UPDATE: Sold for US$405 (4 bidders).

Looking to spend a minimum of US$300 on a forty year old toy that sold poorly last century? You are in luck! On eBay right now, you can bid to your heart’s content on this fabulous looking Kenner ALIEN toy. He’s all there. Complete and looking fantastic and while a starting bid of US$300 is present, the vendor is also offering a “Buy Now” price of US$450. All ballpark figures by current standards for one of these toys in this condition.He’s nigh on perfect, too, with only minor paint applied to the bulging details on the sides of his head to serve as a distraction from a near immaculate presentation. These look like an old customisation as there is some signs of chipping on the added finish. This is a good thing as the old paint may even be removed with minimum effort by just prying carefully at it with a pointed tool. Some paint won’t come off, of course; but this application looks like it might come away with ease. If you do want to remove previous custom paintwork from these old toys, remember(!) it’s important to use a non-acetone remover as common acetone based paint removers are harmful to the toy and will dissolve the styrene it’s made of. So be very careful if you choose to remove paint.

Anyway, here’s what the seller has to say about this item, “All original parts, jaws open and extra teeth work and come out. Arms hang kinda limp due to the age of the mechanism that holds the arms together, but all in one piece.” Of course, the usual claims of it being rare are made by the seller but we already know that’s not as true as they would like us all to believe, right Kiddies? Right.

Anyway, an opening bid of US$300 would now appear to be a fair starting point for one of these old toys in condition like this today. What will this gorgeous fellow sell for? That’s a good question. These old toys have held their value strongly during a time of global health crisis, environmental disaster and social upheaval. Indeed, if anything, they’ve increased in value. So this one is expected to sell well. It’s just a matter of time before that first bid gets placed. That won’t take long. Less than 24 hours? Sure. Why not..? Let’s just sit back and watch the crazy price on this crazy old toy escalate to a crazy level in these crazy times.

Sounds about right to me.

-Windebieste.