How to get beanies CHEEP!!!!
#1
This technique may be the most common method when it comes to obtaining cheaper beanies. It is able to work in near every market in the U.S.
Most Ty dealers are set up on a supply/demand basis. This means, the dealer must be able to sell what he or she buys in a given period of time. Most dealers send Ty a certain sum of money and Ty then decides how many Beanies the retailer gets. For instance, a Ty dealer sends Ty $7,000 for a shipment. Ty, in return, may send him $2,000 in Beanies and credit him $5,000. The point is, Retailers have to sell; they have to have a very high Beanie Baby turnover rate. So when a retailer requests a given amount of Beanies, there is a portion of the shipment that must be sold before they can request more. Retailers know that the consumers want the newest Beanies, but they might not get them to sell if they haven't near exhausted their inventory from the last shipment.
Now for you to do your homework. First of all, list all the retail stores you can think of that you have bought Beanies from before, and then ones that you know who sell Beanies, even if you haven't bought them there. Obviously store employees/owners are more friendly to repeat customers, "regulars". Try to talk to the owner as this is the person who usually pays the bills, and most importantly, controls the store's Beanie flow. Try to get an appointment with the owner/manager sometime before or after hours, etc., and try to know the person's name whom you are dealing with. Tell them you'd be willing to purchase any or all Beanies they'd be willing to sell for 50-75% over cost. Let them know that you are not picky as to which ones, but just love collecting Beanies for yourself. When there are notions about of new Beanies coming out, retailers want to move their inventory out as fast as possible, so this is usually the best time to act.
Call and ask to speak with the owner, and try to know his/her name before you do speak to him. Let him know that you have an idea that you just thought of, that could benefit both parties. It may prove useful to arrive a few minutes early, if the store is open, and let the owner/manager see you buy something, Beanies or not.
#2
This seems to be the second best way of obtaining Beanies at discounts.
Ty strictly prohibits their retailers from selling on the secondary market. Obviously some still do it, on the Internet, classifieds, etc, but time will eventually catch up with them. Ty does not set a minimum price the retailers have to abide by, however. Knowing this, there are several retailers who would love to make $200 on a Princess or an Erin, but they won't risk it, and for good reason.
During your meeting with the owner, tell him that you have something that could make them some extra money and you'll do all the work. Ask them to give you a portion of their shipment to sell for them. This will cost you nothing and means everything to the retailer. Tell them you'll in turn sell the Beanies for them on Ebay, Auctionuniverse, newspaper classifieds, etc., and will give them the profits. They not only make $7.00 per Beanie, but will be put in a position to sell more, which is their ultimate goal. That is $7.00 per Beanie, the max Ty lets them sell for. The extra money, saying you sell one for $10, a very average price these days, lets you break even on the ones you will be able to buy at cost from the owner. This not only streamlines the process for them but makes them more money without the work. Trust me, most of these small business owners put in long hours. The more you help them, the more rewarded you are. Again, your perk will be this: the opportunity to keep a few of each Beanie at cost. Now you are buying for your collection from between $2.50 and $3.00. If you do it right, you will be making the retailer extra money with no extra effort on their part, and they won't mind giving you a discount on a certain number of Beanies every shipment. Imagine getting Princess and Erin for that! It happens often and you could get them, too. These retailers want to make money, and they will whether they sell 10 Beanies through you or 1000. Everything you sell is a profit for them! Most, however, don't want their account pulled from Ty for selling their higher valued Beanies for more.
#3
This one involves putting out more money, but it is worth it. Plan on spending approximately $4.00-$4.75 per Beanie, and buying 30-40 at a time.
Go to ebay(tm), or any other auction house, and do a search on Beanie Babies. You can do the same things with newpaper classifieds, internet classifieds, etc. There are many retailers out there on the secondary market selling easier to find currents, and the retailers make a quick $1-200. It is too risky to sell like this at flea markets, etc, because they can too easily be recognized. Do not think that you will get a Princess or Erin this way, because it is just not happening. If they're going to sell on the secondary market at all, they will for sure find someone willing to pay $75 for a Princess or $150 for an Erin.
These retailers are more than happy to make $4-$4.75 per Beanie with just a lot of 40. By doing this they make a quick $100 in no time at all! They usually will use the newspapers or the Internet to do this. Don't get me wrong. The currents will be retired sometime, and you'll never be able to buy a single Beanie at Hallmark for $4.00, no matter which one! Find the retailers, do what is said in this guide, and you will be buying cheaper Beanies in no time!!
Notes: In the resources in this package, you can find a very large list of Internet auctions to use if you would like. These are excellent sources for buying and selling, as are the Beanie Sources Document.
