Beanie Babies, little stuffed animals of various types, had a genius marketing department. Among their marketing ploys were booklets listing the different babies and their current and potential value. Well, it turns out that while their current value was listed accurately, their future value was overestimated. They might still be worth a small amount of money, but nothing near the fortunes that some collectors envisioned.
What Happened?
The problem with collectibles is that they only have value because people enjoy putting together collections. The thrill of the hunt drives the price up. However, once people put together a good collection, they often try to hawk it on eBay. After the initial collection craze of many items, the price plummets as collectors move on to a new hobby. Beanie Babies, Pogs, comic books, action figures, and more have all met this fate. However, there are still exceptions, and it is possible that your collection has a little bit of value left.
Assessing your Collection
The first thing to check for is the original tags. These tags verify authenticity. Without them, a Beanie Baby is going to be difficult to sell.
After checking for tags, assess the condition. Only Excellent-Mint fetch a good price on eBay anymore. This means that the tags are either untouched or a little creased, and that the Beanie Baby itself has no signs of wear. Unfortunately, if you have ever allowed a child to play with a Beanie Baby, it probably no longer meets the criteria.
Finally, check to see if you own any ultra rare items. These include the first generation, limited-run Teddy Bears, and a few other hard-to-find Babies. If in doubt, Google the Beanies you own and see if any are being auctioned for a decent chunk of change.
What to Do with Them
If you have a small collection, you might consider donating your Beanie Babies. In Toronto, you can donate toys to the Ontario Early Years Centre, the Canadian Diabetes Association, SafetyNet, and Recycle Rewards. However, these services will not actually go into your home to remove a large number of Beanie Babies. If you are drowning in Beanie Babies, you can hire a junk removal service to remove them from their home.
In conclusion,
Check to see if they’re valuable, but if they’re not, they won’t be any more valuable in the future. Call JunkIt!