How to Appraise Your Beanie Babies for Free
Beanie Babies became a huge collectors' craze when they were introduced in 1993. Since then, they have been traded at craft and collectibles fairs and were collected by kids and adults alike. Some specialty or rare Beanies, such as the Princess Diana bear, commanded high prices in the late 1990s, but in 2011 most Beanie Babies are now worth only $4 to $6, their original purchase price. If you believe you have some special ones in your collection that may be worth more, consider having them appraised. As with most collectibles, however, remember Beanie Babies have little intrinsic value -- they are worth only as much as someone is willing to pay for them.
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Things You'll Need
- Your Beanie Babies
- Paper
- Pen
- Beanie Babies Collectors' Guides
- Computer with Internet access
Instructions
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Gather your Beanie Babies and look them over carefully. Make a complete inventory of your collection, paying particular attention to their condition. Typically, only those in mint condition -- no dirt or marks, pristine tag -- are of enough interest to collectors that they may pay more than the original retail price.
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Look up your particular Beanie Babies in the commercially produced collectors' guides. These books will give you approximate values based on the condition of the animal, its popularity with collectors and how rare it is. However, since the values fluctuate so much over time, these guides are out of date almost as fast as they are printed. Use them only as a general benchmark, not a definitive appraisal.
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Review the online Beanie Baby club and collectors' sites, such as the World of Ty (world.ty.com). These provide a solid idea of what any given Beanie is worth on the current collectors' market.
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Go to a public auction site, such as ebay (ebay.com). Look up the Beanie Babies you want appraised; note the most recent prices collectors have been willing to spend on each one. Do not focus on the asking price, since collectors seldom get what they originally ask for a given animal. The most accurate free appraisal of one of your Beanie Babies' value is the most recent price someone has paid for that specific Beanie Baby, assuming they are in comparable condition.
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Tips & Warnings
Expert information available from the eBay collectors community: From the eBay home page, click on "Community." From the bottom of the next page, click on "Reviews and Guides." You will find a wealth of free articles and encouraging information. Much of it will include details regarding how to get the most money for your Beanies, if and when you decide to sell.
"Completed Listings" on eBay offer even better information about final selling prices and the many, many sales that never found a buyer. You will need to register a user ID on eBay to get this information. The info and registration are free.
Professional Beanie Baby appraisers and authenticators can save you time and trouble, but it comes with a fee. Shop for services wisely. Check references.
Watch for Beanie sharks! Although they are rare, there are people who place fake bids on eBay sales to inflate prices. And people may try to sell you services you don't need to increase the value of your collection. Be a smart trader. Check references.
References
- Photo Credit Chris Hondros/Getty Images News/Getty Images
