How to Appraise Your Beanie Babies for Free

Wondering if there is treasure in your toy box? Professional appraisals are available for a price. Here's what you can do to appraise your authentic Ty Beanie Babies for yourself.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Your pile of clean, unworn Ty Beanie Babies
• Writing Paper
• Pencil
• The computer you are using now

1. Get organized. Sort your beanie babies into groups according to their species or type of animal. For example; bears, other mammals, sea creatures, insects and mythical animals.

2. Make a list of all your Beanies. Be sure to note: Name, Condition, Condition of the Hang Tag (the Ty heart-shaped paper label that dangles from plastic cord) and Condition of the Tush Tag (the fabric label sewn into the seam of the Beanie.)

3. Get real. Be scrupulous about condition. To know a real value, you have to be honest. Is the hang tag creased or curled? Specks of soil or cat hair on your Jerry Garcia Bear? Suggested terms for Condition -- "Mint" means all tags and the Beanie look like brand new. "Excellent" means there is nothing visibly wrong but the hang tag is bent. "Very Good" means the Beanie is in perfect condition but the tags are frayed or creased or missing.

4. 

   Get ready. Draw a horizontal line across the middle of a clean sheet of paper. You will be building two additional lists: High Dollar Beanies for models that are valued at $100 or more. Moderate Dollar Beanies for models that are valued at $10 or more. (If you have the skills, these lists can be built on a word processor or spreadsheet, saving you time and looking spiffy.)

5. Get educated. eBay and its millions of traders will provide you with the information you need. There are over 14,000 Ty products listed there for sale as I write this article. Log on to www.ebay.com and type into the search window the name of your first Beanie. It should look something like this: Ty Beanie Baby Jerry Garcia Bear.

6. Make notes. How many are listed? What are the asking prices for bears in the same condition as yours? VERY IMPORTANT: Do any of them have bids? Asking prices are usually very different from the amount someone has actually offered to pay.

7. Near the top of the page you will find a heading called "Sort by: Best Match." You can change this by using your mouse indicator and clicking on "Highest First." You'll find the most expensive asking prices at the top of your list. Then try sorting the list by "Price+Shipping Lowest First." Look for trends and keep notes.

8. Use a more general search like "Ty Beanie Baby Dog" to find the most valuable Beanie Babies today. The market changes. My Jerry Garcia Bear was worth $30 or $40 the last time I looked. Today he is worth about $12. Find out what the big sellers are today and note them on your "High Dollar Beanie" list.

9. 

   Get Connected. There is a large and active community of Ty collectors and traders and they often love to share their expertise for free. Use your search engine to read the friendly, free articles online. Join a Beanie Baby club or newsgroup. Remember to be polite and read about a community before barging in and pelting the members with questions.

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.