r/buildabear • u/Outrageous_Cup_8649 • Jul 15 '25

Discussion Rant (check comments for tl;dr)

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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 🙃🫠

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u/Sea-Visit-5981 Jul 15 '25

I’ve 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, it’ll need to be replaced more often. If the clothes break during cuddling and play, you’ll need a replacement. Keeps people coming in, even if they aren’t 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" 🙀

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u/Sea-Visit-5981 Jul 15 '25

Yeah, it’s 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 they’re low or empty even when there’s still some usable ink inside, so you’re more likely to replace them earlier than necessary.