Selling Beanie Babies

[SeaShelley]

We are having a yard sale in a couple of weeks and I'd love to get rid of some of 225+ beanies I have around the house. Have any of you seen them sold at yard sales? What were they selling for? I was thinking $4 or $5 each. I am going to hang on to some of the rarer ones I have and the holiday ones I use for decorating.

Any thought would be appreciatedd!!!!

 

[janette]

I've seen them around here. If you really want to sell them I'd suggest about $2. You could price them higher and then go down in the afternoon or the next day. If people are looking for something specific they would probably pay $4 or $5. At $2 they'll buy them because they are cute and make a nice gift addition.

Another thought - you could donate them to a children's hospital. Get a receipt and you use it for a tax deduction. If they still have the tags you should be able to write off close the the retail price.

 

[preshi]

I hav had NO luck selling mine for $4 a piece.... $2 is about right. I've given up and I am thinking of just dontaing them to Beanies for Preemies...

 

[jfulcer]

I've always wondered why people would want to have a yard sale. Most married couples file their taxes and itemize their deductions for the prior year. It saves you money to do it that way.

So make a list of all the things you have to sell, including what you would probably pay for it at a second hand shop right now. The IRS even has some documents helping identify what this price would be. A nice sweater? $20.... Clean, untorn pants in good condition $20. You get the idea. Add it all up and declare it as a donation on your taxes. This directly effects what tax you have to pay, or the size of your refund. It's not immediate gratification, but if planned right can net you MUCH more than you would if you went through the hassle of a yard sale.

Of course you have to itemize if you want to do this, so your mileage may vary - but that's my 2 cents FWIW.

 

[pw2pp]

Do you have Garcia or Maple?

 

[wdwfam]

I never thought about giving the beanies to the hospital. Good idea. I have well over 500 - and I quit buying about 3 years ago - all except the bears. But in spite of the money we put out, it was something our family will always remember. The beanie runs. Who could forget. I wish I had a Garcia. But I do have Maple and recently added Pierre to my collection. Back to the subject - My MIL buys beanies at yard sales for about $2. Good luck. Let us know how you did.

 

[snoopy]

I tried selling mine for $3 each, but no one bought them, so I marked them down to $2 each and I sold every one of them. I had about 50 of them or so, and my boys are not really into beanie babies, so it was worth it to make the $100.

 

[Poohbear123]

Thanks for the info. I was thinking of putting some on Ebay but if they are not getting 4.00 I will not even bother. Yes, I made many a "BEANIE RUN" especially the McDonalds ones. I wore a pair of shoes out for 3 weeks getting those darned things!

 

[SeaShelley]

Thanks for the replies all. I think I will hang on to the holiday & bear beanies, but the others are just taking up space.....3 large totes full.

 

[Meriweather]

I've boughten them (well, only Disney ones) on e-bay.
You might want to check that out for some the "special" ones. They can get good money.

I have 225 Disney beanies that are all on display....but I need more shelves before anymore come!!

 

[Pin Wizard]

Where we live it's $5.99 for a brand new Beanie Baby. So there's no way I'd buy one at a garage sale for $5 or $4.

 

[FergieTCat]

I donated about 100 Disney beanies to Give Kids The World, and took the tax write-off. I valued them at $5 each, which was low, because they still sell for more at the Disney Store.

I still have more left, and will look into Beanies for Preemies. My beanies are brand new, with tags, never been played with in a non-smoking home. What more could you ask for?

 

[Beanie]

Okay, so I am not even going to mention how many Beanies I have

 

[LuvTigger]

Sounds like I'm in the same boat, I plan to sell most of mine too. I just wanted to suggest word-of-mouth. I've been telling people I know that I'm thinking of selling them, and 2-3 people are asking me, "when are you going to bring them?" There are still some active collectors out there.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I have tried to sell mine at garage sales, but then I think "oh that one is cute", and can't do it. Now they sit in boxes in the basement. Next year I'll do it--the kids don't play with them anymore at all.
Robin M.

 

[Pugsley]

I’m like you, Robin. I don’t have tons of them – only 25 or so. I participated in a friend’s yard sale last weekend and I had them all in a bag in the trunk of my car. I tried to take them out and sell them, but they were too cute! I never collected them or anything – I just bought the ones I liked. And I still like them. But I sure don’t need them!

jfulcer, you are so right. I have always hated the thought of having a yard sale, but I went ahead and did it with my friend since her neighborhood was doing one. I can’t believe how little money people are willing to spend for things. I practically gave away some really nice stuff. It would have been much more profitable for me to take the tax write-off, and would have saved me a lot of work and stress. Unless people don’t itemize, I think donating is definitely the way to go. (Besides, I would rather give my stuff away to people who really need it than sell it to people who have money but are just plain cheap!) Arghh… I had a woman who lived in a $400K home argue with me about having to pay $4 for a practically brand new sweater!