- Since they were first released in 1997, Beanie Babies have been extremely popular. In addition to making wonderful toys for children, they have become sought-after collector's items. Ty Beanie Babies are produced and released to specialty and gift stores around the world. For the most part, they are sold for the suggested retail price, which is between $6 and $9. Some Beanie Babies will always be worth this amount, while others will gain value over time for a variety of reasons.
- Some Beanie Babies, like "Peanut" the elephant, become valuable because of mistakes in manufacturing. Though this Beanie Baby was mostly produced in light blue, one batch was made in a royal blue. Such Beanie Babies are scarce, and resell for a larger amount of money to collectors who are looking to have all the iterations of a certain Beanie Baby. Other Beanie Babies are valuable because their tags were put on backward or they are missing chest emblems.
- Each Beanie Baby is only manufactured for a certain period of time before it is retired. Some may be in production for many years, while others may only be around for a few short months. While in production, most Beanie Babies are readily available at retail stores. Once retired, the Beanie Baby must be purchased at collector's shops or online. Depending on the popularity of the Beanie Baby, it may experience an immediate rise in value, or its journey to collectibility might take several years.
- Many popular Beanie Babies are only produced in very small quantities, but are in high demand. The small quantities make finding these Beanie Babies in stores difficult to nearly impossible.These Beanie Babies sell for substantially more than those that are produced in greater quantities, and are often only available through online retailers. Many of the bears and special-release Beanie Babies that have been produced fall into this category, including "Garcia," "Princess Diana" and "Emerald."
- Some Beanie Babies are only produced in certain regions of the world, like "Britannia" in the United Kingdom and "Germania" in Germany. These Beanie Babies are often easy to come by in that area of the globe, but are not available in stores in other regions. These Beanie Babies must be brought back by individuals who visit these areas of the world or bought online and shipped overseas. In the areas where they are not sold, they tend to be worth a lot more than their typical retail value.
