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

It’s been four days since I have eaten anything. The moldy Turkey Jerky ruined my appetite. I think the universe is telling me to stop eating.

As I disbelievingly pulled out my moldy jerky I thought, “Will Perky Turkey care as little as Dole?”

They initially contacted me about four hours after my Instagram post. So far, they are doing better than Dole. I can’t imagine any company caring less than Dole.

We’ll see how it ends.

On Wednesday I was pleasantly surprised. GeePeeKay was on BoingBoing. I have always been a fan of the website. But they really outdid themselves with their new Find Your Garbage Pail Kids Name feature.

It also made me think it might be time for UofM to redesign and update. Hmmm…

Let’s take a look at some eBay listings.

– Neat to see. That’s all.
– Less neat.
– Charming figure; shitty price.
– $16.99 BIN. Guess the lot.
– So much Sharpie.
– Let it go already. Geez.
– Some #153 figures starting at $0.99.
– Flesh #153 starting at $0.01.
– Not an error. Will it get a bid?
– Has this guy been raising his price?
– The same seller started this big lot at $9.99, but has this ring with a $110 BIN. WHAT?!?!
(UPDATE: He lowered it to $85. Still absurd.)
(UPDATE #2: Relisted starting at $0.99.)
– I’ve probably said it before; but if they title says “Rare,” then it’s probably shit.
– Wow, all of his M.U.S.C.L.E. listings suck. (Which isn’t really a surprise.)

Holy shit. I took a look at some of that seller’s other listings. She’s sending me down a rabbit hole.

She has 12 “VERY RARE” Sharpie markers for $31.99. It costs $6.14 on Amazon. What? Could there actually be 43 people stupid enough to pay $31.99?

I’m dumbfounded. Is there a lesson or some insight for M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors?

Racer #1 has a 3-pack of Tide pens for $21. They cost $5.99 on Amazon. Interesting.

Here’s a seller with a $49.95 Green #153. He also has a Star Wars VHS set for $39.95. You can buy it for $19.65 on Amazon.

Maybe the most ridiculous prices have nothing to do with M.U.S.C.L.E. or other listings or previous sale prices. Maybe there is just a group of eBay sellers that are crazy and greedy? But I looked at feedback too. It gives the impression that people are stupid enough to buy this stuff.

Could that be true? Is there really a buyer that stupid in the world?

Is there an eBay subculture of insane buyers and sellers?

Thankfully not all buyers and sellers are insane. Last week I pointed out some Class B single-figure listings in the Epilogue. I started with a Class B Dark Blue #7 figure, because I thought that figure and the Green #105 would definitely sell. I was wrong about the Green #105, but the Dark Blue #7 did sell for $3.25.

Knowing the Dark Blue #7 would sell wasn’t because my crystal ball was extra clear that day. It already had one bid as I wrote the Epilogue.

The other 14 Class B figures didn’t have any bids. What happened with the other 14 that were starting at $2.99?

1. Magenta #33 – UNSOLD
2. Magenta #35 – UNSOLD
3. Dark Blue #62 – UNSOLD
4. Green #99 – UNSOLD
5. Salmon #124 – UNSOLD
6. Light Blue #125 – UNSOLD
7. Purple #129 – UNSOLD
8. Purple #130 – UNSOLD
9. Green #150 – UNSOLD
10. Light Blue #158 – UNSOLD
11. Orange #159 – UNSOLD
12. Light Blue #160 – UNSOLD
13. Light Blue #162 – SOLD for $2.99
14. Dark Blue #185 – UNSOLD

Wow. This makes these listings even funnier: Class B Salmon #58 unsold at $27 and Class B Magenta unsold at $80.

Last week’s poll, all nine votes, suggests you guys agreed with me. The seller was trying to scam somebody.

I fully understand gambling every once in a while. I had a feeling that the buyer was willing to take a chance. It would be amazing if their gamble paid off.

I don’t think it will. But I hadn’t considered something.

What if the buyer and seller are both clueless assholes?

The feedback makes me think that could be the case. Would someone trying to sneakily score the Red #68, #104, #110, #113, #131, and #134 figures make an offer?

I wouldn’t. I would have paid the BIN before I blinked.

I think some person bought a lot of 30 M.U.S.C.L.E. figures and doesn’t know their asshole from their elbow. I wonder how they buy their Tide pens?

I didn’t create a logo, but I did steal one.

Welcome to your weekly installment of “Damn the torpedoes!”

Last week was not very dramatic, what does this week hold?

Racer #1 $64.10 $63.39 $64.10 $71.72 $62.19 $59.43 $61.50 $55.28

vs.

Racer #2 $29.95 $24.95 $49.95 $69.95 $99.95

Wow, what a bold strategy. Could Racer #2 be trying to reach the $388.88 price tag from 904 days ago?

If our racers met for lunch, then I imagine them doing this together.

I also imagine them getting upset if anyone suggested it was a bad idea.

“Trust us. We know what we’re doing.”

Obviously.

The real question is becoming, “Is the second racer raising the price for the race or because they believe it’s correct?” I don’t know what answer would scare me more.