What a wonderful opportunity to allow collectors to vent in regards to Princess and Erin. I must say, you really opened up a can of worms. I always enjoy reading your articles, they always cover such a broad area and always show both sides of the issue. Thanks for always being honest and not being a "powder puff".

PROS
I think that if Ty limit’s Princess to 12 per month, that’s OK. It would be nice for everyone to own a Princess, but too many secondary markets are snatching her up and marking up the price. Besides, the more limited she is, the greater her value will become.
 
I do not care how much Princess is worth. My friends and I just want her really bad. One of my friends wants her bad enough that she paid $500.00 for her. She says, "I don’t want to pay that much, but it’s the only way to get her".

I think it is a good idea for Ty to limit Princess! If one acquires a Princess they know she is a very good collectable and should maintain her dollar value. I also think the hunt of obtaining her is fun and exciting! Many stores have used Princess for charity’s, but enough is enough. I hope Ty does change her tags, this would make collecting her more fun.

Ms. Janie say’s - The overall consensus for keeping Princess limited is to increase her value. I still feel that Ty introduced this Beanie to honor Princess Diana and help with the Princess Diana Memorial Fund, they should release Princess in mass quantities.

CONS:
Princess never makes it to the stores in my area. Retailers are selling her for big profits or to the secondary market. If you are a collectors, your chances of getting Princess are very slim.

Ty should NOT change the tag and should not have released this bear until it was available for shipping in large quantities. I do not think Princess Diana would be happy about what Ty is doing. She would want every child to be able to get this bear.

I think it is very poor judgment on Ty’s part to limit the production of new Beanies. I personally will NEVER see Princess or Erin. How is a child supposed to buy a Beanie from the secondary market with such high prices? How is a child supposed to stand in lines at 5 o’clock in the morning to hopefully get a new release? Princess is still being raffled off in my area. I feel that Ty’s handling of the "Bears" situation is ridiculous.

Ms. Janie say’s - Although 95% of collectors polled were not concerned with tag changes, many are disappointed in Ty and retailers. Children are extremely upset about not being able to purchase their Beanies.
If I were Ty, I would suggest to retailer to consider the following.
When ever a shipment arrives, allow children to make their purchases 1 hour prior to adults. Limit the purchase to one of each style up to 10 Beanies.
This practice will not only help children obtain the pieces they need, it will also keep the adults from buying up all the Beanies.

PROS:
I think it’s good that Ty has limited Erin to 12 per store. I am an individual collector, not a store owner. I think limiting Erin will keep the hunt alive and it’s value up. I do not think that Erin will become more obtainable than Princess.

I think it’s OK for Ty to limit Erin. I mean she’s brand new and if every retailer orders and receives 36, she would not be as popular. Come on people, wake up, collect your Beanies and have fun. Ty has given you the hunt of a life time!

Ms. Janie say’s the following: I think an item should only be limited when it specifically states "Limited Edition". I’m sure Ty will get caught up with the demand of this Beanie and will release more soon.

CONS:
I think Ty should release more Erins. I get extremely mad when I read in Beanie publications how you should collect many extra Beanies for your set. These are the same people who are hoarding Beanies, making it impossible for others to get. Yes, if Erin is not released in greater numbers, she will also become a hot item, and only the "CONNECTED" people will be able to get her at a reasonable price.

I do not understand why Ty would release a new Bear, it’s impossible to find any of the old one’s.

I think Erin will be another Peace, never available at the stores for the retail price. Either retailers don’t receive Erin or they sell them for a high price or to the second market. I have only seen Peace at one retail store in my area and it sold for $50.00 Why not wait on releasing Erin when they have enough to ship!

Ms. Janie says the following: Ty did not release Erin as a limited edition piece, therefore, I believe she may be hard to find for the time being, but be patient, she will be more available soon. Ty has been a genius were marketing is concerned. I can not imagine Ty risking their reputation on releasing and limiting two special pieces in a row.

PROS:
I would like to see Erin and Princess retire within the next year or so. I do believe that Ty should keep them current for at least a year, but no more than two. If Ty keeps them current for more than two years, they will not be as special..

I liked the early retirement of 97 Teddy and Snowball. My goodness, if we really collect, we want them retired early to keep their value up. I would also like to see Princess and Erin retire early.

Ty is reaching out to the adult collectors with the new line. I know at least a dozen people who did not even own a Beanie until Princess was released. We all know, one Beanie is never enough! I would love for Ty to continue to produce special colored bears for all the holidays and special events.

I agree with the collector who felt Ty was reaching out to adults. I would imagine if you collect Beanie for status or monetary value, you would like to see most Beanies retire early. BUT, what about a innocent child who can not complete their set. "Is early retirement good for them?

PROS:
Ty has made marketing history with Beanie Babies. The secondary market is to be credited for this, you can bet Ty supports the secondary market. No ‘Marketing consultant/expert’ would ever say you could produce the highest demanded item of the decade without a single TV or newspaper ad. Ty only markets through the Internet and their guest book. Ty has made History!
 
I think Ty loves the secondary market. I also think he purposely makes Beanie mistakes, just to see people scramble for them. I will also say, I don’t blame him. He is a business man out to make a BIG buck.
 
I do not believe that Ty actively supports the secondary market. However, as a free marketing/publicity vehicle, you can’t beat it. It has probably boosted Company sales tremendously. The secondary market is a good barometer of the supply/demand and if the company tracks it, they could get some good insights as to what types of Beanies appeal to most and shape future releases from that.
 
Yes, I think Ty supports the secondary market. They have to, it keeps the value up on their product. It is fun to find old releases on the secondary market. I have seen both GREEDY and HONEST people on this market.
 
Ty loves this market!!! Ty shows this through their site, (especially on the guest book), this book allows them to keep track of the values, without having to leave their own back yard. I have never heard Ty express a formal opinion on their feelings regarding secondary pricing of current or retireds. Ty needs this market to keep the values up on the retireds and that keeps people buying plenty of currents in hopes that they will become more valuable by retiring as well. Everyone has their own reasons for collecting. Some for fun and some for investing. Ty has to be careful with what they say officially and do, because they do not want to lose their little gold mind.
 
CONS:
I think Ty does support the secondary market, I also feel that Ty’s guestbook is terrible. If Ty did not support the secondary market, why would they even have a guestbook where people can post outrageous prices.
 
I do not feel Ty supports the secondary market, unless they have cleverly disguised some of their employees and made them covert sellers of Beanies on the Internet. (Interesting scenario) As far as their guestbook goes, it is impossibly bust and very hard to read through. What does concern me more is Ty’s inability to prevent tag switches (Waves/Echo) and either tag or, as is now rumored, material switches on (Rainbow/Iggy) . And of course posting the wrong pictures of Beanies on their own web site. How does a collector depend upon a company that cannot control these seemingly simple errors?
 
If I didn't think Ty supports the secondary market, I now they do! Otherwise how would the secondary market get the newest releases before the "authorized" retailers get them? We have a total of about 5 stores in two small towns that are "Authorized" retailers. Other stores in the area are ones which have jumped on the bandwagon. The unauthorized sellers had the new releases a month before the "Authorized" retailers did. "What does that tell you"? In my opinion, a VERY large portion of Beanies are going directly to the secondary market.
 
I think Ty’s guestbook is a danger for kids. My kids are not allowed on the Ty site or any site that has trading boards and guestbooks. Now that Beanies have become a adult collectable and the children have been robbed, I shop along for Beanies for my kids. I do not even allow them in stores that sell Beanies. I do not want my children to witness childish behavior coming from adults.
 
I can’t help but think Ty doesn’t like to see their product sold elsewhere for outrageous prices. This was not the reason that Beanies were made in the first place. They were supposed to be an affordable TOY for CHILDREN. I have stopped even looking at Ty’s guest book. The book is full of advertisements for greedy people looking for a $5.00 toy. If I’m not mistaken, the guestbook was supposed to be for children to communicate with other children, and form friendships. Example - a kid from California can communicate with a kid from Japan, it was also so that kids could learn about each others culture and establish a pen pal. I believe this was the intent of the guestbook. All it is now is a classified ad. The greed shown in the guestbook really makes me sick. I think that the guestbook should be restricted to children who really want to communicate with other children. Ty should not allow selling on their website, there are lots of other places to sell their products on the Net. I say, "sell your Beanies elsewhere, and get them off the kids page".

Ms. Janie says: I feel that Ty does support the secondary market, it helps to keep Beanie values up. If you have not had the opportunity to read my article on the secondary market, please do so, it will explain this market in-depth.
I just hope Ty appreciates Beanie websites, writers and reporters, they are the main source of information for both markets. Without them, Ty would lose 75% of their FREE advertising.
I would also like to add the following. I am a HUGE supporter of Ty and I do collect Beanie Babies. I feel that my articles benefit Ty and collectors in an enormous way. Ty has the opportunity to hear first hand what collectors are thinking. Collectors get the opportunity to voice their opinions. Last but not least, Ty does not have to read through an enormous stack of mail and reply to collectors. I have shown both sides of the coin, and hope both benefit from it.