NEW YORK, May 5 — May the force be with you! This May 4, Star Wars fans are no doubt celebrating the global day dedicated to the cult franchise. And the force remains strong when it comes to sales of merchandise relating to the Star Wars universe. On eBay, for example, a collection of Star Wars movie posters is listed at the price of US$2.25 million (RM9.8 million)!
As the world celebrates Star Wars day this May 4 (“May the 4th” i.e. “May the force be with you”), the online sales platform eBay has shared some of its related ads reaching astronomical prices. These include a collection of Star Wars movie posters listed for the sum of US$2.25 million, which wins the prize for the most expensive ad on the platform. A batch of 162 posters is up for sale, five of which are among the most sought after by fans, such as the Empire Strikes Back poster, made for the movie premiere in 1980 but never distributed: “There are hundreds of different posters in this collection with a remarkably high number of ‘Holy Grail’ masterpieces, including, the never released and nearly impossible to find 1978 John Williams Concert poster,” reads the ad.
Paying the price for rarity
If the sale price is enough to discourage even the most devoted fans, the seller “mrs.miniver” justifies the price by explaining that this sale could be seen as a kind of “business” move, that might actually bring the buyer much more money in the future. In short, it could be a real financial investment, the seller states: “In recent years there have been a number of individual movie posters to sell for nearly what I’m asking for this entire collection, and that is just for ONE poster. [...] Additionally, common sense and logic would tell anyone that this ENTIRE collection has to be worth more (in terms of money and cultural importance) than ANY single baseball card or comic book ever made. [...] Years from now, I’m sure this listing will be looked back upon as a ridiculous bargain -- Today, it’s a smart buy and an opportunity to instantly become the owner of one of the great American collections ever assembled.”
This collection is not the only Star Wars merch with a significant sale price on eBay. According to the online sales site, the VHS cassette of The Empire Strikes Back, a “first print” edition, is currently on sale for US$175.000. Meanwhile, a set of arcade games including Major Havoc, I Robot, Star Trek, Joust II, Star Wars and Sinistar is listed for US$159,000. A limited-edition KAWS x MEDICOM Darth Vador figurine is available for the modest sum of US$27,600.
Star Wars fans visibly have cash to invest in their passion, since eBay reports the sale of a lot of vintage figurines (Yak Face 90+, Boba Fett 95 and Vinyl Cape Jawa 95) for more than US$20,000 in February 2022 in the United States, while the Uzay Blue Stars Loose AFA 85+ figurine sold for over US$19,000.
Previously, in June 2020, the prototype of the Boba Fett figurine went up for sale for US$225,000 on eBay. Proof that, when it comes to Star Wars, the sky’s the limit for some collectors. — ETX Studio
