus
the reall small ones.

I also have 1 Bearington, 1 Build-A-Bear, 1 from a local toy company that was my mother-inlaw's and one my dad won for me in a claw machine.

 

[can'twait]

I am no expert on collecting bears, but we sold a few for my MIL from her collection this fall and from what I have been told-- the bear market on EBAY is great for buyers right now. We were selling $200+ new Steiff (which are REALLY cute, BTW) and some of them only sold for $45!

Check out EBAY for great bargains!
jen

I found that most VT Bears on ebay were almost as much as what you would pay for a brand new one, although you can get a bargain, so just look carefully and compare them to VT's prices before you bid. Also, make sure the bear comes from a smoke free home. I bought 2 VT bears for my kids for Valentine's Day last year. I did save some $$ and the bears were in good condition - let's face it, the kids were going to destroy them if they were mint anyway! - but one of them reeked of smoke. Luckily, VT guarantees bears for life and they have a "medical" hotline where you can ask questions about caring for them. They told me I could put the little guy in the washer on delicate, then fluff him up, and let him dry. He came out fine but I let the seller know I wasn't happy. I guess I learned to ask next time! Some auctions say they bears come from a smoke free home, so if you find one that doesn't say that, you should ask before you bid.

One happy bargain story: I once found a mint "get well soon" VT bear at a yard sale for $3! They start at like $60 naked! My DD loved it and dresses it in her Build A Bear clothes, so she didn't care that it came dressed in a hospital gown. This is a classic case where the seller had no clue what they were selling. ))))))