[cellardoor]

Interesting stuff, especially the real world examples of seeling lots.
The speed at which some people will jump on valuable lots on ebay is pretty amazing. Like it's been said, this is simply savvy investment. If you're willing to make the effort you could turn over loose MU toys for a sizeable profit. I've just seen a loose, no accessories X-Force Archangel sell for $68!
What's kind of amazing is that ebay only encourages a loss in value, at least when comparing stuff to retail prices. If you collect new toys and then sell them down the line turning an actual profit seems very unlikely...unless you happen to have bought up a handful of Flame-On Johnny Storm's, Regular Visions etc on the off chance that they become valuable.
I'm also a big Hellboy fan but was lucky enough to have bought the original movie line and comic series figures when they first came out. I could easily sell my Kroenen and Sammael figures now for a healthy price on ebay because the demand is high.
And that makes me think of the drug analogy. Prices are dictated by demand but i've noticed that ebay is a pretty dishonest place for pricing high demand figures.
I admire those people that sell their stuff in one big go, that's a sure fire way to make money there and then...but I know that it's always at a loss compared to what they paid originally.