The Ziploc bag is a good idea to keep them air tight especially if you buy bulk like I do. I have several guitars, banjos, ukes, bass etc. and buy strings in bulk to save money. It's hard to know when you buy them how long they have sat on the rack at the store before you even buy "new?" strings. After they are made they are shipped to a wholesaler who may have them in stock as long as a year before he ships them to a retailer. Then they sit on the rack until someone buys them. This goes for stringed instruments too. How long have the strings been on the instrument since manufacture to retailer to the customer. Every time I buy a new instrument I ask for a new set of strings to be put on before I take it home. I don't have to ask at Long & McQuade any more. When I buy a new guitar they take it to the tech and have a new set of strings installed and set it up right away.