How to Determine the Value of Your Beanie Babies

Defects, retirement and condition all affect the value of Beanies. Whether you're adding to, selling or keeping your beloved collection, it's nice to know there are standards by which to evaluate your Beanies.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Calculators
• Internet Access
• Beanie Babies
• Beanie Baby Tag Protectors

Price Guides

1. Check Ty's Web site (Ty.com) to determine if your Beanie Baby is retired. Ty's site lists all Beanies and their comparative values.
2. Consult Beanie Baby collector's guides for another viewpoint or if you don't have access to the Internet.
3. Check the Internet or a collector's guide to determine if a flaw on your Beanie Baby will lessen, or increase, its worth.
4. Write to Ty through its Web site if you can't find a price for your Beanie on the Web or in a collector's book.

Assessing Your Beanies

5. Examine the tags on your retired or flawed dolls.
6. Consider Beanies with perfectly preserved hang or tush tags and no factory defects to be in "mint" condition.
7. Value Beanies with slightly bent tags at 80 percent to 90 percent of the top price. These Beanies are in "near-mint" condition.
8. Give Beanies with creased tags - those in "excellent" condition - 65 percent to 75 percent of the maximum value.
9. Price Beanies with missing tags at 45 percent to 60 percent of the optimum value. These Beanies are said to be in "very good" condition.
10. Reduce the value of Beanies with worn fabric, tears, stains or missing parts - those that do not meet the "very good" standard - to 5 percent to 35 percent of the top price.

Tips & Warnings

• Beanies with manufacturer's errors, like missing tails or spots, are not assigned preset values, but they may be worth a lot of money.
• Hang-tag errors are easily fixed and not worth much, but tush-tag errors may have significant value.