Comments on: The Saving Failure http://www.standingcheese.com/2008/08/01/the-saving-failure/ Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:10:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: standingcheese http://www.standingcheese.com/2008/08/01/the-saving-failure/#comment-828 standingcheese Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:02:12 +0000 http://www.standingcheese.com/?p=197#comment-828 I remember the beanie baby craze. Some friends of my wife were into them hardcore at the time. I remember in 1999, the company that made them announced they were going to retire all beanies and stop pumping up the secondary market for them. Values on those things plummeted overnight. It was hilarious. I think they're worth less than Starting Lineups now. I remember the beanie baby craze. Some friends of my wife were into them hardcore at the time. I remember in 1999, the company that made them announced they were going to retire all beanies and stop pumping up the secondary market for them. Values on those things plummeted overnight. It was hilarious. I think they’re worth less than Starting Lineups now.

]]> By: Leslie http://www.standingcheese.com/2008/08/01/the-saving-failure/#comment-827 Leslie Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:40:26 +0000 http://www.standingcheese.com/?p=197#comment-827 Not only are they retarded, they're crazy, too. About ten years ago, we had a yard sale. My daughter was in fifth grade then, and wanted to earn money to help buy some large item she wanted. After careful consideration, she decided she would sell all her troll dolls and Beanie Babies because she no longer played with them. The troll dolls went mostly to younger kids who thought they were cute, ALL the Beanie Babies however, were snapped up by some smug woman who, you could tell, really thought she was getting a great deal on these things. Like she knew something we didn't. She even asked my husband, "you're letting her sell these?!!" Like they were South African Kruggerands and not cheap, stuffed toys. Good grief. I haven't checked lately, but I wonder how much Beanie Babies are going for now? Not only are they retarded, they’re crazy, too. About ten years ago, we had a yard sale. My daughter was in fifth grade then, and wanted to earn money to help buy some large item she wanted. After careful consideration, she decided she would sell all her troll dolls and Beanie Babies because she no longer played with them. The troll dolls went mostly to younger kids who thought they were cute, ALL the Beanie Babies however, were snapped up by some smug woman who, you could tell, really thought she was getting a great deal on these things. Like she knew something we didn’t. She even asked my husband, “you’re letting her sell these?!!” Like they were South African Kruggerands and not cheap, stuffed toys. Good grief. I haven’t checked lately, but I wonder how much Beanie Babies are going for now?

]]> By: standingcheese http://www.standingcheese.com/2008/08/01/the-saving-failure/#comment-825 standingcheese Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:39:59 +0000 http://www.standingcheese.com/?p=197#comment-825 Not my bid. I already have an '88 Ripken. ;-) Not my bid. I already have an ‘88 Ripken. ;-)

]]> By: eebmore http://www.standingcheese.com/2008/08/01/the-saving-failure/#comment-824 eebmore Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:53:41 +0000 http://www.standingcheese.com/?p=197#comment-824 Ha. You shouldn't have shown your $30 bid. Now I'm going bid $31. Ha. You shouldn’t have shown your $30 bid. Now I’m going bid $31.

]]> By: standingcheese http://www.standingcheese.com/2008/08/01/the-saving-failure/#comment-822 standingcheese Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:33:12 +0000 http://www.standingcheese.com/?p=197#comment-822 Your story just further proves my theory: people are retarded. Back about 15 years ago there was a big thing out there along with Hot Wheels and Star Wars toys called Starting Lineups. They were action figures of pro athletes. Some were assumed to be very valuable because of limited production and were worth a lot of money. I knew people who would go into the local Wal-Mart at 3:00am when they were putting out their new merch (it was a 24-hour store) in order to get them before kids "inadvertantly" bought them and opened them up to, you know, play with them. As soon as they purchased whatever they were looking for, it would go immediately into a plastic clamshell to protect the cardboard packaging from getting bent. (Full Disclosure: I would sometimes try to hoard Starting Lineups, but only Cal Ripken ones because I was a Ripken collector at the tiem. All of the Ripken SLUs I got from back in the day are still in a box in my basement. BTW, one of the most valuable and rare SLUs out there, the 1988 Cal Ripken, which used to sell for over $400, is <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/1988-Starting-Lineup-SLU-CAL-RIPKEN-JR_W0QQitemZ310072693708QQihZ021QQcategoryZ2487QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" rel="nofollow">on ebay</a> now for $30 -- and that's one of the most expensive figures with a bid on it. Good future return for those idiots who thought of baseball action figures as retirement funding investments.) Your story just further proves my theory: people are retarded.

Back about 15 years ago there was a big thing out there along with Hot Wheels and Star Wars toys called Starting Lineups. They were action figures of pro athletes. Some were assumed to be very valuable because of limited production and were worth a lot of money. I knew people who would go into the local Wal-Mart at 3:00am when they were putting out their new merch (it was a 24-hour store) in order to get them before kids “inadvertantly” bought them and opened them up to, you know, play with them. As soon as they purchased whatever they were looking for, it would go immediately into a plastic clamshell to protect the cardboard packaging from getting bent.

(Full Disclosure: I would sometimes try to hoard Starting Lineups, but only Cal Ripken ones because I was a Ripken collector at the tiem. All of the Ripken SLUs I got from back in the day are still in a box in my basement. BTW, one of the most valuable and rare SLUs out there, the 1988 Cal Ripken, which used to sell for over $400, is on ebay now for $30 — and that’s one of the most expensive figures with a bid on it. Good future return for those idiots who thought of baseball action figures as retirement funding investments.)

]]> By: Leslie http://www.standingcheese.com/2008/08/01/the-saving-failure/#comment-816 Leslie Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:57:40 +0000 http://www.standingcheese.com/?p=197#comment-816 Some years ago, my then preschool age son was begging for some toys/action figures after one of the Star Wars movies came out. I can't remember which movie it was, but I do remember standing in the aisle at Target and being unable to even get CLOSE to the Star Wars toys because of the mob of GROWN MEN fighting each other for these toys. When I finally did get to look at them, they were mostly gone. I asked one guy why he had two of the same toy, and would he mind putting one back because my three year old had none, and he told me he always bought two of any toy. One to play with and one to keep. I shit you not. I about died. I noticed the same thing used to happen with Hot Wheels cars. I suppose we should be thankful people like this aren't out strangling old ladies. Some years ago, my then preschool age son was begging for some toys/action figures after one of the Star Wars movies came out. I can’t remember which movie it was, but I do remember standing in the aisle at Target and being unable to even get CLOSE to the Star Wars toys because of the mob of GROWN MEN fighting each other for these toys. When I finally did get to look at them, they were mostly gone. I asked one guy why he had two of the same toy, and would he mind putting one back because my three year old had none, and he told me he always bought two of any toy. One to play with and one to keep. I shit you not. I about died. I noticed the same thing used to happen with Hot Wheels cars. I suppose we should be thankful people like this aren’t out strangling old ladies.

]]>