Finding and Buying Bean Bag Plush or Plush Toys

Searching for a Beanie or Other Plush Toy:
To search for a particular Beanie or other Plush toy on eBay, you can use the categories to narrow your search. From the Home page, you can select the Toy & Bean Bag Plush category. Then, you can choose a subcategory, or you can search for particular or "key" words in the full Toys & Bean Bag Plush category by clicking in the search dialogue box. Key words that you might want to search for include the name of the Beanie (or Plush) toy, the manufacturer, the year the toy was produced, and so on. For more tips on how to do searches, see "eBay Search Tips".

Because people list items differently, you may want to be creative in your searches. For example, if you are looking for a Sly the Fox Beanie, you could search for "Sly," "Sly the Fox," "Beanie," or simply "Retired Beanie." To make sure you don't miss any listings of interest, you might want to search for both singular and plural of the category name, for example, Beanie and Bean Bag Plush. You can do this by typing "Beanie*" in the dialogue box. The asterisk indicates any word that begins with "Beanie" and ends in any other letters. You will often get the best results from searches if you search the larger toy category and include the option to search the text as well as the title. This way, you'll find items even if the key word is only in the description or if the item is in a different category.

Viewing your search results:
You can view the listings that your search finds in many ways, including featured auctions first, only the auctions that are ending today, or all the auctions in order by the day and time the auction ends. If you are looking for something specific, you may want to browse through all the listings, but if you are looking to bid and buy as soon as possible, selecting only auctions ending today will be helpful. If the listing has "PIC" after the title, that indicates the listing includes a picture. "NEW" listings are auctions that have been listed in the last 24 hours.

Reading the auction listings:
Every hobby has its own jargon and Beanie collecting is no exception. Take a look at the terminology for listing and buying that people often use when describing Bean Bag Plush and Plush toys. It is helpful to understand the terms. For example, "Retired" generally refers to toys no longer being manufactured. "Swing Tag" refers to a tag that is attached to a toy by the manufacturer. For additional terms, see the Glossary.

In addition to the words described in the "Terms for listing or buying" section below, you may want to refer to a Beanie reference book for more terms and longer definitions.

Deciding how much to bid:
Once you find a Beanie or Plush item you like, consider what it is worth to you and about how much the item currently sells for. Price guides can be a helpful reference. You can also do a search of completed eBay auctions for similar items to see what people have paid in the past. Read the descriptions of the items carefully. Details about the condition can help you decide how much to bid. If you have a question or are unclear about something in the item’s description, you may want to email the seller for more information before placing your bid, especially for more expensive items. Ask specific questions. Most sellers are happy to answer. In particular, you may want to ask what the item’s flaws are so that the burden of disclosure is on the seller, and you are not unpleasantly surprised when you receive the item.

Placing a bid:
Once you have decided what you are willing to pay for the item, place a bid! You can set your bid for the maximum you are willing to spend. eBay will then place your bid at the lowest amount that ensures you are the high bidder up to your limit. If someone bids against you, eBay automatically raises your bid so that you remain the high bidder until the bid amount reaches your limit. You can also place a low bid and decide on a case-by-case basis whether you want to raise your bid when someone outbids you.

Note: It is also a good idea to look at feedback the seller has received before placing your bid. The comments will help you decide if this is someone you would like to transact business with! If there is a lot of feedback, at least glance at the recent responses and any negative feedback to see if there are any comments of concern or issues you would want to clarify with the seller. For example, you may still want to buy from a seller who received a comment about not packing breakables well, but you may want to clarify how they will package your item.

Completing the transaction:
eBay will notify the seller and high bidder at the conclusion of the auction. The seller will then contact the high bidder to arrange for payment and shipping of the item. Typically, the seller will ship the item as soon as the payment has been received (if a money order is sent) or, when a cheque received has cleared the bank. See "After the Auction" for more details.

When you receive your Beanie or Plush toy, enjoy! And if the seller was prompt and courteous, give positive feedback so that other users will know this person is a good seller to work with! More helpful information can be found in the "Tips for Buyers".

History of Beanbag Toys
Why People Collect Beanbag Toys
Major Categories
Finding and Buying
Listing and Selling
Displaying for Your Collection
Books
Glossary

The preceding material was written by Myrtle Cecil. These are the opinions of the author, not the opinions of eBay, and therefore eBay does not validate the accuracy of or endorse these opinions.