Frequently
Asked Questions - Teddy Bear Repairs
How can I get my teddy bear to you for repair? Within the U.K., Royal Mail Special Delivery is the only recommended service to entrust your bear. It includes tracking, insurance and next-day delivery. However for heavy packages weighing over 2kg (big bear!) it may be necessary to use the Standard Parcels service or Parcelforce, for which enhanced compensation is available. But whichever way you send your bear, please use some kind of trackable method. Oh, and please put him in a box - no need to buy one, supermarkets are only too glad to give them away. Stuffing your old friend into a Jiffy bag is not a good way for him to travel and he will probably never speak to you again! Please email for where to send your bear.
Is there a charge for quoting? No, quotes are free, regardless of whether or not you decide to go ahead. PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A MINIMUM CHARGE OF £20 which covers our time taken doing the actual work, packaging, posting, etc.
How long does the work usually take? Once your bear is with us, around a couple of weeks but it might be a bit longer as we can't always predict if a previous job may overrun.
My child has a fairly recent soft toy that needs repair. Can you help? Sadly after careful consideration we are unable to accept children's modern toys for restoration, as the type of repairs we offer cannot restore a soft toy back to its original new state, compliant with current toy safety legislation in place for children under the age of 14. Non-acceptance only applies to modern 'child safe' soft toys made in the last 15 years or so. Regarding vintage bears to be given to a child, you would need to consider that we repair all teddies entirely by hand, so they may not necessarily withstand child's play as well as a bear that had never suffered any damage. Although most vintage bears can be restored very successfully, they are never quite as tough as a new bear and would need gentle treatment. Materials we would use (and the method of application) would be the traditional type used on vintage/collectors' bears and these don't all meet current EU toy safety regulations. It also needs to be borne in mind that most vintage teddy bears do not, in themselves, meet present-day EU toy safety regulations. Please feel free to ask us if there's anything you're not sure about.
All labour and in 99% of cases, materials are included. However, very occasionally an expensive fabric (such as a larger quantity of mohair cloth) has to be specially ordered for a particular bear, and in such cases an extra charge for the material would have to be made. There is never any extra charge for components such as eyes, joints, paw pads, growlers, stuffing, etc. and these tend to be the most frequent repairs. Return postage is extra at exact cost. Please remember that although your bear without his stuffing and possibly a limb missing may well be small thin and lightweight when you send him, chances are that he will go home considerably bigger, fatter and may need to travel in a larger box. This will sometimes mean that his return postage is higher because of the extra weight.
Yes.
Can you quote from just a picture or a description? No, unfortunately not. Even a good photograph of the bear cannot always tell the whole story because it is still impossible to know exactly how damaged a bear may be, how a bear is constructed, exactly what needs doing and how much (or little) work - and thus cost - might be involved. We might be able to give you the roughest of ideas though, so it's always worth asking. However, a picture is always appreciated if you can email one before sending your bear but please make sure that the file size is no bigger than about 150 - 200K.
Payment is due only when work is completed. Your bear would then be weighed with his packaging and we would let you know the postage to add it on to your payment. Payment can be by cheque, bank transfer, postal order or PayPal secure online payment. (Please note that we have to add on an extra 5% for Paypal payments, as they charge us this to use it.) Details will be given on request. This website does not take direct payments and we don't have facilities for taking card payments directly.
Do you give valuations on old bears? Sorry but this is outside our scope. Please consult a specialist auction house who will usually have a resident teddy bear expert - this is normally a free service. Alternatively, the larger teddy bear fairs will have an expert valuer on hand; this is also free. However we can often tell you the bear's age and manufacturer and even a little bit about them (assuming you did not already know.) We are always happy to do this where possible.
Unfortunately we are unable to provide such a service Can you repair my bear but not make him look new? You've come to the right place - this is one of Oldenbears' main aims.
Are there any restrictions on what you can or cannot work on?
We are unable to work on the following: 1)- any teddy or toy animal that has an insect infestation. Although NOT a common occurrence, it can happen to old toys and you will know if yours is affected. Fortunately, insects are not usually interested in the stuffing, but in mohair fur fabric which can be attractive to moths. Seal him in a polythene bag and pop in the freezer for a few days to kill off the bugs - don't worry, the animal will emerge from the freezer looking perfectly normal and NOT deep frozen like a supermarket chicken! But please don't send him to us with bugs. It must be stressed though, that insect infestation is very rare and does not happen to toy animals made of synthetic materials - this usually means bears made after about 1960.
2)- any teddy or toy animal that has been vomited over, or has suffered any other mishap involving body waste! Unbelievably, a small minority of people really do expect us to work on these, saying they 'tried to wash it.' Sorry, but we won't even go there! ' (Ordinary 'dirt' through age is no problem, however - we can cope with that.)
3)- any teddy or toy animal that has been eaten by rodents because unlike dogs, mice and rats (the little blighters!) get right inside the toy and leave their *calling cards* all over the stuffing. Not very nice to work on - not to mention very unhygienic - and the answer would have to be no!
4)- Replace disintegrated foam rubber chip stuffing (widely used in the 1970's) because in its broken down state it is not only a sticky orange mess but is also a severe irritant which fills the room with fine dust when disturbed. Even when it has not broken down, it tends to fly out of any available gap in the bear and we are still finding bits of it in odd corners, six months later. And as if all that were not enough to be going on with, it is also highly flammable! Fortunately, this type of stuffing is no longer produced. However, it may still be possible to just give the bear a top-up with a safe, modern equivalent such as polyester, as long as we don't have to disturb the foam. You may not even be aware that your bear is stuffed with this but we would let you know the state of play.
5)- Bears/animals made of real sheepskin and some other real furs like kangaroo skin (popular in the 1940s-50's) pose real problems as these skins are either too hard and brittle to sew at all, or as fragile as tissue paper, so that the skin shreds and disintegrates on contact with a needle and is therefore impossible to work on. Please email us if you are not sure and we will advise.
6)- Repair rod-jointing on bears (to test whether this applies to your bear, move one of his arms or legs - if both move together, the bear is rod-jointed.) However, we can often replace damaged rod-joints with traditional disc joints. The only difference would be that the limbs would move separately instead of together.
7)- Repair original musical boxes, growlers or squeakers, although these can usually be replaced with new ones - many of the original tunes are still available in the musical boxes. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT TODAY'S GROWLERS DO NOT HAVE AS DEEP A TONE AS THE OLD TYPE AND THEREFORE DO NOT SOUND THE SAME! Unfortunately this is a 'fact of life' and nothing can be done about it.
Borderline - decided on an individual basis! Removing/replacing plastic safety components such as lock-in eyes, jointing and noses, as by their very nature, these are intended to be difficult and often impossible to remove. Even when it is possible, please be aware that it will most likely be a time-consuming and therefore expensive process, causing extra damage which may need more work and the bear will almost always have to be dismantled in order to access safety components. Additionally, bears that have these components tend to be the cheaper ones, so you may wish to weigh up whether you really feel the cost is worthwhile. But do feel free to send your bear along for a no-obligation quote.
What if I decided not to go ahead at this time? All that would be asked is the bear's return postage (whatever you paid) and he would be sent back to you immediately, no questions asked.
I live overseas. Can I send you my teddy for repair? Unfortunately we are no longer able to accept work from outside the United Kingdom.
My teddy is not valuable or collectable but needs repairing. Will the cost be less? No, unfortunately not. Restoration costing cannot be based on a bear's value. Regardless of an individual bear's monetary value & collectability, restoration still involves the same amount of work - and sometimes even more with a 'less valuable' bear, as these often tend to have been made in the Far East of lower grade synthetic materials which are harder to work on, often no longer available and difficult to source. It's a very personal thing and only you can determine whether restoration is a viable proposition for you. But of course we give all bears the very finest attention regardless of pedigree!
My poor teddy was attacked and damaged by a dog. Can you help him? Yes, almost certainly - even when it looks hopeless! To see what can be done, take a look at Gallery One and Gallery Two. (Many of these bears were victims of dog attacks!)
Do you have a price guide for restoration work to give me an idea? Yes - here's a link but please note that it is a guide only; not a definitive price list. A firm price can only be given on sight of the bear.
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