Normally Auction Watch attempts to showcase auctions to M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors that would be interesting for a variety of reasons: uniqueness, price, scale, etc. Occasionally an auction is featured because it is absolutely outlandish. Auction Watch #41 features three auctions – each more peculiar than the last.
The first auction, M.U.S.C.L.E. MEN lot of wrestling figures GREAT DEAL!, features 14 commonplace Flesh figures. The starting bid price is $15.00 which is $1.07 per figure. This starting bid price is likely to deter the vast majority of bidders, but a statement in the auction description is simply baffling:
TO GET THESE FIGURES WOULD EASILY COST YOU MORE ON EBAY SO BID WIT CONFIDENCE!
They also felt the need to state:
IVE SOLD MUSCLES ONCE BEFORE AND HAVE GREAT FEEDBACK
Of course, attempting to discovery their other M.U.S.C.L.E. sale and feedback seemed worthwhile. The auction description of their original M.U.S.C.L.E. sale was well worth the few mouse clicks needed to discover it. One has to wonder how the seller decided which half of the figures were rare.
This first auction will not receive any bids and will not sell.
1st Auction - Auction Screen Shot
1st Auction - Auction Picture
The second auction, Muscle Man vintage card back, features the cardboard back of a M.U.S.C.L.E. 4-pack. The sale of action figure card backs is not too bizarre. However, M.U.S.C.L.E. card backs are not as unique as other action figure card backs. There are only three types of cards: (1) a 4-pack without the poster offer; (2) a 4-pack with the poster offer; and (3) the French-Canadian version. The card back is clearly not the French-Canadian version, but the auction does not allow the buyer to see which of the two other cards is being sold. Of course, this makes the assumption that any M.U.S.C.L.E. collector would even care. The card is neither a proof card nor is it even in mint condition.
The starting bid and shipping both seem high for what most M.U.S.C.L.E. collectors would consider fodder for the recycling bin. Unless someone buys this for an art project it seems highly unlikely that it would sell.
The second auction will not receive any bids and will not sell.
2nd Auction - Auction Screen Shot
2nd Auction - Auction Picture
The third auction, MUSCLE Action Figures 1980s Color variants x62 NM, features 62 Color figures. It also features a Buy-It-Now price of $179.99. That price works out to $2.90 per figure – which is utterly ridiculous for two key reasons:
1. There is nothing of interest in this lot.
2. The per figure price is insane.
Why is the per price figure insane? By comparison a single Flesh #153, arguably the most popular M.U.S.C.L.E. figure, has sold for $3.01. Large lots of Color M.U.S.C.L.E. figures (363 figures, 450 figures, 1015 figures, and 1034 figures) sell for an average of $0.43 per figure. And a comparable 62 figure auction (including game board figures) sold for $29.99 – that’s $0.48 per figure and even less if the game board is factored into the equation.
Admittedly, the auction does feature a “Make an Offer” option. With a starting bid of $179.99 it seems highly unlikely that any generally considered reasonably offers would be considered by this seller.
The third auction will not receive any bids and will not sell.
3rd Auction - Auction Screen Shot
3rd Auction - Auction Picture
Follow-Up: In a surprise to absolutely no one, none of the auctions sold. The third auction continues to run as it is part of an eBay store. Every effort will be made to continue tracking it.
1st Auction - Final Auction Screen
2nd Auction - Final Auction Screen
#1 by stoneyface on June 4, 2010 - 3:22 pm
proof positive that crack and ebay do not mix. 😉