What does MIB/MISB mean?

[joeguy28]

not just in mint ocndition inside the box, but the items are still sealed in their original packaging, bags inside the box, and only the box has been open, but not the contents.

any deviation from this is a dishonest seller.

I totally agree with this. IMHO, an item can not be mint out of the bags, and even some in bags are not mint. To me once you open either side of the box, the MISB is out. And after any bags are opened the MIB is gone. A vehicle can not be mint in box after it is put together! As most vehicles will not fit back into a box once put together, at least without deforming the box.

This confusion of terms recently got me too when I won an auction of MOC Joes and a friend suggested they weren't sealed, which they ended up being, but I was indeed worried for a time.

I actually feel that pesky "S" is newer than MIB & MOC. I honestly don't remember MOSC & MISB being around prior to eBay. A search of GI Joe items suggests MIB is the more popular term for sealed items too. Urbandictionary agrees MIB = sealed.

Making a distinction between the two forms makes me think: What if I take a "MIB" figure out? Is it now MOB? Or how about under the box? MUB? What if I glue a figure to the corner of the box? What if a different figure is placed in the box? The "mint" item has no description of whose box we're using.

I just wish there were (still) only "MIB"/"MOC" and "loose". As I suggest above, a loose figure with a box could obviously be in any position relative to some box.

Since there isn't a consensus, and probably never will be, I suggest reading those descriptions closely.

All I got ot say to this is it's some "out of the box" thinking!

[gnawgahyde]

In the case of ebay it stands for:

MIB Man I'm Beat (sellers usually lie about this)
MISB Man Is Surely Buyingit (seller knows it will sell the item)

[Snake-eyes01]

I believe IMHO "Mint" means NEVER been touched by human hands (outside the factory of course!) & that goes for figures as well. If they are loose even with the box use the grading system C-9, C-8, etc. MISB has to have both factory taped ends without double-taping or tampering otherwise it's MIB only if the bags are still sealed.

[The Mad Bubbler]

Yeah, I think people use the term 'mint' too loosely. it is almost impossible for any loose item to be completely mint. Let's say you have a moc Crimson Guard, and the bubble falls off of the card, but even though it was completely unused, there is a tiny paint scuff on the heel. Boom. Not mint. A lot of loose sellers will describe things as 'mint' when they're really in very nice shape, say a solid c-9 (though sometimes you get those people who would describe lesser items as 'mint'), but mint for a loose item is very difficult to find. When an item is unopened, or with a boxed item, if the box is either unopened, or the contents are still sealed in bags, I guess it's kind of assumed that the item is 'mint,' due to being unused (though, technically, there are times when this wouldn't be the case if you opened the item). So, I would define 'MIB" as mint in box, unused contents, but the box isn't sealed. 'MISB' is mint in a sealed, never-opened box. 'MOC" is mint on a never-opened card. I would not consider a re-sealed or sliced bubble figure to be MOC. I had a problem with a shady seller on ebay a while back, who sold me a bunch of 'MOC' figures, that all turned out to have opened bubbles. I bought a Cobra-La 3-pack from him that was described as having an opened bubble, yet the others mentioned nothing about it in their description. Since it was mentioned in the 3-pack's description, you would figure it would be the exception, as opposed to the rule, for his auctions. I explained to him that these were simply loose figures, witht heir opened packaging with them, but I couldn't get a refund. So, be wary of buying packaged items, as one person may have different ideas from another as to what some of these terms mean; or, worse yet, may be trying to scam people, as I think the ebay seller in my case probably was.

[Volleydan]

Count me in with those who think "MIB" means that the item should still be bagged up, unassembled, no stickers applied, and in its original box...."MISB" would mean that the box has never been opened.

I always thought if something had been removed from the box and assembled it should be referred to as a "loose with box" item.

The bottom line is that you simply can't bid on an auction anymore without checking the fine print - and asking the seller if you have any questions at all. Too many people have too many different opinions about what these things mean. That doesn't necessarily mean they're dishonest....just different.

[thunt4]

Its funny how time changes the terms associated with each one. 15 years ago mib meant sealed box same as moc .mwb was used for items that came in an opened box but sealed contents and if it was loose with a box they just plain said that instead of misleading you. Today moc still means the same but misb has taken over mib. Those terms were out there before but rarely every used.To me mint meant never played with. Like if someone removed a figure and never played with it then that was mint. You really have to know what to look for in the pictures when looking at misb items because a lot are reseals.

[gunslingercbr]

Well that sounds more like Mint In Sealed Bag with a box, to me. I don't believe a seller is dishonest if they use MIB in their auction. As long as the toy is mint and it's in the box

I believe the reason we add "Sealed" to anything is for one reason, the item has never been opened. Personally If I'm buying a MISB item, I would rather have the item in the sealed bag with the box open just to make sure all the parts are there. I would hate to spend hundereds of dollars on a toy that's sealed and then find out that there was a factory error years ago and this particular piece is only half a vehicle.

I think you are wrong, and if these descriptions are to have any meaning whatsoever they have to be absolute and not a matter of opinion. they have to have strict meanings that are adhered to by everybody so that there is no confucion when two people are communicating.

MIB does not mean you can place a loose toy in a box and call it MIB because it is now In a Box. No, MIB is a direct reference to the factory condition of the toy and its factory packaging, and directly refers to the fact that it has never been out of its package, and thus is mint.

just because the dynamic of a loose toy being in a box is technically In a Box, that doesn't mean it adheres to the actual description of MIB. if sellers want to create a description for it, it should be LMIB, or Loose Mint in Box, which describes what that is accurately. the difference between and MIB and LMIB item is night and day, so trying to pass one off as the other is dishonest.

[dfunk7]

i dont care either way, im assuming there were pictures for you to clearly see if it was your definition of mib or his

this is why the most reputable ebay dealers dont really use a grading system and just try and give a good description

i persoanlly feel mib means the item is opened but in great shape and comes with the box ( but the definition has nothing to do with the condition of the box)

I definitly dont agree that mint in the box should mean the its still sealed but just the box is open, to me that seems odd, how many people honestly open the box just to see whats in it then sit it on a shelf for 20 years, if you were gonna do that you would leave it unopened, but we all know hasbro glue sucks half the time, and things come unglued thats probably why people say misb with one side open for me who knows who cares, i read the description and veiw the pics and that all i can go by

[joeguy28]

i dont care either way, im assuming there were pictures for you to clearly see if it was your definition of mib or his

this is why the most reputable ebay dealers dont really use a grading system and just try and give a good description

i persoanlly feel mib means the item is opened but in great shape and comes with the box ( but the definition has nothing to do with the condition of the box)

I definitly dont agree that mint in the box should mean the its still sealed but just the box is open, to me that seems odd, how many people honestly open the box just to see whats in it then sit it on a shelf for 20 years, if you were gonna do that you would leave it unopened, but we all know hasbro glue sucks half the time, and things come unglued thats probably why people say misb with one side open for me who knows who cares, i read the description and veiw the pics and that all i can go by

There was one pic stright on from the front and I asked the lady about it before buying and she said it was MISB, so I bought it. And then when it came in and I asked her about it, she said she had no way of knowing what the condition of the sealed toy was. Well seeing as the box is in very good condition besides having the flag points cut out, but I could see the zip lock logo on the bag inside though the hole the points left, I found that hard to believe. And that box is a glued box, both sides of this one were taped. I believe I was mislead and therefore complained.

And on this MIB/MISB, I did find two sellers on ebay last night that understand the concept. A Smasher and IMP both with beat up boxes that are opened, but the bags sealed defined as MIB! As I don't keep boxes, they just take up space, I got some really good deals on those two.

For you guys, does MIB or MISB carry any suggested meaning for the box itself?

[gunslingercbr]

i dont care either way, im assuming there were pictures for you to clearly see if it was your definition of mib or his

this is why the most reputable ebay dealers dont really use a grading system and just try and give a good description

i persoanlly feel mib means the item is opened but in great shape and comes with the box ( but the definition has nothing to do with the condition of the box)

I definitly dont agree that mint in the box should mean the its still sealed but just the box is open, to me that seems odd, how many people honestly open the box just to see whats in it then sit it on a shelf for 20 years, if you were gonna do that you would leave it unopened, but we all know hasbro glue sucks half the time, and things come unglued thats probably why people say misb with one side open for me who knows who cares, i read the description and veiw the pics and that all i can go by

but by that criteria, MOC doesn't have to mean that it is still sealed on the card, just simply that it comes with the card. hardly makes sense, does it? Like I said, these aren't about what we "personally feel," or how we "personally" use them, the purpose of such descriptions is to communicate a condition specifically and eliminate confusion, thus the basic principles of their meaning have to be the same or else they are absolutely useless. MIB and MOC are not subjective, it is absolute, or else they mean nothing.

this is the problem. originally, there was MOC - Mint ON Card, not with card, and MIB - Mint IN Box, not Mint With Box. those were created to convery a very specific description of the condition of the product.

now, that did not convey the condition of the package, so you then qualified that as MIB, c-5. that means that the item is MIB, but the box is in poor shape. with a MIB or MOC rating, there is not need to identify the condition of the toy, because the toy is MINT - It has never been out of its packaging, thus is why the description is MINT in the first place. a MIB c-10 meant Mint in Box, with the condition of the box perfect. sure, how someone judges a c-9 from a c-8 is subjective and can't be avoided, but the MIB is absolute.

see, with a MIB or MOC description, you are inherently talking about the condition of the package, not the toy. but once the toy has been opened, it no longer qualifies as MIB or MOC. is a figure that is resealed on the card MOC? absolutely not, but by your criteria, when applied to carded figures, it is. and it is illogical not to apply that criteria to carded figures when the practice is the same.

the problem is people then started to expand the use of MIB dishonestly to make their auctions sound more attractive. and yes, there are plenty of toys where the boxes have been opened but the contenst were never removed from the packaging, that is why MISB - or Mint in Sealed Box was created, to differentiate that from an item that was still considered MIB, but simply had the seal on the packaging opened, but the contents never removed.

but, as I said, people started to say MIB to mean a toy with its box to make their auction sound more appaling, but that is dishonest usage of the term. they do that so when someone who is looking for a MIB item using that key word, their own auction pops up. this is a problem because now people have to wade through a myriad of auctions that they believe are MIB and waste their time opening a page and reading only to find out it is not. it is a dishonest marketing trick to create more exposure for their item at the expense of the searcher's time.

these terms mean nothing if people create their own meaning for them to describe their items or dishonestly expand them to make their own auctions sound better. that would be like if we all just named our figures whatever we wanted. say, I called Snake Eyes Cobra Trooper, listed an auction for an army builder lot of Cobra Troopers, only for you to find a lot of 3 t-crotch JvC Snake Eyes. sure, you saw the pictures and can decide not to buy it, but isn't that a waste of time because I simply wanted to "personally" call those figures Cobra Troopers. that is what expanding the meaning of MIB to mean mint to that comes with box is doing.