Scalpers are already trying to sell limited edition toys from McDonald's adult Happy Meals on eBay for absolutely ridiculous prices. Nostalgia is a powerful motivator, and McDonald's hoped to capitalize on it with the release of its adult Cactus Plant Flea Market Box Happy Meals, which each include a toy. McDonald's may not have expected the Happy Meals to sell out so quickly, though, with scalpers also taking the opportunity to capitalize on Happy Meal nostalgia.In September, McDonald's announced that it would be releasing an adult Happy Meal named the Cactus Plant Flea Market Box, based on the Cactus Plant Flea Market streetwear brand. The boxes, which can be bought with a Big Mac or a 10-piece Chicken McNugget, include one of four different Cactus Plant Flea Market-designed toys. While pricing varied by location, New York City boxes were selling for $12.95, a price that now seems like a discount next to what eBay sellers are asking.According to CNBC, multiple eBay auctions have started attempting to sell the limited-edition Cactus Plant Flea Market Box or its toys. One unopened toy from the adult Happy Meal is listed for $25,000, while another is trying to sell three for an insane $300,000.95. While those listings haven't received a bid yet, another auction did sell 150 toys in bulk for $2,400. That's obviously significantly less than the others, but at $16 per toy, it's still a profit next to how much each Cactus Plant Flea Market Box costs.
While there's no indication that anyone is willing to pay thousands of dollars for an individual Cactus Plant Flea Market Box toy, it seems likely that each toy's value is rising. The limited-edition boxes are selling out across the United States, showing that McDonald's has quite the success on its hands. Perhaps there is a market for adults buying Happy Meals with toys that goes beyond simple nostalgia. It could be that adults simply like fast food and collectibles, too.
To be clear, there are plenty of individual Cactus Plant Flea Market toys on sale on eBay well below the thousands of dollars that some listings are asking for. A sponsored listing is selling Grimace toys for around $21 including shipping. Another listing has all four McDonald's mascot toys for $120. It will be interesting to see if the high-priced listings cause a shock in the market and make prices rise over time.
There's no word on whether McDonald's plans to bring back the Cactus Plant Flea Market Box or do another similar adult Happy Meal collaboration with other brands at this time. McDonald's does appear to be interested in more nostalgia-driven Happy Meal endeavors, however. For the first time since 2016, McDonald's is offering limited-edition Halloween Happy Meals with spooky Halloween Pails. Don't be surprised to see McDonald's offerings on eBay soon.
Source: CNBC