This week easily answers that question – nothing.
The first auction, lot of 2 M.U.S.C.L.E. Figures 4-packs, deserves attention because they are simply doing it right.
The auction has a $0.99 opening price, fair shipping, and good pictures. That’s the kind of auction that deserves attention. An auction with these kind of attributes helps everybody. It assures the best price for the seller because it brings in the most bidders who all clearly understand what they are bidding on. It great for the buyers because this is the type of auction you want to bid on – fair, transparent, and non-delusional.
The final price of the first auction will be $36.50.
The second auction, Vintage 80’s Action Figure LRG Little Rubber Guys Robots MUSCLE Monsters Lot, is a beautiful little lot. It’s probably most attractive to customizers looking for fodder, but with a $0.99 starting bid everyone might be willing to pick it up for a few dollars.
The second lot certainly isn’t the sexiest lot ever. But a low opening bid, fair shipping, and a clear picture are nearly irresistible to M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors.
The final price of the second auction will be $7.50.
The third auction, VINTAGE 80’S M.U.S.C.L.E. MEN SILVER COLOR VERY RARE, is actually a pretty cool bootleg. Unfortuantly a $39.99 opening price absoltuelty insures that this figure will not sell.
For the niche of M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors that love and collect bootlegs this is an attractive figure. The color, the quality, the flashing – all of these things actually make it more desirable to this little group of collectors. However, $39.99 is just a crazy price tag.
This auction highlights the need for a $0.99 opening bid. This is the type of figure M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors will find and be drawn into the game-aspect of eBay. A sale price of maybe $10 might be considered by many collectors – but as their final bid. The fear factor towards the end of the auction could push the price higher because bidders think, “I’ll throw in a couple more bucks, just to be safe.”
Would the price get to $39.99? No, but the final price would be far more than the figure is probably worth. The third auction will not sell which is a bit sad. This is a figure that deserves a good home.
The final auction, VINTAGE 80’S ORIGINAL M.U.S.C.L.E. MEN ERROR Y/S N.T. 2 COLORS VERY RARE, is a stained green #106 figure.
The seller desperately wants this to be a Manufacturing Error Figure, which explains the $39.99 opening bid price. Unfortunately for both collectors and the seller it is not an error – simply a stain. Many of the lighter M.U.S.C.L.E. colors seem especially volatile. Light, heat, even stains seem to affect them much more intensely and obviously.
The only M.U.S.C.L.E. figure that has been considered two-tone is the #63 (scroll to the bottom of the page) from several years ago. But even with that figure there can be some healthy skepticism because M.U.S.C.L.E. figures are just prone to so much staining and discoloration.
Even if this was a legitimate two-tone figure (it is not), having a high starting price is unwise. These types of unique situations do not automatically equal high prices with M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors. A $0.99 opening bid on this stained figure may have at least encouraged a few people to say, “I’ll take a gamble for a few bucks.”
The fourth auction will not sell.
Editor’s Note: A crazy workload and t-ball caused some wrinkles this week. Auction Watch was nearly done – and I hate to waste. So Auction Watch posted late today and hopefully the Epilogue posts tomorrow. Thanks.
