1. Am I eligible to sign up to the platform?
If you are a creative professional (e.g. self-employed), a company that works in the theatre industry (e.g. producers, costumiers, set designers, etc) or an institution within the industry (e.g. NODA, NPO, registered charity) then you are welcome to join our community.
We are a closed platform of professionals within the industry. This is a deliberate choice because we understand that the stock our members list on the site are expensive and they want to ensure that hirers will treat them with the care and respect they deserve.
2. How do you check that I am eligible to sign up?
A background check is made on all individuals/groups that sign up to the platform to ensure they meet the elibility criteria. As well as proprietary data sources, the simplest checks are via registers that are maintained by industry partners e.g. Register of charities, Companies House, Arts Council England, etc. Unfortunately, we do not disclose proprietary data sources as it could compromise the eligibility process and open it to exploitation.
3. How do I sign up?
It's as simple as filling in a form: www.pursuedbybear.co.uk/sign-up
4. What is the sign-up process?
- To start the process, simply complete the sign-up form (here).
- We will confirm receipt and run eligibility checks. As part of this process, we may contact you to confirm details.
- When your membership is confirmed, we will set you/your organisation up on the platform.
- You will receive a text and an email from the platform confirming your account is set up and to verify your account.
- Congratulations - you are signed up and ready to go!
5. How much does it cost to join?
It doesn't cost anything to sign up to the platform.
6. How much does it really cost to join the platform?
We provide the platform for free to our members but we do charge a percentage to suppliers when they hire out stock.
7. How much do you charge on transactions?
We charge a 20% fee on transactions and this percentage reduces on a sliding scale on higher value transactions over £500.
8. Can anyone hire items from me?
Yes, everybody who uses the Pursued By Bear platform has been vetted to ensure standards are maintained over reliability of service and product quality. You have the confidence that the members using the platform are professionals in the industry. They are all able to view and hire stock from anybody else on the platform.
9. Is my stuff insured against damage or loss?
We do not provide insurance but we have measures in place that reduce the risk of damage or loss:
- We vet everyone coming onto the platform to ensure they are legitimate professionals or insitutional users with going-concerns in the industry,
- The user agreement asks that all members hiring-in stock are appropriately insured(this might be general business insurance or one-off insurance to cover a specific hire),
- The platform requires suppliers to provide care instructions for each stock item which is visible when browsing the catalogue.
10. How do I send stuff to a customer and how do customers send it back to me?
We have a number of how-to guides and video tutorials to help. Click here for our Overview documentation.
