The perceived value of Beanie Babies is way higher than the actual value, considering there are thousands of each out there. What makes any collectible valuable is it’s relative scarcity, in addition to other qualities like material and craftsmanship (Tiffany lamp, Chippendale desk). Baseball cards are another type of example. Most kids threw out their baseball cards long ago, and so the few that are out there are worth lots of money. Now that everyone sees what the old, rare ones are worth, they save boxes of them in pristine condition. What they don’t take into account is if there are thousands or millions of unopened boxes of baseballs cards in the world, they’re not going to be worth much. So the Beanie Baby fad was pretty much a “get their money while the fad is a fad” but there are thousands or millions of them, and all they’re made of is cloth, so you’re truly better off donating them somewhere.