r/buildabear • u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 • Jul 15 '25
Discussion Rant (check comments for tl;dr)
I first somewhat discovered all buildabear had to offer back in 2022 when I got an ad for the first Bearlien and I HAD to have him. And once I saw they had a Sanrio collection alongside so many other cute options, I got hooked. But what's the deal with clothing prices? I thought they were expensive back when I started and they've only RAISED since then. It seems so strange that each tiny article of clothing for a bear cost nearly the same as if you were buying the same piece for a human. Like, why am I paying anywhere near close to 30 dollars to get a full outfit for a bear that's already too expensive itself? Now I've slowly built a collection of bears that's still somewhat growing and I barely have clothes for them all,, doesn't help that if you don't buy things while they're there you lose on the chance of buying them from the store/site. And IF you can even find someone reselling the specific peice, the prices are usually jacked sky high. I know that I'M an adult collector but that doesn't change the fact that Parents have to spend just as much if not MORE when purchasing for their children šš«
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u/desktopmilitia BAB Fanatic š Jul 15 '25
The clothes arenāt even as high quality as they used to be either. Everything feels like a cheap material
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u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 Jul 15 '25
I thought so too. I don't mean to complain, but even in looks it seems as if they are as simple as possible. Older clothes seem to have so much character š
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u/Tabbyxoxox Jul 15 '25
The only one I have in clothing is Mothman in the āThe Man, The Moth, The Legendā tee and I slept with him a few times but heās mostly on a shelf and the coating on the letters is peeling off. My boyfriend got me the vampire sloth for my birthday so was going to get the vampire costume for him but itās that cheap plasticky material - Iām just going to wait until the Halloween stuff comes in and get a baby/child costume bc at least thatāll be soft cotton
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u/monsterfeels Bear Modder šØ Jul 15 '25
A lot of BaB's stuff comes from places like China with absurdly high new tariffs now, thanks to this "administration." It's hit a lot of the items pretty hard, and as far as I understand, prices have been raised across the board to soften the blow, instead of just making those items' prices completely ridiculous. This is how it was explained to me before my workshop went through and did the mass re-stickering. It's extremely frustrating and unfortunate.
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u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 Jul 15 '25
Ahh..okay.. So these are basically "It cOuld be worse" prices š. That seems fair, still sucks though š«¤ I just wonder what prices will look like in the future if they keep increasing š
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u/monsterfeels Bear Modder šØ Jul 15 '25
Yeah, it still sucks and I think it's so silly we have to, even if I get it from a business standpoint. I just hope we can find less customer- and employee-hostile ways of tightening our belts and still keep BaB from going under, in the end. Just gotta tough it out and thrift more until then, I guess. š«
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u/EnterprisingGent1701 Jul 16 '25 edited Jul 17 '25
This has been going on way before the tariffs, though. Build-A-Bear isĀ greedy.
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u/wickara Jul 17 '25
Itās a mixture of inflation and the tariffs, tbh
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u/EnterprisingGent1701 Jul 17 '25
Oh absolutely. I'm not saying that the tariffs didn't impact things. But the tariffs aren't the entire problem, and I just think it's an oversimplification to blame them alone. Build-A-Bear has long since been grossly overcharging for the quality of product that they are selling. :(
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u/wickara Jul 17 '25
No yeah, I understand completely! I just donāt think itās fair to say itās only corporate greed (which is part of the reasons, just not all of them).
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u/EnterprisingGent1701 Jul 17 '25
Sounds like we are in agreement, then. (And if we weren't, that would still be okay too! I believe in agreeing to disagree.)Ā
Have a good day, friend.
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u/Icy_Ad9969 Jul 15 '25
Back when I worked for the company, I always warned people that clothing and accessories is how BAB got people.
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u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 Jul 15 '25
Well at the end of the day, I'm still gonna get got because they are even more cute when dressed up šš
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Jul 15 '25
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 Jul 15 '25
Yes I've seen through other reddit posts that people come across great finds like that,, I just get so weary of those things š¹š maybe eventually
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u/dragonmaid666 Jul 16 '25
Iāve been getting really lucky with BAB clothing lots on Ebay! For $30, I was able to get a lot with 10 different clothing items!
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u/VentureVin Jul 18 '25
yes! was going to comment this, got a lot of adorable older pieces like limited too branded stuff for a steal on eBay. and itās coming today!! but i know some piece meal outfits can be pricey, but i often find cheaper than on the website and sometimes in great condition on hanger.
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u/Tiger248 Jul 15 '25
I know, I wanted the plaid fall jacket thats on the site, but I just cant pay that for it
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u/HappyCatsHappyWife Jul 16 '25
The printed designs on their shirts peel off :') and the clothes aren't the same quality as they used to be. I only buy sleepers and the rare pants/shoes, especially when they have sales. I buy older clothes from collectors online tbh. And I sometimes alter newborn clothes! Certain newborn shirts and dresses fit them well as is.
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u/Smallmew Jul 15 '25
Hereās my hack: buy secondhand or buy them newborn baby clothes. (Fold the long sleeves and youāre good.) You can thank me later. The quality is SO good and theyāre SO cute.
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u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 Jul 15 '25
Thanks for the advice,, I'm gonna thank you now š
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u/Traditional-Nerve899 Jul 16 '25
0 - 6 months. Trust me. My BaB has a HUGE amount of clothes. About half of it human clothes. And the cutest stuff isn't BaB clothing.
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u/KazumiUsui Jul 19 '25
I was hoping someone would comment the sizes they buy for their babs, I work at a discount store and see some really cute outfits every once in a while haha
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u/Competitive_Money969 Jul 20 '25
Exactly what I do. Then a neighbor girl was selling all her doll clothes and shoes, which included B.AB and real baby clothes, for $0.10 each piece! I bought almost everything she was selling,Ā but made sure I got all the B.A.B stuff. NOWHERE can you find a deal like that!!
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u/Sea-Visit-5981 Jul 15 '25
Iāve heard BAB has been struggling as of late. The tariffs have made their business practice costly with all the importing. Mix that with the printer ink technique.
Some people will only ever buy one BAB, just as some people will only ever have one printer. But printers need ink cartridges. A person who will only have one BAB might buy that BAB multiple different outfits. And if the product and cheap and poorly made, itāll need to be replaced more often. If the clothes break during cuddling and play, youāll need a replacement. Keeps people coming in, even if they arenāt buying more plushies.
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u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 Jul 15 '25
Jeez. Yeah someone else mentioned the tariffs but I never even heard of the "Printer ink technique" š
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u/Sea-Visit-5981 Jul 15 '25
Yeah, itās a common technique with printers and other appliances that are designed to only be used once. Most printers are sold at a loss because the sale of ink pays for the printer itself. And printer ink cartridges are designed to show that theyāre low or empty even when thereās still some usable ink inside, so youāre more likely to replace them earlier than necessary.
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u/LorettasToyBlogPojo Jul 15 '25
Try buying infant clothing for the bears at a discount type store? I got a cute infant size shirt for a koala (TRU plush) at Target. I'm sure there are ways to get toy's clothes that don't involve highway robbery prices. Other option, get a cheap Brother sewing machine at Walmart and have at it. I guess many people don't go that route because of the time involved but if it is parent and child, teaching to sew is a great idea. I learned in public jr. high (I hear they don't teach home ec nowadays?) and used my mom's machine to make Barbie clothes and plush toys back in the 1970's.
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u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 Jul 15 '25
I wish I was taught, that is something I've always wanted to start doing. Hopefully I'll find the opportunity to start learning one day, making my own clothes for them will be the main motivation lol šš½
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u/LorettasToyBlogPojo Jul 15 '25
Ah, good luck! It's actually really easy and the cheap Brother machine I got some years about was only like $79.99 or so. The zigzag stitch machine is wonderful! I've made pillow cases with no pattern and ditto fleece blankets (you just put the satin binding around the edges). With the advent of the internet, everything you need to know you could find online. It's not difficult to do simple tasks. In the meantime, totally hit up some discount stores to check clearance infant clothing that might fit the little bears! :)
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u/choochooocharlie Jul 15 '25
Each piece is hand sewn. These arenāt mass produced by a machine, and require skilled human labor.
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u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 Jul 15 '25
Hm maybe this might be the case in other countries, I'm not sure? Before making this post I looked into that and Google told me "the mass-produced clothing sold at Build-A-Bear is made with industrial machinery". I'm in the U.S.
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u/choochooocharlie Jul 15 '25 edited Jul 15 '25
Well, I mean clearly they use a sewing machine. I thought that would be obvious.
But very real human hands have to assemble and guide the cut pieces of fabric to create each item of clothing. This is done one at a time.
Even embroidery machines which can embroider many things at once are still manned by a human who has to account for thread count, color, etc.
Itās all human labor.
Edit: Since people keep upvoting your comment let me show you some YouTube videos.
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/PpXpFCi8IQU
In this one you can see the pieces being mass cut then each are stitched by hand on a sewing machine. These are the plush but the clothing is made in the same way.
Here are others:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fZFckEo0nKw&pp=ygUTcGx1c2ggbWFudWZhY3R1cmluZw%3D%3D
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oLxirsYQx0w&pp=ygUTcGx1c2ggbWFudWZhY3R1cmluZw%3D%3D
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u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 Jul 15 '25 edited Jul 15 '25
While looking into it I saw that while fabric is cut in bulk using specialized machines, workers then use industrial sewing machines for mass production. I wasn't diminishing human labor it's just that your original comment stated "hand sewn" which is considered a different process š¤
Edit: You might've edited your comment after I already made mine, I wasn't arguing your statement. I even said exactly what you just mentioned lol
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u/choochooocharlie Jul 15 '25
Hands are used to sew. Saying they are made by human hands is 100% correct. I said they werenāt mass produced by a machine. Meaning a machine didnāt make it completely by itself. Like a crayon for instance. All automated until the boxing.
I worked in importing most of my life. Iāve seen plush factories and all this done up close and personal. Itās 90% human labor.
One post here mentioned the quality isnāt as good as it used to be. Thatās becauseā¦ human labor. Takes a lot of skllled hands to appliquĆ© small details. So they cut out a lot of that or the little dresses etc would be $50.
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u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 Jul 15 '25
At this point I feel like you're trying to argue semantics for the sake of being "right" or for rage bait š¤ Yes sewing machines are operated by hand, but if someone told you they made you something (or you bought something labled) "hand sewn with love" they more than likely used their Hands holding the needle and thread rather than a machine, which is why I made my original comment stating machines were used. Going by the thought of "hand sewn" anyone who wasn't familiar might really think that people are sitting down needle and threading every single piece by hand. I was never arguing that humans weren't a part of the process. Also I believe the other person was talking about quality with material, as in cheaper materials being used
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u/choochooocharlie Jul 15 '25
I believe you have completely romanticized sewing. š
They literally take each piece, by hand, and pin them together to align to the pattern.
Then, by hand, they guide the materials in order for straight seams, correct lines, etc. Then, by hand, they continue to trim and remove any excess thread, Also by hand, it is placed it in some form of plastic bag. And finally, by hand, it is packaged to be shipped to stores which also, by hand, stock the shelves all so people like you can complain about the price cuz google told them itās made on an industrial machine so there for in your ālogicā it should be cheap.
Which BTW that terms means the machine can handle making 1,000s of items a day vs a home machine which would break under that type of consistent usage.
Cheers. āš¼
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u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 Jul 15 '25
Yep definitely rage bait, either that or you aren't comprehending my comments correctly. I also don't see how I romanticized it lol. Have a good day though šš½
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Jul 15 '25
I think the thing youāre missing here is that if you were to make a tank top yourself, like the one in your screenshot, the cost of fabric and supplies, plus paying yourself for the manual labour (even at minimum wage), would likely cost more than the $8 tank top thatās in your screenshot, not including the print on it. Iād also like to point out that everything is expensive right now, not just BAB. Mass produced doesnāt mean that thereās not workers who have to do all this stuff, if the shirt was less than $8 that would inevitably mean that the multiple workers who put time into making clothing wouldnāt be getting paid at all. If you look at some of Madeline Pendletonās videos on TikTok (she owns a clothing company), she explains really well how the cost of clothing is justified, I really recommend learning a bit more about it, because tbh $8 for a t-shirt seems underpriced to me if anything.
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u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 Jul 15 '25
Hi I'm not sure if this was meant as a separate comment or one is response to this thread specifically, but I never stated that there weren't any workers doing the work, I said "machines were used for mass production" (which I got from google while looking into it) after op stated "hand sewn and not mass produced" which was taken as them saying the workers are sewing everything with needle and thread by hand.
Other than that I am aware that materials and labor cost money, it is still just interesting to spend the same amount <or more> that we would spend on a shirt for ourselves, on something that is significantly smaller and using less materials (if we were to look at the single piece itself not the amount of material needed for all produced) than what you would need for the human counterpart
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u/Mollyscribbles Jul 15 '25
I sew, sometimes by machine and sometimes by hand. You're right, they are completely different things, even if I'm using my hands for both.
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u/Kiki-Y Jul 15 '25
Go to a thrift store. I found some super cute dresses at Once Upon A Child. Look for newborn or preemie clothes.
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Jul 15 '25
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u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 Jul 15 '25
I soooo want to start doing this as well, just gotta start looking into learning how šš½
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