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

Ok, I officially lost a day. I thought I had today (Friday) to finish this post. Oops. If I’m going to significantly screw-up something during the quarantine, then I’m glad it’s the Epilogue.

Talking about Corona and the pandemic isn’t my first choice and I’ll try to keep it brief. We’ve had a direct line to a death and four cases. I think that’s why I get so angry when people say they are bored. You’re not stuck at home; you’re safe at home. (Cliched, but true.)

I’d love to go out. My youngest is missing his first official baseball game on Saturday. All those little guys are going to miss it. But that’s ok.

There is no shortage of stressors these days. Everybody’s situation is going to be unique. But try to find the bright spots. Fight for the bright spots.

When this is over I want some good memories too. I’ve enjoyed helping my youngest with his school work. The boys were forced to fix a toilet seat on their own. (I was in the room, but they had to do everything.) They even helped with my #107 project (coming soon).

There will be plenty of shit to remember, and deal with, when this is over. But fight for the bright spots wherever you can find them.

Maybe eBay will be a bright spot?
– Fair lot, but shipping seems too high.
– Nice lot.
– Ho. Lee. Shit.
– Weird lot. Weird price.
– 4-Pack is in rough shape, but a solid cheap option.
– I guess this is ok?

Actually, better than I expected – but the bar is insanely low.

The winner of last week’s match-up was the $600 set. It was close, but that seems correct.

This week we have a first. There are six combatants this week. I couldn’t chose. Each one of these listings fully deserved to be considered. It would have been irresponsible to omit any of them. Let’s take a look at each combatant.

The AOTW #1 is a “CLASS A LOT.” It has an opening bid of $50. Arguably, that wouldn’t be too crazy for a lot of nine Class A figures – especially if they are nine desirable Class A figures. Unfortunately, there aren’t any Class A figures in this lot. It is actually a lot of nine Color figures with a $50 opening bid.

The AOTW #2 comes from an incredibly busy seller. This seller can only snap pictures as she runs past them. Being so busy also means she can’t find out how much a Color figure is worth – which, at most, is $1. Her guess was $29.99. I can’t be too mad. She’s so busy.

Based on the picture, the AOTW #3 isn’t quite as busy – but still a little busy. What price did they decided to list one, single M.U.S.C.L.E. figure? $74.99. Is it a BIN? No. That’s the opening bid. (Not that a BIN would have been better.) What else can I say? A $74.99 opening bid for a $0.50 figure.

The AOTW #4 is selling a “Salmon #165 Black Zumou Figure Class A Wrestler” with a $110 BIN. As a point of reference, the last Salmon Class A #165 didn’t have a single bidder. The most recent sale price was $30 (which surprised me, $10.50 made much more sense). Besides the price, there is another problem. The figures isn’t Salmon. The figures is a Flesh #165 worth about $0.50.

The AOTW #5 seems more like a classic greedy seller. They have a $70 opening bid for 10 Flesh figures and a can. This lot is, at best, a $10 lot (plus or minus a few bucks to account for impatient, uninformed buyers).

The AOTW #6 is just a classic, terrible lot. For 84 mixed figures the lot has a $199.99 opening bid. That’s $2.38 per-figure as an opening bid. Jesus.

Cast your vote and crown the next AOTW Fatal-Four Way winner. Here are the SIX combatants:

AOTW #1 9 ‘Class A’ Figures with $50 Opening Bid None are Class A Figures

AOTW #2 Class C Magenta #108 with $29.99 BIN

vs.

AOTW #3 $74.99 Opening Bid for a Flesh #189 Figure

AOTW #4 Flesh #165 with $110 BIN Not ‘Class A Salmon’

vs.

AOTW #5 $70 Opening Bid for 10 Figures & a Can

AOTW #6 $199.99 Opening Bid for 84 Figures

Remember to cast your vote and crown this week’s AOTW Fatal-Six Way winner:

[poll id=”104″]

There was sadness when our ULTIMATE AOTW Battle of the Champions Fatal-Four Way Winner #1 was no longer selling her empty box.

We thought this was the fine image of our old friend.

It was painful to consider our journey was over. We watched as she started at $250. Unable to sell it, dropped down to $160. The drops continued: $149, $145, $139, $135, $125 and finally $120…for a beat-up, empty box.

When she did stop, we knew there was a zero-percent chance it actually sold. It is an empty box. M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors see crazy things, but this sale was simply impossible. Plus, there is no feedback posted by either party.

We now have irrefutable evidence the box did not sell. It has been relisted with a $150 BIN.

Oh dear lord. Some other dope has “bought” the box and there is feedback from the buyer this time. Interesting that the seller didn’t leave feedback.

I think there is zero percent chance this belt has actually sold. It will be relisted. Pay attention sellers, this winner perfectly demonstrate the level-of-asshole it takes to be an ULTIMATE champion. She truly is the ULTIMATE AOTW Battle of the Champions Fatal-Four Way Winner #1.

Our inaugural champion has a very worthy companion.

The initial listing for the $3 figure was for $1500. The entire story was covered in AW #284. Apparently, there’s still a little more to add. The figure is STILL for sale with a $100 BIN.

This seller probably could be a repeat winner with their other listings.

An original SHA, with the head spur still attached, in the original Flesh color was sold for about $185. This seller is attempting to sell a yellow, headless version for $1,000. That is the level of commitment needed to become the 2nd ULTIMATE AOTW Battle of the Champions Winner.

Sadly, it looks like our second champion has paused their grifting efforts. I do not see the figure for sale, nor do I see any feedback.