Selling Plush on eBay

I have been selling online full time now for over 2 years. I began selling plush/stuffed animals about a year into my online experience. I found that for me it was the niche I had been looking for. Some wonder why in the world would you sell used or new plush on eBay. Well, because of all the lost loveys and best friends out there -- for all the missed souvenirs -- the wish I had bought thats -- for the collector of certain animals or brands. There is a very good market for plush, both new and very good pre-loved condition.

I am a picker. I go to thrift stores, garage sales, estate sales, closeout sales, clearance aisles, etc to find great plush to pass on to my customers online.

This is a brand new lovey that I have cross-listed on Amazon and eBay. Cross listing gives more visibility to your items.

That is a difficult question, but here are some pointers....

There is a huge market for plush. Obviously, name brands get noticed, but not all sell well. Disney, FAO Schwarz, Hansa, Aurora, sell well, while Webkinz, Build-a-Bear, and Ty usually don't. That is not to say that certain unique ones of Webkinz or Ty won't sell. There is exceptions to every rule!

I for one found that Ty Tylux Pluffies do well, while Beanie Babies do not. A Disney Wall-E will do great when a Disney Pooh, might not. Selling plush requires research. You can not assume you know the value you or you might just give away a treasure.

A Disney Hidden Mickey is the Holy Grail of Plush these can go for hundreds of dollars. There is a reason though that they go for so much -- they are hard to find. I have yet to find one, though I have found a Duffy that looks much the same, but is priced and sells for much lower.

Well known name brands are not always the only way to go though. I will pick up any old brand if it is unusual or a collectible type animal (ie. penguin, wolf, camel.... something people might collect) Also, souvenir stuffed animals are a cool thing to grab. You never know when someone passes up that Great Wolf Lodge Raccoon because it was not convenient to buy that day on vacation and then they live to regret it and give you $35 for it later on off eBay.

Much of my picking is geared to what I find intriguing or unusual. I also will go towards the familiar Carter's and GUNDs for those little ones that have misplaced their precious lovey.

I have received MANY thank you notes for replaced lovies. Children are reunited with their best friends via eBay. :)

Polybags!!!!

Polybags have been a life saver for me. I order them in bulk off of eBay in multiple sizes. Most of my plush is medium sized and will quickly and easily drop into a polymailer to ship out effortlessly.

Large plush or harder stuffed animals might require a box. I have had a few that have needed to go in a box because of their weight and size. I had a large Tigger that sold that was over 2 pounds and was about 2 feet tall. He was best to go in a box. I wanted to ship him Priority so, got a handy dandy priority box and shipped him. I worry about rain or mud puddles for boxes though, so, first I put the plush in a garbage bag to keep him nice and dry in case of a mishap in shipping. Thus far shipping plush has gone very well.

Wash or don't wash --- How???

With the plush I buy I will do one of 3 things: 1. Spot wash if everything else is A-OK, 2. Tumble in Dryer for freshness with softener sheet, 3. Wash on gentle cycle with plush in a pillowcase tied shut, then dry

These have worked very well for me. Usually the plush I buy is nearly new quality already,so, at most I might spot check them or tumble them. If I see a plush that is worth the extra care of washing, I will.

The choice is yours, but remember plush will be going to someone that, deservedly, expects the best -- give it to them! :)

Simple is best

Simple background of white, black or gray tends to work the best. There is no need for props of any kind, though some will put a coin in the pic if the item is smalll or a ruler to show the dimensions. I prefer to take only the item in the picture. Simple is best. Buyers see the item and the item only and are not confused by props that are not being sold.

You can go with a professional setup, but for cheap ways to do it -- just buy poster board for the plush to sit on and a tri-fold poster board for it to sit in front of. For lighting either use natural light or direct light from a lamp. Smart phone cameras can work, but I just use my digital camera.

The setup does NOT have to be expensive to get good pics. Just make sure there is no glare and that there are no shadows.

When taking the pics think of mugshots. lol Take the front view the side view and take a few others. Prominent features, tags, tush tags, back view, etc.....

It's your photography studio and the plush aren't going anywhere so take your time and develop your best strategies and most of all have fun!

All pics are taken by me.