McDonald’s Teenie Beanies International Bears

[karub_3379]

I Have 2 Sets of 4 International bears. one is in original package and I opened the second set. The pkg says 1999 on the back but the tush tag says 1933. 

Im looking for help in identifying their value. Any suggestions?  I’m new to the group but can get photos if needed.

[kensgiftshop]

Most of them are not worth much now days.

Do a search on Ebay and see if any has sold lately.

[1786davycrockett]

@karub_3379 

You do realize that there were MILLIONS of these manufactured, right?

There are far more of these items available in the world than there are collectors.

Estimated value?  Probably less than $1.00 -- if even that high.

[bllr40]

Apparently there are some with errors on the tags that make them valuable?    

I was just given a case of them by my mom (we owned several McDonald’s and these have just been sitting in her garage) and I’m curious what the error on the tag is and if it does in fact increase their value.   

[1786davycrockett]

@bllr40 

Printing errors are NOT isolated instances -- they happen EVERY day, with MANY items.

The Beanie Baby craze died out about 20 years ago, and there are currently MORE sellers of Beanie Babies, than there are actual BUYERS of Beanie Babies.

When "error" items are manufactured "accidentally" in the tens of thousands, then those items are NOT "rare."

And many of those "error" Beanie Babies may actually have been DELIBERATELY manufactured with "errors," in order to make the manufacturer even MORE money.

Face the facts -- when other manufacturers discover that their products may include "errors," many of them send out "recall notices" to retailers, so that the error items can be shipped back to the manufacturer.

But NOT for the manufacturer of Beanie Babies -- he just left all those "error" items on the shelf -- and kept shoveling the profits into his own pockets, laughing all the way to the bank while taking advantage of his unwary customers.

Beanie Babies were just NOT a good investment strategy -- and they STILL aren't.

It's a stuffed toy, people -- not a bar of gold.

[bllr40]

Not disagreeing with you- I’m just curious how these have (recently) been selling on eBay for thousands of dollars.  I’m just trying to learn more, that’s all.  

[soh.maryl]

The best way to determine how well a given item sells on eBay is to search the Solds.

My personal Beanie Baby experience is at a local church-run thrift store where I often pick them up for a great granddaughter whom I baby sit.  Small stuffies are 50 cents at this shop.  When the stuffies bin starts to overflow, they're 3/$1.  Included in these quite often are some of the ones that people here seem to think are highly valuable, like allow-you-to-retire-early-to-some-Pacific-island valuable. 

[tinsoldierunderground]

I've seen them listed for thousands..... not sold.

[1786davycrockett]

@bllr40 

"I’m just curious how these have (recently) been selling on eBay for thousands of dollars.  I’m just trying to learn more, that’s all."

You seem to be referring to ads on eBay which offer to SELL various Beanie Babies for thousands of dollars.

But these are not SOLD items -- these are all "wishful thinking" on the part of Beanie "investors," who have now realized that they are stuck with closets filled with cheaply-made stuffed toys.

Check the actual "sold" records -- including the "sold" records for "buyers" who have reneged on their purchases, and sellers who canceled sales, because the sellers did NOT receive the outrageous "reserve" bids that the sellers thought they should receive.

These toys were manufactured overseas in the tens of thousands (or hundreds of thousands) by underpaid third-world labor, and originally marketed as "instant collectibles," promoted outrageously to a very gullible public -- including the manufacturer spreading the lie that many of them were "rare."

Don't fall for the Beanie Baby "hype" -- these are worthless.

[bllr40]

 again, I’m just trying to learn here.   I deal with sneakers, not this stuff.   Just going off of what I see and being Inquisitive to learn more. 

[mtgraves7984]

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@bllr40 wrote:

 again, I’m just trying to learn here.   I deal with sneakers, not this stuff.   Just going off of what I see and being Inquisitive to learn more. 

---

@bllr40 

Terapeak (Seller Hub/Research) is a great tool. I just typed "Maple the Bear Beanie Baby" and found Solds from $.99.

Terapeak Product Research - eBay Seller Hub

[1786davycrockett]

@bllr40 

Phony sale -- the buyer probably will be reneging.  You see that quite often with Beanie Baby "sales."

After all -- why spend $3000.00 on a toy, when you can buy the exact same toy for less than $1.00.

The seller will be probably re-listing the same item again, after waiting the required period for the buyer to pay.

And each time the seller is required to pay the 40 cents selling fee to eBay.

The bottom line is -- Beanie Babies started out as a racket for the manufacturer -- and Beanie Babies are STILL a racket.