Make $ with gift cards that have ZERO balance!

Gift card collecting is a relatively new hobby, but is becoming more popular by the day. There is a whole community out there and it may just amaze you that the gift cards these people collect have a ZERO balance, but in many cases are worth a whole lot more than that!

Today nearly every store offers gift cards. The key is knowing which ones are valuable as collector's items. Target & Starbucks gift cards are among the most collectible since they are unique and quick to retire.

Here is a almost all-inclusive list of Target gift cards for reference.

Just to show you a few that made some money on eBay recently:



You can get between $7-$8 for this gift card on eBay.

May not seem like a lot, but what if you had access to more than one Target store and could manage to get 100 of these?

That would be $700-$800!!!!








I think the people at Target are on top of their game when it comes to designing their gift cards!
Check out this design for the Wii gift card that lights up just like the game system itself! You can bet any Nintendo fan would want one of these collectibles.








Here is a Starbucks gift card that is only available at the Location in Hawaii. It sold for $15, and has a zero balance on it. Know anyone in Hawaii????












Here is a Valentine's gift card that will get you between $8-$10.






I think you get the idea here! Selling gift cards with no balance on them won't make you an overnight millionaire, but it just might get you some extra cash for little effort. Talk about getting something for nothing!

Beanie Babies

Wikipedia says:

A Beanie Baby is a small stuffed animal made by Ty Inc., owned and founded by Ty Warner who promoted the line in up-scale stores (and miniatures known as Teenie Beanies in McDonald's) and with intentional scarcity, under-filled with plastic pellets, or "beans," giving it a flexible and vulnerable, huggable, feel, rather than stuffing (see PVC). A Beanie Baby is a type of bean bag in the form of a stuffed animal toy.

Well - I can say that my kids are not at all interested in these guys....but hey - mom might as well get familiar with them! Here is my favorite seller lately!

This beanie was only given to journalists as an invitation to the opening of "L'atelier de Joel Robuchon" at Ty Warner's Four Seasons Hotel, New York.

Wanna guess how much it sold for?

It's unbelievable....

$3861.00

You can bet this little guy is etched in my mind when I am out shopping!






Mistakes or factory errors often raise the value of Beanie's - here are some of the top few...

~Peanut the Royal Blue Elephant: A factory mistake made the first 2,000 Peanut the Elephants a much darker shade than the more common light blue color.
~Nana the Monkey: One of the earliest Beanies, Nana was later renamed “Bongo.”
~Punchers the Lobster: The name of this Original 9 lobster was most likely an error. Punchers was later renamed “Pinchers.”
~Brownie the Brown Bear: One of the original nine Beanie Babies, Brownie was later renamed “Cubbie,” which is much more common.
~Teddy, Old Face (brown): Made with a Victorian “old face” with a triangle nose and eyes on either side, these teddies had no birthdays or poems.
~Derby the Fine Mane Horse: The fine manes of the earlier versions have 20 strands, rather than the redesigned 8 strands.
~Humphrey the Camel: Created in June 1994. Only 25,000 were made.
~Quacker the Duck Without Wings: Later models included wings. Only 780 were made in 1994.
~Peking the Panda: The only Beanie with felt eyes rather than black beads.
~Spot the Dog (without a spot): Four million were made. 1,500 came without a spot.

I can tell you some of these are valued in the 2-3 thousand range. Now, the eBay value is a totally different story. Make sure you research your beanies before you buy em!

Transformers

Well with the recent release of the Transformers Movie, eBay has been flooded with the popular action figure. People who have been holding on to these guys for the past 20 years are finally parting with their collections. The older 1984-1985 collections are going for thousands! BUT not many of us regular folks will have each and every G1 Transformer in mint condition still in the original box, right?

So let me show you a couple that you might stumble upon at a garage sale or thrift store....

Here is a FORTRESS MAXIMUS - he is almost 2 feet tall and was the biggest ever and is circa 1987.

Our friend here sold for $381 just the other day.

Here are 5 Dinobots from 1985 in played with condition.

These guys just sold for $458.

Here's a little background info on these guys....

The Transformers TV show began in 1984 and was one of the first programs to take advantage of recently relaxed FCC bans on toy companies producing television programs. Hasbro worked with Japanese toy manufacturer Takara and Marvel comics to create a multimedia phenomenon. Transformers quickly became a favorite among children, and much of that enthusiasm continues in collectors to this day.

• 1984 Transformers: The Autobots and Decepticons made their first appearances in cartoons, comics, and on toy store shelves. Popular figures include Autobot leader Optimus Prime and three Decepticons: Megatron, Star Scream, and Soundwave. The Autobots were robots that took the form of various cars and trucks, while the Decepticons mostly took the form of planes; a Walkman; and Megatron, a very real-looking handgun.
• 1985 Transformers: The success of Transformers continued with the release of Constructicons and Dinobots. The Transformers mail order program also began, where children clipped “robot points” and mailed them in for special offers. In 1985, the1984 models reappeared with rub stickers that revealed whether the robot was an Autobot or a Decepticon. Also new in 1985 were Mini-Spys, Deluxe Autobots, Power Dashers, Jump Starters, Omnibots, Constructicons (which could combine to form a larger robot), Insecticons, Triple-Changers, and Dinobots.
• 1986 Transformers: More than 50 new figures hit toy shelves while Transformers: The Movie hit theaters, introducing Rodimus Prime, Ultramagnus, and Galvatron. 1986 saw another re-release of original figures, this time with some glow-in-the-dark accessories or parts. Released lines included Mini-vehicles, Protectobots, Stunticons, Combaticons, Battle Chargers, Predacons, and Decepticon Reflector.
• 1987 Transformers: Throttlebots, Technobots, Targetmasters, Headmasters, Double Spy, Terrorcons, Duocons, and Sixchangers joined the fray, including Fortress Maximus, a Headmaster toy that stands 2 feet tall. The Generation 1 Transformers television series ends.
• 1988 Transformers: Even without the television series, Hasbro introduces two new toy lines: Powermasters and Pretenders. Sparkabots, Triggerbots, Beast Pretenders, Vehicle Pretenders, Firecons, Seacons, and Triggercons were also released.
• 1989 Transformers: Hasbro released Micromasters, a line of miniature Transformers, and the Pretenders Classic line, including favorites like Jazz and Grimlock, Mega Pretenders, and Ultra Pretenders. K-Mart released a Legends series that featured Bumblebee, Grimlock, Jazz, and Star Scream. This year also marked the beginning of the end for the original Transformers line as Hasbro began to produce fewer toys.
• 1990 Transformers: 1990 marked the final year of production for the first generation of Transformers toys. Hasbro attempted to revitalize the line with Actionmasters, Transformers that have a high degree of articulation, but cannot transform. It also introduced the Micromaster Combiner Squads, Actionmaster Blasters, and Actionmaster Attack Vehicles.
• 1992-1999 Transformers: The early ‘90s saw the re-release of many popular figures in the Generation 2 Transformers line, often giving the figures new paint jobs or different accessories. Along with the re-release, the original series is also back on the airwaves with new computer graphics. But it wasn’t until the late ‘90s that the Transformers line was revitalized with Beast Wars.
• 2000-2002 Transformers: The Beast Machine line of toys became increasingly popular, ringing in a new era of Transformers. Coupled with a new story line, the Maximals battled the evil Vehicons for the future of Cybertron. The conclusion marked a return to form for the Transformers as the series brought back figures that transformed into cars again. A new 52-episode series launched along with many new action figure lines such as the Mini-cons and the Transformers Armada.
• 2003-present Transformers: Many classic Transformers came back in high detail with the Transformers Alternators line. Also, a 20th anniversary Optimus Prime figure appeared, and Transformers: Energon had a Unicron figure that transformed from a robot into a planet.

Transformer toys fall into seven major categories: Generation 1, Generation 2, Beast Wars, Beast Machines, Robots in Disguise, Transformers Armada, and Generation 1 Commemorative Series.

• Generation 1 Transformers: Generation 1 Transformers ran for six years, between 1984 and 1990. The category encompasses everything from the earliest Transformers such as Optimus Prime and Star Scream to the Micromaster and Pretender lines.
• Generation 2 Transformers: Generation 2 Transformers appeared from 1992 to 1995. The toys released during this period were mostly re-releases of classic Generation 1 figures with either new paint or new accessories. Some new lines emerged during this period, including the Rotor Force, Laser Cycles, Auto Rollers, and Cyberjets.
• Beast Wars: Beast Wars revitalized the Transformers brand with the battle between the Maximals and the Predacons. Beast Wars also saw the return to the multimedia approach that made the original Transformers so popular. A television series that featured computer-animated Transformers told the story of the Maximals and the Predacons. 1995 saw the release of only nine different figures, but that changed in 1996 with the addition of 16 more models, including two exclusive figures: Bot Con and Onyx Primal. The Beast Wars line continued through 1999 and included variations like Fuzor and Transmetal.
• Beast Machines: Beast Machines ran between 2000 and 2001 and continued the storyline started in Beast Wars. But despite its short run, 60 new Transformers action figures launched, including new Maximal and Predacon assortments, as well as Transmetal Classics.
• Robots in Disguise: Debuting in 2001, Robots in Disguise was a return to the original struggle between the Autobots and the Decepticons. It also had a television series, this one running for 39 episodes. The figures were re-envisioned versions of older characters like Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus (and of course Megatron). The Heroes of Cybertron line came out in 2002 and contained figures that did not transform. Instead they were more like classic action figures with articulated joints.
• Transformers Armada: Transformers Armada ran between 2002 and 2003 and added a new wrinkle to the classic Autobot Decepticon battle. A newly discovered race of transformers called Mini-Cons had the power to sway the balance, and both sides tried to utilize their power. Mini-Con toys were arranged in teams of three, each with its own focus. Everything from Air Defense teams to Emergency Mini-Con teams were available, as well as a large assortment of both Autobots and Decepticons.
• Generation 1 Commemorative Series: A Toys ”R” Us exclusive, the Commemorative Series consisted of high-quality reissues of favorite Transformers characters from the first generation of toys. Many were made of die-cast metal and had rubber tires.

Have a great time searching for these popular toys at your next treasure hunt!!!