$510 for a Michael Jackson Thriller 8 Track Tape

This past week an eBay seller sold the Michael Jackson Thriller album, pictured at left, for $510. This was a Columbia House tape club release, still in original shrink wrap. The album was released in 1982, so it isn't even one of the scarcest Jackson albums out there. Did someone really pay $510 for it?

Also this week, a seller offered a lot of Michael Jackson 8 tracks with Thriller included with Off the Wall, ABC, and Maybe Tomorrow. Now these tapes weren't sealed, but the whole lot brought in a whopping $15.  ...and the seller of this lot even had the correct keywords "Michael Jackson Thriller 8 Track Tapes" in the title.

I've noticed that it seems to be, or nearly so, easier to find sealed Record Club tapes from the 1980's than other popular titles from the 1970's. And certainly much easier than finding Leer Jet flat packs in their original containers. I believe (just my theory) that this was due to the fact that many people in the 1980's started the transition to cassette tapes or CD's, but were still subscribed to the tape clubs. Then when tapes arrived, they had already purchased the album in another format (when it was originally released) and so did not open the tapes.

Anyway, look for a flood of Thriller 8 tracks on eBay in the coming weeks once people start seeing that someone supposedly paid $510 for one.