So, you have made the decision that a Personalised Teddy bear is your choice of gift for a special occasion. As with any online purchase there is always a huge choice of suppliers for everything, so we thought we would take a quick look at what we consider to be important things to look for when buying your special personalised teddy bear.
- Quality of the Soft Toys
You don’t want your bear to fall apart or the stitching to come undone within a short space of time, so a top-quality product is of the utmost importance. We advise looking for recognised branded names such as Keel Toys, Aurora World and Suki Gifts who have all been manufacturing children’s soft toys for many years. The quality checks for the materials and parts have been carried out to a high standard so you can have peace of mind your gift will last for longer than just the birthday week.
Sadly, there are plenty of poor-quality products available online that would not make ideal gifts so spending a bit of time checking that the soft toy you are considering is made from a reputable manufacturer is worthwhile.
- Safety of the Product and Website
Both product and website safety are important factors here.
When visiting any website, whether it is to buy a personalised teddy or anything else, always check that it is a secure site before proceeding with a purchase. Most browsers will now let you know immediately if they think the site is not secure but you can check that the URL (web site address) has an ‘s’ at the end – https:// or you can look for a security certificate.
Other important things to look for are a contact number and an address for returns. Without these details it is advisable not to make a purchase as you may struggle to get a help if you have any questions about your teddy gift delivery. Checking for social media accounts is also a good way to verify the existence of a legitimate business.
Once you are happy with this it is then important to make sure that the products on the site have the necessary testing done for the age group you require it for. Soft toys that are for babies under one year old need additional stringent checks to make sure the material and parts are safe for little ones. The label on the teddy will provide this information but the product description on the web site should also advise of this detail. Most teddies and soft toys are not put through this additional testing as it is expensive so most are suitable for over 12 months. Collectible bears are nearly always suitable for older ages (at least 7 years plus) as they have long fur and loose parts.
- Service Provided
A few things to check regarding the service of a website are the delivery times and the returns policy.
Firstly, make sure you know how long you are going to have to wait. You don’t want that special birthday gift to arrive late. Secondly check that in the event you are not happy with your purchase you can return the item.
Usually a site will have reviews of the products and of the service so spend a bit of time checking these if you havent used the website previously.
- Selection of Teddies and Soft Toys
Now that you have done all the important checks you need to make sure there is something you like. A nice range with lots of choice and variety from different manufacturers should help you to find something special.
A good choice of personalised options, such as an embroidered jumper or printed ribbon will add to the gifting experience. It is always worth checking how the personalisation options will be done. Will the teddies customised jumper be embroidered or printed? The finished product will obviously look quite different depending on which method is used.
- Packaging of your Personalised Teddy
How will your gift be delivered? Will it be gift wrapped or just arrive in a carboard box? If you are sending your teddy gift directly to the recipient you will want it to look special, so a few extra little touches from the company will help make sure your personalised teddy bear gift will provide the smiles that you want it to.
If you have a special occasion looming for which a teddy would fit the bill, you can browse our range of personalised teddy bears here.
Leave a reply