EMERGENCY SALE! Selling my entire Palisades collection (and other great Henson stuff)

[dwmckim]

I'm in a real tight spot right now financially. I've been struggling financially for quite some time now but my problems have been recently dramatically amplified by various issues with my workplace having payroll problems. We're owed three weeks of backpay checks from the month of May and now due to a hacker compromising work's bank account, we weren't paid last week or this week either. We'll be paid again next week but the now five weeks of backpay will be doled out bit by bit instead of immediately.

I'm just about totally broke and am in danger of losing everything (including my car and my home and quite honestly my life) and need to take some emergency measures including selling something i never thought i would: my collection of Palisades Muppet figures. I need to sell as much as i can as soon as possible and i'm unable to use Ebay.

I don't have time tonight to list the specific items since i get up super early on Saturdays for my shift (despite working the later shift during the week!) So i'll have to wait til tomorrow or Sunday to itemize what i have available but to give a general overview:

I have all the playsets with the exception of backstage (including Koozebane Kermit if you count that as a "playset")

I don't have any of the repaints or special exclusives as i was never really interested in them.

I do have all the basic figures from wave #1 up to when they stopped selling them in Suncoast. All are out of the original packaging since again i bought them to display on my shelves and never planned on selling.

I don't have any of the "Mega" sized figures but i do have both sets of MCC pvcs and the Mahna Mahna/Thog/Sam set. I also have a healthy number of the Jack in the Box restaurant figures.

Since i never planned to sell, i've not kept up with pricing and such so i'm not listing a set price - this is basically, "If you're interested make a reasonable, realistic offer". I do reserve the right to refuse ones i feel are too low. If more than one person wants the same thing(s), i will of course favor the higher offer. If you're serious about wanting something and intend to purchase, i can do some research on pricing and come back with an asking price upon request.

I'll keep this thread updated with what's sold vs. what's available. I really need help as soon as possible, so if you know others searching for Muppet figures who don't frequent this board much, please spread the word. I'm very desperate right now.

When i can, i'll also have a seperate thread for other Henson stuff i'm selling besides the figures. I'm not a big collector though when it comes to products - my big thing is my video collection so the action figures are a bit of an exception when it comes to Muppet products i've actively collected. I have to go through my boxes/closet/drawers, but some other examples of stuff available include a Muppet Babies multi-layer cel, the autographed lithograph from MuppetFest, The Great Muppet Caper script, a few assorted Muppet Babies scripts (have to dig them out to see if they're autographed by Jeffrey Scott or not), Muppet Show scripts for the Valerie Harper and James Coburn episodes, a huge plush Cookie Monster, a Muppet Hits Take 2 cd with the cover autographed by Jerry Juhl, an autographed photo of Farscape's Virginia Hay (Zhaan), various Farscape magazines and collectables including the fan club kit, various Farscape scripts, Street Gang hardcover, Louise Gikow's 40th anniversary Sesame book, Jim Henson's The Works, a very dog-eared worn copy of the Of Muppets and Men book, the original Muppet Monopoly (slight water damage to the bottom of the box from when my apartment was flooded), various issues of Muppet Magazine, all Muppet Show season box sets plus Dinosaurs seasons 3/4 box set, Farscape season 1 box set and season 4 box set (the recent release), all 20 issues of MuppetZine (though the first 11 are "photocopy reprints"), a one-of-a-kind drawing of the Muppet Show cast on posterboard from Chris Smigliano (prize for winning a MuppetZine contest), and about a dozen Official Transcripts of The Muppet Show (these are a hybrid between a script and transcript - same size and layout as the original scripts with all the original description of action plus credits/running time breakdowns/production info but with the actual dialogue from the finished taped edit replacing the lines from the original shooting script)

Finally, the "cream of the crop" of my collection is a sheet of Muppet stationary (unofficial fan art border by Chris Smigliano) chockful of autographs from a whole slew of Muppeteers and crew members from the set of Muppets From Space (including Brian Henson and Frank Oz). This was given to me as a special gift so due to both the inherent value and the sentimental value, i will only sell it for a high price. (Yes, i'm that desperate to get rid of the #1 thing i never thought i'd sell if the asking price is right!)

Just like the action figures, if you want any of the above, make a reasonable realistic offer. More details about an item provided upon serious inquiry.

If anyone wants anything, it's best to email me direct at dw_m@webtv.net and include either the words Muppet or Henson in your subject heading so i don't accidentally delete it as spam. You can also PM me through the forum, but direct email is best (or you can also do both to be safe)

PLEASE HELP! This is yours for the taking and even though i'm not fond of parting with any of this, i'd rather still have a place to live since none of this stuff would matter anyway if i'm out on the street!

P.S. Some non-Henson related stuff i have for sale includes a large collection of Simpsons Comic Books, Alpha Flight comics (from volumes 1, 2, and 3) though many of these were water damaged from the SECOND(!) time my apartment was flooded, a large collection of old issues of The Advocate, Out, Genre, and Echo Magazines, not-as-old but still not all that recent issues of The Nation, The Progressive, Mother Jones, and The American Prospect, most issues of Wrapped In Plastic (a Twin Peaks/David Lynch fanzine which also included quite a bit of X-Files content because of David Duchovny's involvement), lots of Archie comics (comic books and digests), several Doonesbury books, a huge collection of One Life to Live episodes (mostly from 2003-present but also some older stuff), and a large collection of mostly 80s cds and vinyl albums, 7" and 12" singles (including pretty much anything/everything Pet Shop Boys and Eurythmics/Annie Lennox/Dave Stewart related) and oh yes, this includes lots of Sesame/Muppet records too!

 

[dwmckim]

I know a lot of people are specifically interested in the Palisades figures which is why i have this thread in this subforum and another thread in the buy/sell subforum which is dedicated to everything. That thread is at http://forum.muppetcentral.com/showthread.php?t=48582 - even if you are just interested in the action figures, you may still want to check out the other thread for FAQ's, additional details, etc. I described a little of what else i have in my previous post but that's the only mention of the non-action figure stuff you'll see in this thread. The Palisades line (and anything else "action figurey" like the Jack in the Box figures and the mini pvcs from Palisades) will just be the focus of this thread.

Just to reiterate some stuff...

This is basically working like a "silent auction" - if you want something, name a price and if it's realistic and no one else has made a higher offer it's yours. I do reserve the right to decline offers that are too low (no Zoots for a dollar!)

Contact me via private email at dw_m@webtv.net or PM me. If you just reply here, it may go unnoticed.

I am unable to accept Paypal. However i do ship internationally as long as payment is in US dollars (be it cash, check, or money order) and sufficient postage is included with payment.

I do need to sell as much as possible as soon as possible but i will still need help getting caught up after the immediate threats are staved off so even if you're viewing this thread weeks or months later, feel free to make offers. I'll keep both threads updated with what's available and what's gone.

If you know other Muppet/Henson collectors that may not visit the MC forums regularly, please spread the word to them.

Specific items will be posted as i inventory them. I've got a lot in boxes/storage/closet. My apartment has been flooded twice in three years so i have stuff all over the place from having to quickly rescue everything twice.

Defects to be aware of. (All of these can be fixed with super glue). Bunson's glasses are broken off. They do stay/balance in place displayed on my shelf but if you're planning to play with or move him around a bit, you'll definately want to glue them back in place. The Treasure Island Sam's bottom half broke off due to a fall from a high shelf. Everything snaps back together again making him fine for shelf display but like Bunson you may want to glue him together. The camera that came with series 1 Kermit is broke in half (again due to a fall) and needs to be glued.

I have a whole bunch of the Jack in the Box figures since i knew a lot of people didn't have Jitb in their area and made a point to grab as much as i could at the time they had that promotion.

Offers have already been coming in even though i haven't had a chance to put the list here of all i have available so i reccomend getting offers in quick. I generally allow a day after someone else made an offer to allow others to catch up and make a higher bid, but if that doesn't happen after a day, the original bid is honored.

Sorry, i don't have Lips or the backstage playset.

As for the playsets i do have i do prefer to sell the figure that came with them (or the playset with the figure as it were) so this would include Beaker with Muppet Labs, Animal with EM stage, Chef with kitchen, First Mate Piggy with Pigs In Space, and Reporter Kermit with Koozebane.

 

[dwmckim]

Okay, here's the actual list of all the action figures i have available (and other "action figure-like" items) A couple items have sold and are not listed below. Some of the items below do have open offers and will sell shortly if no counteroffer made.

All items and playsets come with all their original accessories. All are out of box and have been on my display shelves as i never planned on selling. Any major defects are noted and should be easily fixed with super glue. All playsets will be sold with the action figure that came with it (and vice versa) unless i have a really good offer for either the figure or the playset without the other - so basically i plan on keeping them together but someone who for some reason wants one without the other could always make an offer i can't refuse.

I mentioned earlier i'm not a pricing expert, however since my original post, i've received sage council from an expert so if an offer is too low based on the advice he's given, i'll let you know.

- Kermit (camera accessory is broken in half due to fall of shelf)
- Miss Piggy
- Dr. Teeth
- Dr. Bunsen Honeydew (glasses are broken off - they stay in place for me fine displayed on my shelf but you may wish to fix with glue)
- Muppet Labs Playset with Beaker
- Koozebane Kermit
- Stuntman Gonzo
- Floyd Pepper
- Crazy Harry
- Electric Mayhem Playset with Animal
- Rowlf
- Scooter
- Lew Zealand
- Zoot
- Swedish Kitchen Playset with the Swedish Chef
- Sam Arrow (bottom half broke off due to fall off shelf, snaps back together and stays in place for shelf display but you may wish to glue together)
- Rizzo
- Link Hogthrob
- Julius Strangepork
- Gonzo
- Pepe
- Newsman
- Clifford
- Patrol Bear Fozzie
- Statler
- Waldorf
- Swinetrek Playset with First Mate Piggy
- Captain Smollett
- Frog Scout Robin
- Johnny Fiama
- Beauregard
- Usher Scooter
- Sam the Eagle
- Phil Van Neuter
- Marvin Suggs

Pvc sets:
- Sam the Eagle with book / Mahna Mahna /Thog with flower

- Kermit as Bob Cratchit with Robin the Frog as Tiny Tim / Statler as Jacob Marley / Two ice skating Penguins

- Fozzie Bear as Fozziwig / Waldorf as Robert Marley / Ghost of Christmas Present

Also:
Jack in the Box kids meal figures: Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo, Animal, Pepe, Chef

Kermit on a log playing banjo with banner saying "50th anniversary" with button that plays Rainbow Connection when pressed. Can be used as either a stand alone shelf display item or has a small hook to hang as Christmas tree ornament

As items sell, i'll repost the list indicating what's left.

 

[HamHock]

I would love to buy some off of you, dwmckim

but my dad dosen't like the idea of the Buy, Sell and Trade threads.

Does anyone know how to show him you can trust it ?

 

[Twitchy]

Ive send you an email!

 

[dwmckim]

I would love to buy some off of you, dwmckim

but my dad dosen't like the idea of the Buy, Sell and Trade threads.

Does anyone know how to show him you can trust it ?

Don't know if i can give a good answer to this because ultimately this is more of a family/interpersonal issue more than an MC forums issue. Plus of course, you've known your dad all your life whereas none of us know him at all so you would be the resident expert here as per what he responds to, his beliefs, personality, etc. So this may be a bit like Julia Child asking a room full of construction workers how to make the perfect chocolate mousse.

The short (and not as good answer) is at the very end of the day, you can't give 100% trust to anything on the internet. Because by its very nature and definition, it connects anyone who has computer access to each other all over the world. You can communicate as easily with someone halfway around the world as you can your next door neighbor. Because you've got this tool that connects nearly all of humanity together, you're also connected to all of human nature - the best and the worst. Think of such places where people of all types and background who otherwise have nothing to do with each other are in the same places at once like a gas station. You probably see a number of people you would never trust or want to talk to along with cleancut nice respectable people to clergy. The web's the same way - you've got everyone connected all with everyone's strengths and faults. There are many truly good honest trustworthy souls as there are people who take advantage of others or downright crooks. So you should always keep this in mind when doing anything online (not just as it relates to goods and services)

Now having said that, let's bring things to the specific situation - the MC forums and the buy/sell threads. The forums are well-moderated (sometimes a bit overly so) to make this a safe community (for interaction as a whole, not just buying and selling). Newbies are screened and watched. People who are joining to post spam or for other purposes than sharing in Muppet/fandom are weeded out. Even longtime members of the Muppet fandom community who have contributed a great deal have at times been banned or suspended due to inability to abide by rules. You don't have just "anyone and everyone" posting here and because of that you have a pretty solid trustworthy bunch (probably moreso than say Ebay or Craigslist where "anyone" can take part). Yes, i (or anyone else) could theoretically take everyone's money and run. That's the risk any online transaction entails. But what would be the consequences if that happened? People would very quickly post about their bad experiences with others chiming in the same thing happened to them and i'd end up with at best a damaged personal reputation and at worst total banishment from participating in this - and probably other - forum. Anyone who knows my long history as a Muppet/Henson fan and my contributions to Muppet fandom knows that would be totally devastating to be cut off from forums dedicated to what's one of my biggest passions. Though i am active in other communities and do other things, the majority of people online who know the name "d.w. mckim" associate it with "Muppet Fan". I not only have been with Muppetcentral since pretty much the beginning (when we had the original Delphi forum) but have also been a moderator myself until things got too busy in my personal life to keep up that responsibility. On the one hand, i have too much to lose by doing people here wrong and ripping them off. On the other hand, i'm in a life-threatening, desperate situation and people act differently when they're desperate and are more apt to do things they normally wouldn't. So at the end of the day, i can plead my case and produce hundreds of witnesses to testify on my behalf, but the ultimate decision as to who someone trusts is each individual person's. You can only say who you trust and your dad can only decide who he trusts. Such is life.

For what it's worth, hopefully someone honest enough to say "you can't 100% trust me or anyone else" passes some honesty tests there! On a personal note, i know that anyone who helps me out is a gift and a blessing. No one's obligated to do so and i find it humbling and flattering than people under the age of 18 or in different countries are wanting to help (even if they have parents who feel otherwise). I try to be an honest realistic person in all areas of my life and because of that i am one of the first to talk about or mention my own faults and anyone who's known me for a long time via these forums would also know about them. I can be overly passionate or opinionated about things. I write long posts. I can take things too seriously. I've battled severe depression throughout my life. And as anyone who's wanted to see seasons 3-5 covered in the MC Episode Guides can attest, i've not always been able to finish something i've started due to "life getting in the way". People are people and we all have different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives and one person's character flaw is another person's virtue. One person may hate me because i do things like post some big essay about something not quite dealing with the original subject on a thread while another person may love me for taking the time to teach an 11 year old a valuable life lesson about how to best use the internet that they might take with them for the rest of their life.

Hopefully that helps you...even though it may not give you "an answer" to your question (or one you were looking for). I don't want this thread to turn into some big muffined discussion about philosophical questions about the internet as opposed to its original purpose so i would ask to keep discussion/responses on that subject to a minimum. Best of luck with your dad.

 

[HamHock]

That was beautiful, dwmckim. Thanks for taking the time out to teach me that lesson

 

[dwmckim]

That was beautiful, dwmckim. Thanks for taking the time out to teach me that lesson

Oh, btw apologies about the "11-year old" thing - i accidentally saw the "Posts: 11" in your member heading and misread it as age - so between that and knowing you had a parent looking down on you doing something, i put two and two together...and ended up with 11. Now you know why i'm not a professional mathamatician!

 

[seradarkness]

Unfortunately I don't have the money right now to buy anything but just in case you still have anything after a payslip or two comes in, I am interested in knowing what you would consider your international shipping rates to be since obviously that will affect the overall price of the figures? I would also like to know if the price would be the same if you bought a few figures or whether it would be a postage per figure deal?

Thanks!

 

[dwmckim]

I'd love to say the orders are flying off the shelf, but they aren't. It's a poor economy and things are tough for a lot of people. So if you're interested in something but need a couple of pay periods before you can spend the money, what you're looking for may still be available. I'll be keeping both my threads updated with what's still available and what's sold. Plus as i've said, even though i have a major emergency at the present, i'm still going to be in a very tight situation for awhile after so my personal stuff will be up for grabs for awhile.

As for international shipping, if you're getting multiple stuff, it's considered the same package so you don't have to pay extra per item. (Buying more stuff=saving on shipping). I've found $10 to be a good amount for shipping international packages - most of the time, the actual cost is either close to that or over and i'm okay with paying the rest.