A tiny Woolworths collectable has hit a figure usually reserved for Australia’s most elite homes, with one ultra-rare Disney Ooshie attracting more than $100 million in bids on eBay.
The staggering number comes as households across the country continue to battle a cost-of-living crunch, making the listing feel all the more surreal.
The item at the centre of the frenzy is a Flocked Bullseye Ooshie, this year’s major rare release in Woolworths’ Disney campaign.
Just 125 are believed to be in circulation nationwide.
By Thursday afternoon, the eBay listing had climbed to $100,000,019.15, with 184 bids placed and several hours still remaining before the scheduled 7pm close.
The bidding history shows the auction opened at $100.
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Would you pay $100m for an Ooshie? Some people would. Source: eBay
Three days later, on August 3, a bid of $8,789.30 helped trigger a rapid rise, with the price reaching $50,090.30 later that day before surging into nine-figure territory.
It is an extraordinary sum for a supermarket giveaway, and one that places the Ooshie in the same financial bracket as some of the country’s most expensive homes.
Only a handful of Australian residential properties have sold for more than $100 million.
Melbourne’s historic Coonac estate in Toorak is reported to hold the national record after selling earlier this year for between $131 million and $150 million.
Scott Farquhar’s former Point Piper estate Elaine sold for $130 million, while nearby Uig Lodge has also traded at around that level.
The tiny collectable is one of just 125 nationwide. Source: eBay
In 2018, Mike Cannon-Brookes and Annie Cannon-Brookes made headlines when they paid $100 million for Point Piper estate Fairwater, the first home sale in Australia to reach the benchmark.
By contrast, the national median house price is $989,000, according to PropTrack, while the median unit price stands at $730,000.
That means the current bid for a single Ooshie is worth more than about 100 median houses.
The figure underlines the intensity of the collectables craze now sweeping online marketplaces and social media, where individual Ooshies, collector cases and full sets are being listed for sale as shoppers race to complete the range or cash in on the frenzy.
For many Australians, though, the number lands very differently.
Melbourne’s historic Coonac estate in Toorak is Australia’s most expensive home, reportedly selling between $131 million and $150 million.
At a time when families are cutting back on spending, watching grocery bills rise and struggling to stay ahead of mortgage or rental costs, the idea of a toy-sized collectable attracting a $100 million bid is hard to reconcile.
eBay said bidders should be prepared to honour the amounts they offer.
“As a marketplace that enables trade in unique and collectable inventory, we don’t restrict bids on auction items. If a bidder wants to receive an item, however, they will need to pay the amount that they have bid for it,” a spokesperson told News Corp.
“We have clear policies in place that restrict fake or shill bidding and consistently making bids that are not paid will see us take action on a users account.
Scott Farquhar’s former Point Piper estate Elaine sold for $130 million.
“If the winning bidder fails to pay for an item, the seller does have the option to offer the same item to an underbidder.”
Woolworths has announced an official nationwide Ooshies Swap Day on August 8 from 1pm to 2pm at Woolworths and Big W stores, with dedicated swap areas to be set up at the front of stores and staff on hand to help facilitate trades.
Customers can also return unused Ooshies from the new range for inclusion in the event, with any leftovers to be placed in in-store recycling bins.
For collectors, the appeal is straightforward.
Michael James, who runs collectormodels.com.au, said much of the attraction comes down to the hunt.
“It’s a pretty good feeling. I’m always hunting around for things, for other people as well,” he told nine.com.au.
Luke Jones, who runs the Instagram account Australian Toys, said collecting rarely has a clear end point, with enthusiasts always looking to complete or improve a set.
That helps explain the rush around rare pieces.
But it does little to make this listing seem any less astonishing.