Collecting Stuffed Plushes by Maker or Type – Starting Out

Most folks love stuffed plush soft animals as children (yes, even the boys do!).  As we grow up some of them get packed away and saved, some get worn out, some get given away, most go out of our lives by one route or another as they are outgrown and we move on to other interests.

Then there are those of us who never DO outgrow them – who continue to love and cherish them all our lives.  We grow up and now we call ourselves COLLECTORS!

If you’ve been wanting to indulge your love of plushies (or stuffies as they are often called) sites like ebay are a wonderful place to begin collecting.  But first you have to decide - am I going to collect toys by a certain maker of by the type of toy I like best?  Or do I have enough space, time and dollars to do both?

Most plushie lovers are already somewhat familiar with the famous brands of toys – the well known makers such as Steiff, Gund, Hansa, Russ, Dakin, and Disney to mention just a few.  If you decide to collect a particular maker’s toys it is a good idea to start out by purchasing some books about those toys and studying them a bit until you are a little familiar with the various lines of toys.  Some of these, like the Steiffs are very very collectible and quite expensive.  These are investment type collector toys.  Other brands are a little easier to find and therefore less expensive to purchase.  So if you are going to collect by maker, educate yourself a little first so you pick out the Treasures!

Even more people (in my experience) collect toys the way I do – by they type of toy that they like best.  Some love all the cats, some collect only one breed of dog, some like me prefer the less common animals like armadillos, rhinos, and odd birds.  What ever your particular love may be you’ll find a treasure trove of toys on the internet – that’s for SURE!

What you will need to know is how to buy quality toys to add to your collection and how to avoid the disappointment of purchasing not so good ones.  Of course knowing which brands are well known for producing sturdy, high quality toys will help you in making your purchasing decisions.  Some of the lesser known brands make fabulous toys.  A few of my very favorites are Unipak, Purr-fection, Chosun, Plush Creations, and Caltoy.  You can hardly go wrong purchasing these brands of toys as long as they have been well cared for or are new.

So – first decide if you are collecting by brand, by type or by both
        Then decide on which brand or which type
        The learn as much as you can about buying good toys
        Purchase and have fun.

The next two guides will talk about how to purchase toys wisely on the internet, and how to care for the toys when you get them.

Thanks for taking time to read my guide – Please go and see all the lovely toys in my store – The Treasure Nest
http://stores.ebay.com/The-Treasure-Nest_W0QQsspagenameZMEQ3aFQ3aSTQQtZkmPlease go see the Treasures in my STORE!