Plastic baggies are NOT RECOMMENDED by manufacturers for the storage of collectibles!

Plastic baggies seal in moisture leading to mold and mildew damage!

Plastic baggies can contain acids which lead to further deterioration and discoloring!

Open air storage does not protect your collection from fiber-shredding and color-dulling dust!

Having your collection in contact with acidic wood or likewise paper causes damage!

Handling an unprotected collection will cause skin oils (as) well as acids and sulphur compounds) to be transferred to the surface - this will result in dirt and dust being attracted and held on the surface...

Plastic Baggies are fine for shipping your beanies and SHORT TERM STORAGE!. For long term storage, you can use acid free beanie bags, solid white paper towels, solid white acid free tissue paper or solid white cotton materials such as napkins and sheets, etc...

Plastic bags or unprotected storage, simply put, will eventually destroy the life, condition, and value of your precious friends ! And they are unattractive - your collection deserves better protection!

Telling Good From Bad!
Counterfeit Beanies are inferior to the authentic Beanies in many ways:

FACE DETAIL - Fakes typically lack the attention to detail found on authentic Beanies, especially on the faces. The eyes, nose and mouth on a fake Beanie are often out of sorts. Real Beanie Babies typically have small, shiny plastic eyes, while fake ones may have eyes that are the wrong size and appear dull.

MATERIAL - Your sense of touch may also help you identify a fake. The material on most of the authentic Beanies has a velvety feel to it. Most counterfeits are made from a much less appealing fabric that may be shinier or have a rough grain that appears "nubby", especially if rubbed in the wrong direction. The stitching may be sloppy and inconsistent in size or spacing. Neck ribbons should not be sewn on and should be shiny satin on both sides.

SWING TAGS - The swing tags can be dead giveaways. On authentic Beanies, gold foil surrounds the red heart on each tag. Tags on many fakes have a gold border, but most of these borders are gold ink instead of foil and will have uneven gold rims. Also, the same paper has been used on all Beanie swing tags to date. Not surprisingly, some fakes carry tags with paper of a lesser quality and the red and gold inks may bleed, fade or flake off. In some cases, the tags on the fakes are smaller than those on the originals. Sometimes the writing is too dark, washed out, smudged or contains spelling errors. Also, the spacing between words and lines may not match authentic tags and the plastic attachments are much longer. Fake tush tags may be wider than the real ones.

WRONG COLORS - Closely compare colors with genuine Beanie Babies; if a piece looks too light, too dark or just plain strange (such as a mint-green "Quackers" or red "Pinky"), it may be wise to treat it as a counterfeit.

Keep in mind that the fakes will likely get better as time goes on. Con-artists typically start counterfeit scams by doing just enough to get by. As collectors become more aware of what to look for, chances are the crafters will spend more time on the fakes to make them look better.

"Rare" Variants?
The alteration of authentic Beanies has also become a problem. Some individuals have taken a regular Beanie and added something. They then tell unsuspecting customers that it's a rare prototype or variation of a popular figure. Of course, they mark such figures up with a substantial premium. Be wary of sellers' claims when it comes to prototype Beanies or Beanie variations.

If you see fake Beanies at shows or other venues, report such sightings. Ty Inc. has a toll-free number for consumers to use when reporting the sale of suspected counterfeits. That number is (888) 317-5489. You can also report people selling fakes to your local chapter of the Better Business Bureau.