UPDATE: This listing was ended by the seller because there was an error in the listing.

Let’s make a hat trick of these posts today, shall we?  Listed on eBay today is this 40 year old vintage Kenner ALIEN toy.  It’s the third one that’s appeared on the service today.  It’s complete.  It’s in the box.  It’s got a hefty price tag of US$1600.  Aside from that price, does this item attract my attention?  It sure does. Is there anything worthy of note about this item?  Yep. There sure is.  Let’s take a closer look at what US$1600 will get you…

Well, it’s a nice looking box.  It’s a little worse for wear and certainly not in pristine condition.  That’s not really a problem.  The price sticker has been picked at and there’s the usual dents and marks common to these older boxes.  It clearly has the front window attached and in place and that’s welcome, too.  Unfortunately, photos don’t show what the condition of the top and bottom of the box actually look like.  For US$1600, you might want to know the condition of those features.  I have seen boxes where the bottom has been damaged, rotted out from sitting on a damp surface for an unknown number of years.  You don’t want to spend US$1600 to find out your expensive Kenner box has a yucky bottom.  Nope.  That’s just tragic.

Nonetheless, let’s assume this box is in as good a condition as expected.  Let’s just take it for granted that the top and bottom of the box are in great condition; and the window in the top is also present. Are there any other issues we may want to be aware of?  Like, for example, has it been opened? 

Absolutely.  This box has been opened. What’s more, the contents have been tampered with.

The broken tape on the upper sides of the box is testimony to the fact this item has been opened.  Other proof the box has been tampered with is evident through the window in the front of the box.  Looking carefully at the head, we can easily see a black twist tie (Circled) has been used to secure the dome in place.  This is not the original method of keeping this feature upon the head.  Kenner used rubber bands for this purpose and they were invariably placed behind the red insert card and were not observable from the front at all.

Also of concern is the manner of attachment this figure’s arms are secured to that very same red insert card (Circled).  Kenner used black ratcheting laddered zip ties to fasten the figure to the card for safe transport.  The ties present in this sample, while black, do not match the original ties used for this purpose.  The original ties have been cut and the figure completely removed from the box.  The ties present here have been added by a third party.  This figure has undoubtedly been removed from its box, returned and then secured in place with non-original ties.

This raises another consideration. As it’s been determined without any doubt this item has been opened, does this boxed sample include the original poster/instruction sheet?  We don’t know and can’t be 100% certain that it hasn’t been removed.  We can assuredly state this item has been opened and the figure returned using non-original ties but can we be confident the poster is present?

I am not prepared to cast any aspersion on the seller of this item as they may not be aware these issues are present.  It’s important to be aware of them, though.  At US$1600, this is a lot of money to pay for an item that has been tampered with.  At this price, you should expect the box to be in unopened condition with the tape on the upper sides unbroken.  Subsequently, the contents should be 100% undisturbed.  As it is, this opened item is probably worth about US$600 to US$1000.  Certainly not the asking price of US$1600.  There is a ‘Make Offer’ option on this item.  It’s a safe bet it will sell for a lot less than the asking price.

Be very careful when you buy one of these old toys. You can needlessly spend a lot more money than intended if you don’t know what to look out for.

-Windebieste.