Has anyone noticed...
 

That people are paying REALLY high prices for lots right now that contain the 1988 turtles if they have their belts intact, the majority of their weapons (signature weapons, racks and stars are a big plus)? I've bought and resold quite a few of these lately, and they do especially well if they're soft heads, but the hard heads do okay too so long as the belts are intact and they have at minimum their signature weapons. I'm curious to see how long this will last with people paying between $15 and $20 for one loose figure.

I am with you man. 1988 figures are very popular right now. Even carded 1988 figures are selling for a lot right now.

Yeah, but ironically, the carded ones aren't going for that much more than loose/complete are. A lot of people feel guilty about opening them, and I think a lot of people like displaying loose/complete stuff.

I only buy MOC openers. A lot easier than trying to find mint loose complete with uncut/untorn cardbacks.

Everything Ninja Turtles is hot right now. New show, new toy line. Now is definitely the time to sell, while the hype is fresh.

Dont be surprised. I think the values on this stuff is here to stay for awhile. Toy collecting is hot period and these toys are starting to get older in age. Value only goes up.

To me TMNT are just as iconic as Transformers and other long lasting comic/cartoon characters. The generation that remember the original TMNT want them back because they had them as kids, like me.

So again I think the value will hold and most likely go up.

I got lucky this week. I got a complete Slash, Mondo Gecko and 1988 Baxter Stockman on eBay for about $30 after shipping.

If they were loose, you got ripped off...those are all pretty common unless the Slash was the earlier variant with the yellow belly and pink belt.

I noticed for longer that loose, complete figures often reach the price or nearly the price that MOCs reach (also WWF Hasbro). As has been said, I think that many collectors (including me) don't want the partition between. But have "inhibitions" to tear up the original packaging. As a collector I never did this, although I would like to tear the "wall" down...

I'm so glad I purchased most of my figures (often for just around a buck a figure, with many loose/complete) just over a year ago. I sold my duplicates a bit too soon apparently as it included 4 soft head Turtles with belts/weapons in a lot of about 75 figures for only around $80. I'll learn to reserve or sell more individually next. That's another reason to hunt thrift/garage sales now. To a lesser degree this has carried over to comics, video games, and some other random merchandise. Even VHS tapes seemed to have bottomed due to nostalgia and cover art.

You're right man! I started a 1988' collection a few day ago..with many loose figure found in a little store at low price! On ebay there much high price for loose figure..my next step is buy only th moc figure of my preferite characters! I only like old figure of tmnt..maybe the 2003..only the four turtles..'cause i'm in love only with that historical series..the memories of the childhood

I have hundreds upon hundreds of complete, loose figures. I want to get rid of them, but the price you get for individuals is WAY higher than in a lot.

My biggest obstacle is laziness.

But like someone said earlier, I think these prices are here to stay. Eventually toy lines get expensive in time. I think those (like myself) who grew up with TMNT are starting to re-accumulate what may have been been thrown away or sold at a garage sale 20 years ago.

And lets face it, is $10 really that much for a complete toy made 25 years ago? I'd venture to say the prices go up a bit before they go back down (if they go back down). People our age are starting to get jobs and access to excess income unlike maybe, 4-8 years ago.

I was gonna say, I wouldn't dish out 30$ for that. Slash is the only one with rarer accessories IMO. Mondo Geckos has just got his board and Baxters swatter attachment is only kinda hard at times to find.

I come across more 1988's at yardsales and flea markets than anything else. I've given up buying them unless they have belts, but I guess I should start again. They're never more than a buck.

Prices on the early stuff certainly has ticked upward in the last year. I bought a lot of my on-card originals a good 4-5 years ago including the 1st series. I don't think I paid more than $20 for any of them even the softhead 88' turtles.

I agree with what some others have said about the collectability of these increasing. With the original fans now getting older the nostalgia effect for these is hitting hard (I would know). Getting original stuff is going to become more and more scarce.

As a side note anyone else noticing the TMNT section in stores completely wiped out as of late? I have been to a few and have seen more bare pegs than actual figures.

Sales seem to be good, I've noticed the same thing in MN

I was bidding on this lot, but it sky-rocketed above what I was willing to pay for it, I'm posting it here because it is a perfect example of what I'm talking about (and if anyone else is interested, have at it, I've bid it up as high as what I was willing to pay, and I'm done). I had offered the seller $40 + shipping for this lot before it had bids and he/she was smart not to take that offer it seems. The competitive bidding I've seen lately on lots just because they had one or two 1988 figures with belts in them could very well put some people out of business.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321024576132...84.m1431.l2649

I think 1988 turtles (especially the soft heads) with some weapons and their belts have ALWAYS been in demand, but if I had known that in 2012 they'd be selling for what they're selling for, I think I would have tried to buy a bunch when they were cheap and hoarded them the way people do with gold and silver. I can only imagine the prices that Movie Star Turtles are going to start fetching.

I am very exicted by this. Its amazing how in a year ive made almosst all the money i need to pay off my school loan by buying and selling tmnt. Would be done if i hadnt bought any for my personal collection but anyway only need another 977.00 and i will be debt free.
so thanks tmnt and forum for helping me.

Good for you! Student loans are a burden glad you could put the money to good use.

I wish I had some loose soft head figures to sell or loose figures in general to sell. Should have waited to sell my loose collection until now unfortunately I did not and sold them prematurely.

I have a loose soft head Donatello, I paid dearly to get the accessories I needed for him and a belt, but not as dearly as the person who buys him from ME will pay :tlol:

i'm certainly not complaining about the popularity ;)

Anyway, this is going to make it harder for people who buy lots up cheap and break them up for resale, since those lots are going for MUCH higher prices now. I don't know how anyone who does that for a living will survive.

hasnt caused me any troubles :) just gotta know what you are doing

Anyway, as I was saying, I do a very high volume in sales myself, but getting outbid on most of the lots and watching them sky-rocket near the end when they contain certain early figures (even when everything else there is crap) has been exciting in a weird way, to say the least.

graded 80 overall plastic head turtles have been selling for $200+ on eBay lately, insane.

New collectors do not have the patients to wait for items, or to send them in to be graded themselves. Someone nailed it on the head; new collectors are ages 25-30 generally and finally have disposable income so the increase in turtle prices does not surprise me.

I think the prices are here to stay.

Agree, with what's said here and also on the TMNT lots going for some crazy numbers. Just glad I have a lot of loose stuff from my childhood and earlier collecting!

I'm just glad I pay close attention to lots that have 1988 figures with accessories in them. I'm also snapping up some of the 1998 re-release turtles when I can find them MOC, I'm guessing these are going to be the next set to sky-rocket in price.

I just remembered this thread, after some complete loose 1988 Turtles brought more than 40 Euros each, on ebay.de . And the 4 Turtles MOC are rarer than ever. Still notice that the hype continues.

loose rules :D

Things slowed down for a few weeks there. I had two loose complete soft heads up for weeks that didn't sell until this weekend.

Putting together loose/complete ones is NOT hard if you are diligent when it comes to watching eBay. Sometimes you have to buy high and sell higher, but it's worth it. I"ll never understand the logic of sellers who feel they have to buy dirt cheap so that they can start all of their auctions at $0.99 and just let them ride. A lot of times when you do that, you are just selling an inferior product. My eBay reputation just keeps gettin' better an' better.

I am awestruck by how much these are going for nowadays. I still have my original four Turtles figures from my childhood, but they are quite beat up...missing limbs and accessories. I would love to restore them by buying parts/pieces

Is there any discernible difference between the original 1988 figures/weapons and the 1998 re-issues once they are loose? It may be a cheaper route for me.