posted on June 22, 2002 08:44:08 PM
A doctor acquaintance has a huge collection of "Playboy" magazines...they date from about 1985 to 2000. I just did a search on eBay but all that I could find were pre-1980 issues. Is there some reason newer issues don't show up? I'm curious and would appreciate some enlightment...
posted on June 22, 2002 09:14:22 PM
There is just very little demand for most recent publications. Some older issues of Playboy have collectible pictorials of now famous stars such as Sharon Stone and Pam Anderson.
posted on June 22, 2002 10:16:19 PM
Any issue of Playboy published after 1980 must be listed in the adult category as Ebay considers them porn. If they're before 1980, they're considered collectibles. Typical Ebay logic.
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on June 23, 2002 11:58:58 AM
There is a demand for newer issues if they have celebrities. Unfortunately, they have to be listed in the password-protected "Mature Audiences" section, which makes them a tough sell.
A few years ago when Ebay moved them to the password-protected area, I listed 30 issues from the 90s' for $2 each and one person bid on 4 of them. That was it. I didn't even make back my listing fees. About a month later, I relisted the 26 unsold issues and listed 3 additional issues in 3-day auctions in the main section. Even though on the morning of the last day they were moved to the password-protected, I still sold 27 of the 29 issues. A couple of them sold for more than $10 each. I'm sure I lost some snipe bids from potential last-minute bidders.
The whole thing is silly. In the main section, you can sell a R-rated video showing a homicidal maniac disemboweling naked coeds, but you can't sell a recent copy of Playboy showing naked coeds frolicking on a beach.
The strange thing is that they allow issues from the 1970s in the main area. Those are the most explicit. Throughout the 70s Playboy and Penthouse were in a heated battle and constantly pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable in mainstream erotica. There are even issues from the 70s that have full-frontal nudity on the covers. Nowadays, the covers are rather tame. You can probably see just as much cleavage on the cover of Cosmo.
posted on June 23, 2002 04:19:22 PM
Ebay isn't even consistent with post-1980 Playboy material. They permit listing Playboy's DVDs and videos (obviously, almost all of which are post-1980) in the general section. So in ebay's logic, magazines with three generally tame 8-page nude pictorials per issue are more of a threat to youth than videos with 60 solid minutes of nudity and simulated sex.
posted on June 23, 2002 04:47:27 PM
A strange phenomenon is when someone lists a current issue of a magazine for more than the cover price. Why someone would be so stupid as to buy such an item is beyond me.
posted on June 23, 2002 04:57:33 PM
stusi - one simple explanation is the international market. The magazines issued in one country are not always available in other countries. Even when the magazine is available in different countries, it's often completely different in content and cover from other editions.
