So...when the pandemic started and I had much more computer time than I wanted, for whatever reason, I flashed back and remembered some of these toys and decided to check them out on ebay, to see if people still had them and what they were doing with them, and how much they were going for. I was stunned with what I found, to say the least. Many, many people had bought them and kept them unopened in their original packaging!! And they were selling them for 100x or more of the original cost. I couldn't believe it, that these things had become collectors' items.
Apart from Transformers and G.I. Joe, and also Thundercats, which were primarily the ones I bought back then, there were these two limited runs of actions figures based on the Marvel and DC characters. Some of you might recognize these:
Anyway, I saw these and decided I really wanted to buy one, for nostalgia sake, but only in good condition, one of the nice ones. The majority of them that people are peddling on ebay are in bad shape - weathered, cracked bubble, cardboard ripped off where price tags were, or price tags still on them which can never be removed, rips and tears. Most of the ones for sale are priced at way more than they're worth, and so the only way you get true and proper value is through the ebay auction process.
So, I started getting into it, and I bought one. It arrived and it was so fucking cool. It was like I was 7 years old again. The fact that someone kept this thing for 40 years in perfect shape...it was mind-boggling. And, of course, now that I had one, I was like, oh, well maybe I'll just keep an eye out and buy one or two more of my favorites. I've probably bought 15 of them now. Part of the fun is tracking them down in great shape - there's so few. And then when one pops up, it's auction time, and that's pretty fun too. I'm not buying all of them, just the ones that I actually liked as a kid. A fun and hilariously expensive-ish hobby, but I could resell them as a group for much more than I bought them (much much more because they're all in tip top condition), so I do view it as more of a fun investment than a hobby, to be honest.
But anyway, I fucking love the 80's.
