I haven’t been following eBay auctions for the past few months. My initial impression upon return was, “It’s as bad as or worse than before.” That’s why this auction stood out to me. Frankly, the seller probably left a little money on the table. With a $0.99 opening bid a specific figure count is probably worth the time.
And it wasn’t just inappropriately high prices that bothered me with many M.U.S.C.L.E. auctions. I genuinely believe the sellers of the vast majority of M.U.S.C.L.E. auctions have zero understanding of the hobby. I don’t expect every seller to be deeply entrenched with M.U.S.C.L.E., but they might want to Google a few sites.
The second (and third) auction are excellent examples of this problematic ignorance. The second auction, 1985 MATTEL – M.U.S.C.L.E. MEN ACCESSORY BATTLIN BELT – SOLID BOX (AFA – 85 NM+), is priced at $219.95.
The third auction, 1985 – MATTEL – M.U.S.C.L.E. MEN ACCESSORY BATTLIN BELT – WINDOW BOX – AFA 80 NM, is priced at $199.95.
I do not believe in grading. I think it is completely unnecessary and silly. But my personal feelings about grading do not matter in this instance. The window box, in really good condition (which this one is), is worth far, far more than the boxed version. Any M.U.S.C.L.E. collector would know this. A simple Google search could offer some basic insight.
The fourth auction, Vintage M.U.S.C.L.E. Muscle Men Wrestlers Lot of 42 Plus 4 Garbage Cans, brought me a little bit of excitement – but was squelched very quickly.
At first I thought the Canadian auction had a sealed Color 10-pack. If the pack was sealed, then bidders would be speculating on what Class A figures could be hidden within the 10-pack. Unfortunately the 10-pack wasn’t sealed. And even when it was opened it did not contain a single Class A figure.
Between the Battlin’ Belt and the 10-pack disappointment I was feeling frustrated.
But then I thought about some of the figures I have acquired recently. I don’t want to sound like a shill or that I’m playing favorites. I simply realized that if you want to add some minifigures to your collection, then eBay is no longer the best source. I’m really blown away with what people are selling.
If you have a hankering for new minifigures, then I would encourage you to check out these in-stock figures from the sellers below. I own them. I love them (and reviews are coming). And you can order them today. No hurdles. No specific date/time. Just fun minifigures.
If you have any suggestions for adding some great in-stock minifigures to a collection, then please post them in the Comments below.
