UofMUSCLE.com – M.U.S.C.L.E. Figures from Mattel

Did you guys see this? Errr, I mean hear this?

I don’t care if you love or hate Trump; this is absolutely perfect.

This week had 240 worldwide auctions on eBay. And it really felt like this week had a lot of keyword spamming too.
– How do bad pictures still happen? Didn’t phones solve this problem?

Ok, new rant. Are bad pictures the result of old people using old digital cameras?

At some point these old people set-up an eBay account and started listing their basement junk. They made some extra money and it encouraged them to continue. At some point a digital camera came into the equation and then there technology acumen froze at that exact moment. (I’m basing that entire on my parents relationship with technology.)

Is that the explanation? If anyone has a better one, then I would love to hear it.

– “There are 2 that are noticeably different, a dark purple & nude color.” Could you send more nudes? (Boom. Nailed it.)
– Speaking of pictures, how do people pick the backgrounds?

Oh, shit. I’m forced to eat some crow. Our old friend make-an-offer is listing figures with an opening bid of $0.01. He has a Dark Blue #174 for $0.01, a Green #106 for $0.01, and a Purple #126 for $0.01. If you’ve ever needed these figures, then I suggest you take the opportunity to pick them up. Plus, as a M.U.S.C.L.E. community let’s reinforce this type of behavior. If we don’t have M.U.S.C.L.E. figures changing hands, then we just have a bottleneck.

Although I don’t think he cares what I say. Or maybe he cares too much?

– I want this lot for the clearance sticker. That’s the best one I’ve ever seen.
– 84 figures. Started at $0.99. Nice.
– I like this seller. This is the lot I imagine has a SHA in the 10-pack.
– Just take a look at all the stuff he’s listing.
– It tricked me with the AW, and it tricked me again today.
– Not every $0.01 auction is a gem. But you can’t argue the price.
– Aren’t these Target dollar toys from like a year ago?
– This is the closest I’ve come to pulling the trigger. $20 and free shipping may have done it. Maybe.
– This struck me as the most open and honest auction description ever.
– “I hope that the best bidder wins!” It might not be the best, but I can promise it will be the highest.
– This will probably be over, but I want to see how it ended. I was shocked when it was four bids at $6.50.

As of writing the Epilogue there are 4,182 BIN listings. I’ve come to realize that I don’t have the strength to make it through all of them. Looking through these listings is emotionally and mentally exhausting. I imagine the feeling is like being forced to look through crime scene photos. (I know, apples and oranges. But I challenge you to make a more accurate analogy.)
– $49.95 BIN – guess the lot.
– So much blood. (Crime scene callback.)
– “The Hand Chugger Johnson Joke” What?!?!

I hate C.U.T.I.E. figures. That’s why a little vomit came up when I saw a full case with a $134.99 BIN. But, for the first time ever, I’ve been a little curious about C.U.T.I.E. prices. I remembered that this same lot had been listed with $199.99 BIN. I have to respect that the price is dropping as it sits unsold, but I still need to compare it to something.

I chose the “perfect C.U.T.I.E. lot” from AW #200. I saw that it had one bid and sold for the $29.95 opening bid price. Those 4-packs looked minty, super fresh. The ones from the $134.99 BIN – not so much.

That means $1.25 per-minty-pack for the $29.95 auction. And $3.75 per-pack for the #134.99 BIN lot. That’s 200% more for the non-minty packs. However, some value has to be given to the C.U.T.I.E. case. I think $25 is very fair for a cardboard box, but I’ll be generous and say $40. That drops the $134.99 BIN per-pack cost to $2.64 (still 111% more).

In the end, who cares? C.U.T.I.E. figures are the worst. I’ve always felt M.U.S.C.L.E. was the bottom rung on the collectible ladder. Turns out we are second to last. C.U.T.I.E. figures are the bottom rung.

How is this post wrapping up this week?

Can’t go wrong with music.