Woolworths Marvel Discs flood eBay as desperate parents scramble for full set

Marvel Hero Super Discs from Woolworths are selling for up to $400 on Ebay.
Marvel Hero Super Discs from Woolworths are selling for up to $400 on Ebay. Photo: Facebook

If you've got a school-aged child, chances are your house is full of multi-coloured plastic Marvel heroes super discs, courtesy of Woolworths' latest promotion.

There's also a high likelihood, however, that your kids are chasing one of several "rare" superheros to complete the set of 42 -  a phenomenon that has seen discs being advertised on eBay for up to $400.

Yep, you read that correctly. That's $400 for a disc available for "free" with every $20 grocery shop. 

And parents aren't happy - particularly after "Swap Days" held in stores on Saturday 20 May, which still left many kids with incomplete sets.

Most current eBay entries range from $1 to around $15 for a single disc - but that's not even the tip of the madness.

Late to the party? You can buy an entire set for a little over $100.

Meanwhile, this set of 110 unopened discs is currently sitting at a cool $86 if you want to take your chances. (There are 14 people vying for this set, if that's any indication of just how popular these discs are.)

There are some available on Facebook Marketplace too - free or for a few dollars.

Those who haven't yet turned to Ebay have taken to Woolworths' Facebook page, leaving angry messages about their "distraught" children. "I am done with you Woolies," writes an irate Trish Medlan, explaining that she doesn't feel it's a coincidence that most hopeful swappers are seeking the same numbers (6, 12, 18, 24, 36 and 42, for those playing along at home).

"Well done Woolies you have really disappointed a whole lot of children, YES CHILDREN," she says. "But it's not my son you need to worry about.It's us, the parents ... the ones who pay for the shopping. Unless you fix this, rain hail or shine, promotion or no promotion, I am done with Woolworths and you will lose my business."

Kris Waight compared the promo to a "betting agency", sharing that the price of rare discs on Ebay has become the talk of the schoolyard.

Others have taken a more polite approach, requesting more discs ahead of the promo finishing on 31 May.

In a response to a customer's complaint on Facebook, Woolworths dispelled the idea that some discs are "rarer" than others.
"We've been overwhelmed by the popularity of our Marvel Heroes promotion to date. The discs that have been reported as being 'rare' are actually more plentiful than you think - each has over 1 million in circulation! We encourage you to keep collecting while stocks last and swapping with family, friends and even other Facebook swap groups, of which there are many. We do take the selling of these discs and merchandise on eBay very seriously and we are making every effort to investigate this, however we are not able to stop the selling of these at this stage. We'll be sharing your comments with our team to take into consideration in future promotions."
While it's cold comfort for those still trying to find the elusive missing discs, rest assured your kids will probably be over it by next week - just in time for the next fad.