Selling anything online comes with many pitfalls, including the potential to undersell an expensive item just because the right people were not looking for it at the time. Vintage toys are no exception, as has been proven in a recent pair of eBay auctions selling figures from Filmation’s Blackstar series.
eBay sellers must always make a choice between selling an item for a set amount or leaving it open to fate to decide how much they make from an open auction. One listing that combined a near-complete collection of loose Blackstar action figures with the line’s Ice Castle playset seemed to do well with a Buy-It-Now price of $1,499, but the seller must be kicking themselves when seeing what another Ice Castle sold for on its own.
The same Ice Castle, with no figures and no original box, sold in an open auction for a final price of $1,375. That means that someone managed to nab almost every Blackstar figure, most of which sell loose for between $20-$80, for the bargain price of $100. That must sting for the seller who essentially let their 40-year-old collection go for at least half what is worth. A quick and painful lesson in collectible selling.
Blackstar’s Toy Line Could Not Repeat He-Man’s Success
The Galoob-made Blackstar figures, based on Filmation’s short-lived 1981 cartoon, were produced between 1983 and 1985 as an attempt to cash in on the popularity of Masters of the Universe. The series had already been cancelled two years before the first toys were made, but reruns of the 13 episodes were ongoing throughout 1982 and 1983. The line included the hero John Blackstar, the enchantress Mara, the shape-shifter Klone, an array of Trobbits and villains, plus vehicles and towering playset that was no Castle Grayskull but held together the line in the same way.
While He-Man did not air until after Blackstar, both animated series shared production similarities that Filmation became known for, and He-Man‘s success was a strong indicator that action figures and animated shows went together hand in hand. It turned out that Blackstar was never as popular in either area, but that means now, the toys are highly sought after for their scarcity.
Perhaps the lack of brand recognition led to the eBay bundle being listed at a low price, but in collectors’ terms, the obscurity is what usually sees prices trickle upwards over the years. These recent auctions are just another reminder that vintage items are only worth what someone is willing to pay, and in most cases, there is always someone willing to pay more than you might expect for those nostalgic pieces of 80s plastic.
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