September 2000 News

==September 30, 2000==
CONTESTS TO START TOMORROW
Stay tuned for the details.. nice prize package on BOTH contests!!
AMERICAN TRIO CONTEST (LAST DAY TO ENTER!!)
Details for this contest can be found HERE
TOTAL ENTRIES AFTER DAY 29: 3268
29. NAVTNELAI = VALENTINA

AMERICAN TRIO CONTEST DAY 30
30. BUARA

USA OLYMPIC MEDAL STANDINGS

GOLD
SILVER BRONZE <TOTAL>

38

22

30
90

Top 50 Update
Wrom: ZUIVOTQNQEMSFDULHPQQWOYIYZUNNYCGPKYLEJGDGVCJVTLBXFGGMEPYOQKED You may remember several weeks back that we had a complaint regarding the rules and regulations of the Top 50 people. It seems that they finally acting upon sites who use other collectibles such as Pokemon to boost their ratings. The following is an email that many webmasters are going to be receiving over the next few days: "During a routine checkup of your site it came to our attention that you have placed multiple buttons of the Top50Network on the same page. This is in violation with our rules and regulations www.top50network.com/info/rules.htm. Example, if you select a Pokemon button, at least 51% content of that page should have Pokemon content, 49% of the page could have other content which does not qualify for another button. This way we can make the ranking an honest ranking. If you do not remove the button from these pages we can remove your entry from our listing. We are taking these actions on all sites with multiple buttons."

Light Hearted Fun
From: BeaneWonderland
One of our readers sends us the following email: "I was just thinking today about what it would be like if Ty were to purchase the Coca Cola Company and run it like he runs Ty, Inc. Here's my conclusions: Top changes at Coca Cola if it were owned by Ty Warner:
1. Each month, retailers would receive 12 cartons of each Coca Cola flavor to sell. 2. Ty would force any one who used the words Coke or Cola to surrender the names to him, and no one could write, print, publish, think, say or read the words without his permission.
3. Every 3 months Coca Cola would announce a new brand of Coca Cola, with a new package, but the beverage inside would be the same as the old beverage.
4. Coca Cola would be available the regular size containers, a large size container, a super size container, and a jumbo container.
5. McDonalds would offer a mini-sized Coca Cola for kids.
6. Old containers of coca cola would be worth more than the new containers.
7. People will be selling fake coca cola on the internet for outrageous prices.
Remember it is just a little light hearted fun..

eBay Policy
From: BeaneWonderland
Hi, as a secondary dealer who has done presales on ebay for quite some time I just thought I would pass some info along to you that you could pass along to your readers. Ebay has a new policy where you must now GUARANTEE that the item will be shipped within 30 days of auctions end or offer a FULL refund. There are no exceptions. Unfortunately ebay sneaked this policy past everyone and forget to let anybody know about it. As we all know it is impossible to guarantee that an
item will be shipped within 30 days from auctions end when we don't even know
if Ty will begin shipping the items within that period (a more realistic policy would be 30 days from the actual date the item has begun shipping; but ebay does not care). The way that I found out about this policy is that ebay ENDED all 50 of presale auctions and sent me an e-mail warning me that further non-compliance would result in my suspension. View Here

eBay Presales Update
From: BeaneWonderland
Yesterday we reported on how bay were pulling presale auctions if the delivery date was not guaranteed within 30 Days of the auction closing. One of our readers Margaret has done some investigating for herself and shares her finds: Hi, I have attached the presale policy bay has for their sellers. I am a bidder on bay and for the first time bid and won 6 pressers (3 on 8/23 & 3 on 913) for Chinook, Buckingham & Nipping totaling $480 before shipping charges. One night, after I won these pressers, I read a very interesting article on presales. What concerned me after reading the article was that bidders are not protected by bay after 30 days from the end of the auction and that bay had become lax in their ruling on this policy. I searched all over bay and finally found an email address to write to them about this. Its their customer service address. I'm concerned that I might not get the beanies I have paid for in advance. The caution trader list has complaints from people who have bid on pressers and don't get their merchandise in the end. Now with my pre-sell auctions the earliest delivery is supposed to be the end of October and the latest date I have for delivery is Dec 20th. I'm sure I am not the only one who was concerned after reading that article. Just letting you have an idea of why bay is now enforcing their presale policy. View Policy

THEY COULDN'T 'YAHOO' THESE BEANIE BABIES
From: Cajun Connection

FEDERAL PROSECUTORS SAY THE SALES PITCH WAS FULL OF BEANS. THE FEDERAL GRAND JURY IN SHREVEPORT HAS CHARGED A COUPLE WITH SELLING DOZENS OF BEANIE BABIES ON AN INTERNET AUCTION SITE, THEN NOT DELIVERING THEM. GREG CAMPBELL, 50, AND LUCILLE LISCOMB, 35, OF WINNSBORO HAVE BEEN INDICTED ON CHARGES OF INTERNET FRAUD. THEY ARE HELD WITHOUT BOND IN WEST MONROE, LA., BECAUSE THEY ARE CONSIDERED FLIGHT RISKS. ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY ROBERT GILLESPIE SAID INVESTIGATORS HAVE LOCATED 31 PEOPLE WHO SUBMITTED THE WINNING BIDS FOR BEANIE BABIES ON THE "AUCTION.YAHOO.COM" SITE AND THEN DIDN'T GET WHAT THEY PAID FOR. THOSE BUYERS -- 30 FROM THE UNITED STATES AND ONE FROM JAPAN -- SENT $20,000 TO SIX POST OFFICE BOXES IN SMALL TOWNS AROUND MONROE, GILLESPIE SAID. GILLESPIE SAID INVESTIGATORS BELIEVES MORE PEOPLE HAVE ALSO BEEN TAKEN BUT HAVE NOT COME FORWARD. CAMPBELL AND LIPSCOMB ARE ORIGINALLY FROM GOODYEAR, ARIZ.

Two charged in Beanie Baby fraud
From: Cajun Connection
http://www.theadvocate.com/news/story.asp?StoryID=16527

By Advocate staff and wire reports

MONROE -- Two members of the Washitaw de Dugdahmoundyah Nation were indicted
Friday on charges they bilked people around the world out of more than
$20,000 in a Beanie Babies Internet scam.

Gregory L. Campbell, 50, and Lucille M. Liscomb, 35, were named in a
32-count indictment accusing them of using http://www.auction.yahoo.com to
defraud people bidding to purchase Beanie Babies or computer merchandise.

They are charged with one count conspiracy and 31 counts mail fraud.

Campbell and Liscomb originally are from Goodyear, Ariz., but more recently
were living in various places in northeast Louisiana to further their scam,
U.S. Attorney Bill Flanagan said.

Campbell and Liscomb are part of a group that requires members to renounce
United States citizenship. Washitaws do not believe in paying income taxes
and must ignore U.S. contracts.

The indictment accuses them of conspiring to advertise Beanie Babies and
computer merchandise for sale at the auction site.

They told the winning bidders to mail payments to one of six post office
boxes the pair had opened in six small northeast Louisiana towns: Columbia,
Fort Necessity, Baskin, Archibald, Mangham and Sterlington.

At least 31 people sent more than $20,000 from throughout the U.S. and
overseas, the indictment alleges.

But the merchandise the victims thought they were purchasing was never sent
to them.

If convicted, the two face up to five years in prison and fines of up to
$250,000 on each of the counts against them. They have been held without
bond since their August arrest and are set for arraignment Monday in Monroe.

"Internet fraud is a growing problem," Flanagan said. "This indictment
demonstrates that federal and state law-enforcement agencies are closely
scrutinizing the fraudulent use of this new technology."

Any person who believes he or she is a victim of Campbell's and Liscomb's
scheme should call 318-387-0773.

The Federal Trade Commission reports that frauds related to auctions on the
Internet is the fastest-growing type of fraud in the country, Flanagan said.
The FTC has issued a consumer alert titled "Internet Auctions: A Guide for
Buyers and Sellers," which can be viewed at http://www.ftc.gov.

Friday's indictment is so far the only one since a federal-state raid March
21 on a home leased by the Washitaw Nation's founder, former Richwood Mayor
Verdiacee Hampton Goston.

The FBI, the Internal Revenue Service, Customs Service and Louisiana State
Police brought in helicopters, rented trucks and a metal detector as part of
their search for evidence of possible tax evasion and mail and wire fraud.

Goston, who renamed herself Verdiacee Tiari Washitaw Turner Goston El-Bay,
empress of the Washitaw de Dugdahmoundyah, has said she will not show up in
federal court if she is indicted.

"I might go to state court in one of the parishes I own, but I won't be
going to U.S. court," she said in March.

Goston claims that she is descended from the kingdom of Muu -- also known as
Mu, a place studied more by folklorists than historians -- and owns all the
land acquired in the Louisiana Purchase through a previous empress's
marriage to a scion of French nobility.

HALO II BUDDY IN THE UK
I found this beautiful Halo II Buddy at eBay. You can visit the auction for a much bigger picture as seen to the right. She truly is beautiful!! I bet this buddy will be on a lot of Christmas want lists. ;o)
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=453490009

THE NEW HALO BUDDY
From: Ms. Janie
Many have wondered why Ty would produce another Halo Buddy. A special thanks to Sly for pointing out a link on ebay which shows an actual photo of the new Halo buddy, which clearly depicts the difference between the two buddies. The material, wings, halo and possibly feet are all different. There has also been a ribbon change as well. http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=453487021

SPECKLES REMOVED
From: Matt - Bean Scene
Speckles has been taken off the Info Beanie List will he be retired?

WHY SPECKLES WAS REMOVED!!
Hi Lisa! I just wanted to let you (and all your readers know) that the reason Speckles is removed from the Info Beanie list is because he won for October! If you look at the list now all the new beanies are listed, even Billionaire 3! So that's why he's not on, I don't think he will be retired until other countries get a chance to purchase him first. Keep up the good work on your site, it's great! Kari

==September 29, 2000==
BUDDY RETIREMENT!!
Maple & Groovy Buddies have just retired.

HOLIDAY BEANIES BUDDIES ADDED
I forgot to mention this yesterday. It was a pain but I managed to clean up the backgrounds and add the 3 newest beanies and buddies to the beanie info pages.

AMERICAN TRIO CONTEST
Details for this contest can be found HERE
TOTAL ENTRIES AFTER DAY 28: 3154
28. FTUYF = TUFFY

AMERICAN TRIO CONTEST DAY 29
29. NAVTNELAI

USA OLYMPIC MEDAL STANDINGS

GOLD
SILVER BRONZE <TOTAL>

33

19

27
79

Ty Responds On Cyberboard
From: Beanieholics
Ty has made an appearance on the Ty Talk Cyberboard again. A poster on the board made the accusation that the change in the face of the New Holiday Teddy Beanie Baby was due to it being easier for Ty to produce them that way. Ty Warner responded to that note saying: "actually... The new bear is more difficult to make." We counted a total of ten postings last night by Mr. Warner. Seven on the Daily Times page and three on Grins and Gripes. Will there be more? http://web1-1.ty.com/cyberboard/news/threads.html#725663

==September 28, 2000==
WHO IS THIS MYSTERIOUS BLACK BAT?
BeanieMom has a scan of the black "batty" bat!!

HOLIDAY BEANIES ANNOUNCED!!
http://www.ty.com/announcements/holiday1.html
2000 Holiday Teddy Beanie Baby
Halo II Beanie Buddy
Roxie the Reindeer Beanie Baby
Santa Beanie Buddy
Snowgirl Beanie Baby
Wallace Beanie Buddy

Bean e-Wonderland Statement
From: Beanie Wonderland
Due to the increasing amount of debate, emails and concern we would like to take some time to clear up a few issues and respond to some commonly asked questions. To read the what Richard has to say go HERE Definitely worth reading folks!!

Cheaper Than Advertising
From: Beanie Wonderland
THE list of imported toys in the Indian market just gets longer. The latest brand to join this crowd is Beanie Babies from the US-based Ty Inc. Explaining the positioning of its Beanie Babies brand of stuffed animal toys, Mr. Reginold Bangera, Director, Ty Asia (India) Pvt Ltd, says, "All over the world, these toys are treated as collectibles and can be traded over a period of time". Ty Inc was founded in 1986 in the US by a toy creator and marketing genius, Ty Warner. However, the toy company does not believe in spending on advertising. Instead, it tries to distribute its proceeds to charity, thereby promoting goodwill for its brand. Full Story

New Name For Beanie Wonderland
From: Beanie Wonderland
We have our new names but we now need some new banners, I am hopeless with graphics and if anyone feels that they can help us with a new banner then please contact me. Everyone who suggested a name will be placed into a random draw to win a Germania Beanie and all the suggestions for both bean bag wonderland and bean ewonderland shall be placed into a second draw to win a Maple Buddy.

Buckingham Problems Update
From: Beanie Wonderland
A little investigation has discovered TY could possibly be in copyright breach. One of our readers writes: I'm no lawyer but it does seem possible if you look at the following. The crown on Buckinghams chest is a reproduction of the current crown known as the "Imperial State Crown" and is copyrighted by what is known as the "Crown". See it on the royal official web site at : www.royal.gov.uk. For copyright details see the [more] section of copyright statements at the bottom of the main page. TY would only be in breach if he had not got permission to reproduce the crown image. Even if he had not, after all the money raised for the Diana fund I find it hard to believe that they (the "Crown) would have a problem.

BILLIONAIRE 3 AUCTION UPDATE
You can view a much bigger of this authenticated Billionaire 3 bear that is currently up for auction HERE Current bid is up to $1515.00 with 20 bids. This is a gorgeous bear and a great addition to any collection!!

USA OLYMPIC MEDAL STANDINGS

GOLD
SILVER BRONZE <TOTAL>

32

18

26
76

AMERICAN TRIO CONTEST
Details for this contest can be found HERE
TOTAL ENTRIES AFTER DAY 27: 3043
27. RNEPISN = SPINNER

AMERICAN TRIO CONTEST DAY 28
28. FTUYF

TY DEBATE CONTINUES
Heather of the Daily Bean has posted some readers comments about the latest happenings. Well worth reading. Heather.. you're doing a great job keeping people informed and I look forward to reading the comments!!

==September 27, 2000==

For more details or to bid on this auction, click HERE
Join Grammy Award winning "Best New Artist" Christina Aguilera in San Diego on October 10, 2000 as she performs your favorite hits from her multi-platinum album during her very first headlining concert tour.

Your journey begins as you and your guest receive two round trip airline tickets (within the continental U.S.) provided by Continental Airlines to San Diego, California. You will also receive two nights' accommodations (one room, double occupancy) at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort, San Diego, CA. Upon your arrival, get ready to have the time of your life! Not only will you receive two tickets for this "can't miss" concert and enjoy a luxurious limousine ride to and from the event, you will also be escorted backstage to meet and, circumstances permitting, be photographed with Christina before (or after) the concert because your package includes two impossible to get backstage passes! Make sure you have your cameras (and smiles!) ready. Additionally, you will be presented with an "Ariel" Beanie Baby that has been hand autographed by Christina.

All proceeds from this auction will benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, which is the leading non-profit organization dedicated to funding and conducting scientific research for children with HIV/AIDS.

Ms. Janie Angel Pin
From: Beanieholics
Speaking of Ms. Janie, she has had the newest Angel Pin from 'A Little Touch Of Heaven' named after her. How cool is that? The staff from 'A Little Touch Of Heaven' explained to Ms. Janie why she was deserving of this honor:
"For all your hard work, and dedication to the collectibles market! For all the late nights spent on making sure collectors receive your most anticipated newsletter containing all the latest collectible information! For your honesty, integrity, and most of all, your kind heart, this special Angel was designed and created in your image! The large shiny wings show your luminescence, the crystal face represents your warm, caring smile, and the gold flowered heart represents the kindness and love you show to others! You are definitely an Angel in our book!"
They don't know the half of it. For a picture of the Ms. Janie Angel Pin Click Here For Picture

Planet Beans Comment: A beautiful pin for a beautiful lady!! Congrats Janie.. you deserve to be recognized for the wonderful person you are. :o)

USA OLYMPIC MEDAL STANDINGS

GOLD
SILVER BRONZE

29

15

25

Buckingham Problems?
From: Beanie Wonderland
Stuffed Bean sends us some interesting news on Buckingham, they report of problems with the emblem on his chest, whilst this should be treated as a rumour we must admit that we also heard similar reports. Visit Here:

Black Batty
From: Beanie Wonderland
Hello, Donna from Iowa letting you know that Mind Matters has received a new version of Batty Buddy and he is appropriate for this season as he is black. We thought a Tye Dyed Batty was coming, so what a surprise!!! Also Marilyn from Wisconsin reports: I rushed over to a local store. I was hoping to get the Huggy bear that I'd been told over the phone was there, I didn't pay any attention to the news that they also got butterfly & bat buddies. Sitting on the shelf was a little group of the blackest bat buddies. They had shiny black fur and big eyes with glowing orange irises and big black pupils. The tag says it's Batty all right.

AMERICAN TRIO CONTEST
Details for this contest can be found HERE
TOTAL ENTRIES AFTER DAY 26: 2941
26. CERGIA = GRACIE (quite a few people said GARCIA!!)

AMERICAN TRIO CONTEST DAY 27
27. RNEPISN

Nipponia, Sakura and our Japanese Friends
From: Ms. Janie
An in-depth article on the Japanese culture and more! This story is loaded with interesting stories and photos. http://www.msjanie.com/articles/cathy_main.html

Nice Ty Gear Package Scans
From: Ms. Janie
Well packaged and brightly colored for gift giving. Ty Gear hits the stores: To view a copy of this well packaged product click on the following link http://www.msjanie.com/kids/ty_gearback.html
Ty Gear cheerleading uniform http://www.msjanie.com/kids/tygear_cheerleader.html
Ty Gear Soccer Uniform http://www.msjanie.com/kids/tygear_soccer.html

Cyrk, Inc. (Nasdaq: CYRK)
From: Ms. Janie
a global leader in the promotion industry, has been ranked number one in The Counselor(R) magazine's Year 2000 list of Top 25 Distributors in the promotional products industry. "In this day of acquisitions and mergers, new technology and dot com entries into our industry, the competition is more fierce than ever," said Marvin Spike, MAS, ASI vice chairman. "Those who have ranked in the Top 25, as measured by ASI and The Counselor, have demonstrated that change can create tremendous opportunity. Cyrk, in particular, can be proud of this year's achievement, which marks the company's second consecutive year in first place and third year among the Top 25." "We are honored not only to join our colleagues in The Counselor's Top 25, but to achieve premier status for a second time," said Steve Paradiso, executive vice president of Cyrk's Promotional Products Division. "The Counselor's recognition program highlights the growth and changes occurring in our industry today, and helps educate companies worldwide as to the benefits of promotional products to their overall marketing and brand strategy." http://library.northernlight.com/FB20000926190000018.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc

Buckingham Begins to Sell in Volume
From: MetaExchange
After several weeks of hesitant trading, Buckingham has converged on a $120 price point and the volume has picked up. There are currently 8 orders containing 58 for sale between $117 and $125, a pretty narrow range. http://www.metaexchange.com/mx/pit/index.html?pitid@BBX-BUCKINGHAM+ref@an2p38a

CURRENT PRICES FOR THE LATEST EXCLUSIVES
Check below to how much it will cost you to purchase these beauties from Meta Exchange. Feel free to click on the price tags for a closer look.

NIPPONIA BUCKINGHAM CHINOOK

BILLIONAIRE 3 ON AUCTION
You can view the beautiful picture of an authenticated Billionaire 3 bear auction HERE Current bid is up to $863.55 with 14 bids.

==September 26, 2000==
NEW BEANIES!!
Thank you Kevin of Refreshen.com for sharing your beanie picture. You've had wonderful luck and as far as I know you are among the first lucky enough to find the latest creations. May your luck continue. You can view this adorable picture HERE

Billionaire III Auction
From: Beanie Wonderland
It did not take long before one of the Ty employee's decided to cash in on their Billionaire III gift. One is already up for auction on eBay ( view here ) although I would be worried that such action would might prompt Ty into delaying the gift. Watch for more to start appearing soon, Search Here:
Beanie Babies collection led senior to new career
From: Beanie Wonderland
John is a unique person who started collecting Beanie Babies when he and his late wife, Joy, were on a vacation in the Smoky Mountains. His aunt asked them to pick up some Beanie Babies while in Gatlinburg. Besides getting some for her, he and Joy bought one each. John had been retired for a few years and was looking for something to do. Full Story:

Halloweenie And Jingle Beanies
From: Beanieholics
While there is still no word on whether Ty will announce any Holiday Beanie Babies this year, many feel that they will before long. Jonathan writes to remind us of the trademarked names that Ty has listed on Ty Trade: Halloweenie Beanies and Jingle Beanies.Click Here For Link To Ty Trade

USA OLYMPIC MEDAL STANDINGS

GOLD
SILVER BRONZE

25

15

23