UPDATE. This item sold on eBay auction for its initial listed price of $3,500. There was only one bidder.

Yesterday, we saw the sale of an empty Kenner box with nothing inside for US$281.  It wasn’t even in perfect condition.  If an empty box sells for that kind of money, what about the other extreme?  How much would an ALIEN figure inside a perfect condition box sell for?

Well, we are now fortunate enough to find out. Straight on the heels of the empty box sale comes this pristine condition Kenner ALIEN figure.  It is not only complete, it’s never been open and the contents have never been disturbed.  Being kept in an acrylic case will ensure its preservation against surface damage.  What’s more, this is an uncirculated figure, meaning it has never made it to the store shelving space for sale.  It’s been removed from a packing case with minimum handling and therefore has absolute minimum wear for its age.

If a 40 year old empty box can sell for hundreds of (US) dollars, then how much will this item sell for?  We won’t be talking about hundreds of dollars on this item.  We’ll be discussing thousands.

Bidding starts at US$3,500.   Let’s see where this goes.

-Windebieste.

This empty Kenner ALIEN action figure box sold on eBay auction today for US$281.

This is the same empty box item listed for  ‘Buy Now’ in early May on eBay but failed to attract a buyer.  Aside from the main difference the item is now sold, it lacks the poster the earlier listing originally included.  This sale featured only the box with no extras.  The poster itself would have easily raised the value of the box had it been included in the listing.  Posters on their own can easily fetch US$100.

3 bidders participated in the auction. That’s at least 3 people prepared to buy this prize for at least US$199, the price at which the auction opened at.  Taking into consideration this sale includes only the box without the poster, unlike its prior listing, that’s an amazing amount of money – just for an empty box. No poster.  No insert.  No action figure.  The auction closed at US$281.

Empty Kenner ALIEN boxes like this one are rare but when they do become available on eBay, they will fetch hundreds of dollars without fail.  This is not unusual and the sale of this item at this price was expected.  I’m just surprised it didn’t sell when it was first listed.

-Windebieste.

There’s always a few interesting Kenner ALIEN items for sale on eBay ranging from complete figures in boxes all the way down to loose parts stripped from the old toys.  Right now there’s a handful of items for sale from a tear down figure.  Notable among these items is a loose Kenner ALIEN tail.  The vendor is asking $49.99 for it.  That’s US$50 and not some other dollar currency that by comparison is worth less than the USD.

It looks like this 2nd hand tail piece from a 40 year old toy is in reasonably good condition.  Importantly, the tail isn’t broken at any point along its length. Of equal note is the presence of the tail tip. The small spike can be easily broken and this one is complete.  The stub that holds the tail into place is a little worn and burred – but that’s standard on most figures.  A serrated metal washer would normally hold the tail internally in place, biting into the stub and frequently leaves such minor damage.  These washers are frequently corroded resulting in the tail falling off the figure.

Is this loose tail actually worth US$49.99, though?  Let’s see how long it takes for this coiled piece of plastic to be sold.  Other Kenner ALIEN body parts are also available for sale by the same vendor.  A set of four screws priced at US$24.99, a left leg for US$24.99 and a right leg for US$24.99 are also available.

I’ve already inquired about other body parts such as both arms and the four tubes that stick out of the figure’s back – those items have already been sold.  Both torso halves are yet to be listed and I don’t think the head is available.  I neglected to ask about that item, assuming it to be sold already.

-Windebieste.

Listed on eBay today is a nice little package.  A box, actually.  An empty one.  It’s an original 1979 blue box the old 18 inch Kenner ALIEN toy was originally sold in.  The sale includes the poster as well.  But no figure.  Just the box and poster.  How much does the vendor want for this item?

Bidding on eBay starts at US$399.99 – for an empty box.

Yep.  That’s right.  A 40 year old empty box.  There’s no figure inside – and the red insert card is missing, too – but you do get the poster!  That’s always welcome.  These vintage boxes for the old Kenner ALIEN toy are hard to come by, there’s no doubt about that; and this one does look like it’s in decent condition.  It’s not perfect, but it’s in a decent state for packaging that’s 4 decades old.  Yes, that’s true.  Is it worth more than US$400 (About AU$570 in my local currency), though?  Someone will no doubt think so and I bet it gets sold.  Crazy stuff.  Then again, just about everything associated with this figure is crazy.

I think I’ll check back on this item in 9 days time.  See how much it gets sold for.  Sales for empty Kenner ALIEN action figure boxes are always fun to watch.

-Windebieste.