The Silly Bandz craze is still in full effect. Many different brands have flooded the markets and more are on their way. The product is easily copied, but are you getting a high quality product with every brand? The cost is negligible when you look at the differences, but the difference in quality can be drastic. I have seen prices under $1 at local flea markets and close to $10 for Major League Baseball Licensed products. The price variances do not always reflect the quality of the products you are purchasing. The following will look at some of the styles from the Oriental Trading Company. The bandz are referred to simply as “Fun Bands.” The Fun Bands come in many different shapes, colors, and glow-in-the-dark varieties and are relatively inexpensive compared to the original Silly Bandz.

The Oriental Trading Company sells the Fun Bands for about $5 for 50 bands ($0.10/band) where the original are about $4 for 24 non-licensed bandz ($0.17/bandz). The company also sells in bulk for about $30 you can get 500 bands ($0.06/band) or for $50 you can get 1000 bands ($0.05/band). These prices do not reflect the addition of shipping or discounts available through the use of advertised codes. Shipping charges are often avoidable from Oriental Trading through advertised promotions and price reductions for purchasing products over a certain amount are also available (i.e. $5 off a purchase of $49.99 or more).

How To Identify Oriental Trading Company Fun Bands

The Mega Shaped Fund Bands Assortment comes with two bags of 500 (Shaped Fun Bands Assortment) Fun Bands. The large assortment comes with many different shapes to include the Rock Star Shaped Fun Bands, the Animal Shaped Fun Bands, the Princess Shaped Fun Bands, and the Dinosaur Shaped Fun Bands. The colors are vibrant in all varieties to include hot pink, purple, teal, blue, light blue, pink, green, yellow, light green, and orange.  The thickness of the bands is greater than the original Silly Bandz setting the products apart. The Fun Bands are stiffer and  feel slightly more rubbery than the original Silly Bandz.

So when you are trying to determine if it is an original Silly Bandz or another band look for the following:

• Texture–is the band soft or is it hard and rubbery?
• Elasticity–how well does the band stretch?
• Shape–does the band return to its original shape easily? Does it lay flat on the table?

Not all products will vary the same as the Fun Bands from Oriental Trading, but there is a difference in quality when you purchase the other brands on the market. Remember, this is just a passing hobby and overtime the silicone in the bands will wear down and eventually degrade and break. Paying less now may be the wiser choice if you think your children will soon phase out of this fad. Have fun collecting and trading, but don’t invest your retirement in Silly Bandz!

Do you have any questions about collecting Silly Bandz? Is there a brand to stay away from because of poor quality? We would love to hear from you; please feel free to post question or comments.