eBay Sightings!

[CaptBob]

I figured there enough out there to create a topic just for "eBay Sightings" and to kick it off, I offer you this twisted MRE creation:

The "MRE Katrina Handbag"

http://cgi.ebay.com/MRE-Katrina-Handbag ... dZViewItem

[kman]

Thanks, CaptBob - I was wondering someone was going to post that auction. I saw it yesterday. Good use of spare MRE bags and electrical cord. I'm especially impressed with the grommets they used around the holes in the bag - I probably would have used duct tape but this person went the extra mile.

[DIRTYDAVE]

LOL, now that is funny!

[DIRTYDAVE]

hell devil, since your wife bought you a pink MRE shirt, you should atleast reciprocate and buy her one of these MRE handbags...LOL!

[CaptBob]

Well, the guy with "about 50 cases of unopened and approx. 10 cases that have been opened" old, dark brown MREs has posted a couple of auctions which show the same open MRE case, but he's selling individual MREs. Opening bid: $2.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 8738075973

What's amusing (besides the fact that these are all over ten years old) is that he says, in the description, "If you are interested in certain meals let me know before shipping." Any list of menu items? Nah.

Gee, do you have any Porterhouse steaks . . . with, maybe a nice baked potato smothered in sour cream and chives?

This is the guy that someone contacted at one time to see if we could get the whole bunch and divvy up among us.
Dibs on the Pork with Rice and BBQ Sauce!

[kman]

And doesn't he want something like $4 shipping per MRE. Yeah...right.

These MREs are from 1991 and 1992. Probably still good...but I'd only pay about $1 each for them.

[mw509]

Oh yeah twenty year old dehydrated pork and beef patty!

http://cgi.ebay.com/MRES-Meals-Ready-To ... dZViewItem

[CaptBob]

What do you consider "new"? Almost four-year-old MRES?

Someone does: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 8742581203

I actually wrote to him -- not being one to hold back on the wealth of information I possess -- and told him that while the case may be unopened, it is hardly new.

He wrote back!:

how long d o you think the military holds there mre's before they use them. new means that they are new until expiration date. why do you think they are made the way they are

Even with spelling errors, it sure sounded to me like he was asking for some of that wealth of information, so I replied:

Hi Tom,

To answer your first question: they don't hold onto them for very long. They get shipped out overseas or are sent to bases and used for training.

As for your MREs being "new", they were made Feb 28, 2002. According to the Defense Logistics Agency's website (http://www.dscp.dla.mil/subs/rations/pr ... mreabt.htm), "The shelf life of the MRE is three (3) years at 80 degrees F. However, the shelf life can be extended through the use of cold storage facilities prior to distribution." How were your MREs stored? Besides, most cases of MREs on eBay are from production years 2004-2005, so I wouldn't consider anything prior to that "new".

Your final question -- "why do you think they are made the way they are" -- is simple. They are made to be easily transported and consumed by our troops. The retort pouches contain already cooked food so they can be consumed cold or hot. The slender pouches heat more quickly than if they were in boxy containers. They are even beginning to make "pocket sandwiches" similar to the commercially available "Hot Pockets" for eating on-the-go.

Good luck with your unopened, but not necessarily new, MREs.

So, THERE!

I don't doubt that he'll probably end up getting $40-50 for his case of almost four-year-old MREs, even though the pictures really tell the story:

[Twobravo]

LOL. PWN'D!!

[CaptBob]

It's closing very soon, but I saw these Wornick MREs on eBay and was curious as to the packaging.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 8749918817