Where to Buy Beanie Babies & Boos

(and other Ty collectibles)

New and used Ty collectibles are available from numerous retail and secondary market sources. A conscientious collector will find widely varying prices for the same item, so it pays to shop around. It also pays to be patient. Don't pay an inflated price to pre-order a newly announced Ty product unless you know for sure quantities will be limited.

Many newly released Boos, Beanies and other Ty products are sometimes available on eBay for less than store retailer prices within 30-45 days of being announced. Even though the price for a new Boo, Beanie or other Ty product in a retail store may be higher than online prices at eBay or other online outlets, you shouldn't forget the postage factor. Do the math in advance to make the smartest purchase.

Lets say a new Beanie Boo shows up at Walgreens for $5.99. That means your actual cost will be $5.99 plus sales tax, plus the cost of gas to and from the store. In this example we'll estimate 60 cents for 10% sales tax and $2.00 for gas. That totals $8.59 for the Beanie. You might find the same Beanie at eBay for $4.99, but when you add $4.50 or more for postage and handling, the eBay Beanie ends up costing more than the same Beanie at Walgreens.

The store cost factor decreases if your store offers a discount for buying more than one Beanie, much the same way a good seller at eBay reduces shipping costs for multiple purchases on one invoice. That's why it pays to do a cost comparison in advance. Another obvious advantage of buying in a retail store is that you get to hand-pick your Boo or Beanie.

Over the years, we've purchased Ty collectibles from many different sources.

• There are several authorized Ty retailers in our town (Fayetteville, NC). We sometimes purchase from them if we need a Ty collectible quickly for a gift or photograph; or when a store similar to Claire's introduces an exclusive new Ty collectible not available from other authorized Ty retailers. Ty products are showing up in numerous local stores like Claire's, Cracker Barrel, Walgreens, Barnes & Noble, Party City, Hobby Lobby, Michael's and others (just to name a few).
  
  
• We sometmes buy items from the Ty online store. The prices are generally the same or lower than prices charged in retail stores or on eBay, and the shipping charges are reasonable. At various times the Ty online store features free shipping.
  
  
• Domestic and foreign retail chains sometimes carry exclusive Ty collectibles. Some examples are Walgreens, Claire's, Cracker Barrel, Barnes & Noble, CVS and Great Wolf Lodge. There are also zoos and aquariums that sometimes offer exclusives made by Ty. In the past there have been exclusives from Hallmark, Midwest Airlines, Northwestern Mutual, Ty trade shows, Kentucky Derby stores, the U.S. Open tennis store, Mastercharge, 4-H and many more, to include the Ty online store. You can almost always find these exclusives on the secondary market, but most were available at lower cost directly from the original seller when they first came out.
  
  
• More than 50% of our Ty collection came from eBay. For better or worse, eBay currently hosts the largest selection of Ty collectibles available for auction or sale. That doesn't make eBay the best, it just makes eBay the largest source. We have a separate section with suggestions and warnings for shopping on eBay.
  
  
• We tend to avoid specialty online stores that sell retired Ty products because most of them (in our opinion) charge unreasonably high prices. We have occasionally bought from an online retailer like bbtoystore.com, but only because we couldn't find the Ty collectible we needed anywhere else. Selection and service at these types of online stores is generally good, but that doesn't seem to justify their high prices.
  
  
• Serious collectors interface. You can always find other Ty collectors on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok or other social media venues. Members at many of these apps or sites have Ty collectibles to sell or trade. Several of our most prized beanies came from Ty collectors we met at Facebook or other social media sites.
  
  
• We frequently see or hear of Beanie Babies for sale in thrift shops, but haven't had any luck finding older Beanies we still need in our collection in any thrift shop. There is the occasional story though of someone finding a rare beanie in a thrift shop. You increase your chances of finding good deals in thrift shops if you arrange with someone who works there to contact you whenever a batch of beanies arrives.
  
  
• We've purchased several Ty collectibles through online bulletin board sites but we know whenever we do, it's a calculated risk. Many sellers who advertise on bulletin board sites or Facebook will not accept credit cards or PayPal payments. If you pay with a check or money order, you risk losing your money to a dishonest seller. Remember, ANYONE can post on those sites. You won't know if they're honest until after you've dealt with them. It is much the same at eBay, but at least eBay (in conjunction with PayPal) provides some protection against being scammed by a dishonest seller.
  
  
• Years ago, we occasionally made the yard sale circuit in search of good deals but we stopped doing that. For some reason we always ended up buying lots of other items even though the only reason we went was to check for beanies. That doesn't mean you can't find good deals on beanies at yard sales. Call in advance to see if beanies are available.
  
  
• We stay away from the flea markets in our area. They are too commercialized and the chances of finding that rare beanie at a fantastic price are slim to none. Nowadays people who sell at flea markets generally know the value of their items, so you're not likely to find a royal blue Peanut for five dollars at a flea market. If you do, it is probably counterfeit. Yes, the world is full of counterfeit beanies.
  
  
• If you have a little spare time and a few extra dollars, newspaper ads can be an entertaining albeit frustrating way to find Ty collectibles. Advertise the amount you are willing to pay for beanies in "like new (no odor)" condition with and/or without swing tags. You may get zero inquiries, but you may also get that rare caller who is cleaning house and offers up their whole collection for free if you can pick it up yourself by noon tomorrow. Considering the low cost of a newspaper ad, it is certainly worth a few tries if you're a "serious" collector (at least until printed newspapers go the way of the dinosaur.
  
  
• Don't forget to tell all of your friends and relatives to be on the lookout for wayward beanies. Even if they don't find any unique sources, they might get the hint you wouldn't mind Boos or Beanies as presents for your birthday, Valentine's Day or Christmas.