What's the best method for buying puppets?
AKA What’s the best way to shop for puppets
Ok, so I know this is a bit of a weird question. And at first, it sounds like I’m discussing best places to shop for puppets. But I’m not.
There’s no right or wrong answer to "where’s the best place to buy puppets", because of the following:
- It depends on your location
- It depends on your budget
- It depends on the type of puppet you want
- It depends on the use (decoration, performance - stage vs film, etc)
- And it depends on the style - puppet makers have their own unique style so you may like one person’s glove puppet and hate another
All of this means that no one can really give you a list of the best places to buy puppets: only perhaps the most well-known, or the ones with the most diverse range, or indeed, the ones with the most experience. Likewise, there’s no "best puppet maker in the world" or "world’s best ventriloquist dummie maker" (certainly some have nicer work than others, some are more popular than others… but that doesn’t mean one is ‘better’ than another, as it’s entirely dependant on personal taste)… But, thinking on all of this gave me food for thought. There are some suggestions for the best way to buy puppets.
For example, how does buying over the internet compare to walking into a brick-and-mortar shop? Or visiting a puppet maker’s workplace (discussed here in more detail) versus going to eBay and finding a highly rated seller? Let’s take a look at each of the options… I will add, I am predominantly discussing puppets themselves, and not related products like supplies and patterns.
Buying online
Pros
- Overheads are cheaper for puppet makers when they sell online. This means you can often buy puppets cheaper than you would in a physical store
- You can order items not usually found in your location/state/country
- A lot of puppet makers now sell patterns which are downloadable, further cutting down on costs and making purchases practically instant
Cons
- Despite overheads being cheaper for puppet makers, puppets are still expensive to make. Don’t fool yourself into thinking a $20 muppet-type puppet on eBay will be of better quality than something you could find in a physical store or elsewhere
- Despite being able to easily order items not usually found in your location, shipping costs alone can often outweigh and even dwarf the cost of the puppet itself
- Patterns that are downloadable are often non-refundable (since you can’t return a file)
- You can’t go a ‘test’ the puppet out
- You can’t meet the maker in person, or watch them at work
Buying from a physical store/studio/gallery/workshop
Pros
- You can actually go in and ‘test’ (play, practice, whatever you want to call it) the puppet out - within reason of course
- If we’re discussing studios, galleries or workshops, you can meet the maker in person, ask questions, or watch them at work
Cons
- Higher overheads mean higher costs
- There will probably be a limited range of products, and even none or a limited number of shops near you: in fact, the closest thing to a puppet store near me (other than my own workshop of course) is about one hour’s drive into the country…
- You additionally spend more money on petrol (gas to Americans) or other travel expenses
I will add that many puppet makers, whilst they do have websites, may not actually sell their products online, but rather require you to send them an email or call them in order to make a purchase. There are many reasons for this: predominantly I suspect that a lot of puppet makers don’t know how to sell using online tools or are intimidated by the online world, or indeed, have not caught up with the huge strides programmers have made that simplify selling online (no longer is web design limited to those who know how to code); that they prefer to have one-on-one conversations about sales or products; that they offer a very limited service; that they offer a wide range of commissionable services that can be better discussed rather than ‘ordered’… etc.
So which is better? Honestly, I would pick buying from a physical store or workshop. All of the pros and cons are easily overwhelmed by the most important factor when buying a puppet: functionality. You can view a puppet online, see images, watch a video of it, but that’s nothing compared to actually having a puppet in hand and seeing how it works. If you’re buying a puppet for a gift or for decoration, functionality is less important. But as always on my site, I talk in terms of professional performance and use, and so functionality is the be all and end all of quality criteria. And being able to physically pick up something before you buy it is way better than guessing from photos.
Now, you may be wondering… I sell puppets online, so why in the world am I recommending people to do less online purchasing and more visits to stores? Well, it’s a tough thing to answer. Like many other areas, the internet has revolutionised the way small and independent craftspeople sell their wares. No longer do we have to find ourselves lucky enough to get a distribution deal, or get our products in our local stores. We can have more control over who sees our work, how they see it, how the money is accepted and where the money goes; we can sell to more people, lower advertising costs, and generally sell more of our puppets than we could ever hope in a ‘traditional‘ method.
I guess the answer is that if every puppet maker could afford a workshop, studio, gallery or other space, then I’d be inclined to tell people not to bother buying online. But that would be a fallacy: as I hinted in my first paragraphs, there’s no right or wrong way. If you see something online, and are satisfied with the amount of information (videos, images, text, policies, etc) that is provided, the price is right and the method of payments/shipping/returns is satisfactory… well, then, buy online. But if you prefer to have something in your hand to test before committing any money, then head to a puppet store or studio. As mentioned in my post about commissions, puppet makers are very happy to have people come into their places of work, or meet up in a neutral location, and bring along some samples for you to check out.
… I’m sure I’ve missed some salient pros and cons, so if people have some additions, please leave me a comment and I’ll update the list.
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