There was a time when I was on eBay every day, filling every last collection with needed sports memorabilia, publications, golf balls, shot glasses, office supplies, car parts, concert tickets, plants, all sorts of things. Now, I own everything I ever wanted. So I spend less time on eBay than I used to. I still notice the odd auction from time to time, though.
I'd been following this for a while. "Buy this Cicada NOW before everyone else on your block has one!" It was up above $10 when the guy ended it early. "The seller ended this listing early because the item was lost or broken." I don't know why he couldn't find another one.
Apple sauce marked with lot 1337, number S4UC3 (which is like "SAUCE") sold for $16.50.
The listing for anatomically correct stuffed animals expired, but several mirror pages have popped up.
The listing for some guy's "ex-wife's underwear" was ended early by eBay. Thanks again, for mirror pages.
There are four different auctions selling "a grain of rice."
There is only one selling your own private tropical island in the nation of Belize. Opening bid: $1,900,000. I once bid that much on a villa in Italy, but the bid did not meet the reserve, so I was off the hook.
Apparently, you can't sell people or body parts. But it's all in the way you describe the listing. A listing for a cough drop sucked on by Arnold Schwarzenegger was yanked by eBay because it boasted of containing Arnold's DNA. An eBay spokesperson said the item might be acceptable as a collectible (like that chewed gum from some ballplayer last season). That makes no sense, but rules are rules.
The body parts rule applies to renting, too. Thus, that ugly 18-year-old lesbian who sold her virginity online got shut down. In another forum, she raked in £8,400. That's better than most other prostitutes, but a lot less than Anna Nicole got for marrying that old strip club patron. The winner was a 44-year-old BT engineer. But, of course.
And eBay halted an auction by a Taiwanese user who tried to sell three Vietnamese girls for a starting bid of $5,400. (Ya got any Russian brides, quack quack?)
You can, however, sell CDs entitled "How to Create Barely Legal Love Slaves, for Pleasure or Profit!!"
And animal body parts are fine. Like the bull penis cane. People are having fun with that one. But it is hardly unique. Search for penis on eBay and you'll get 900 hits, including three raccoon penises.
One man's new bride sold his collection of 3,500 Magic: The Gathering cards for $355. I assume they are highly collectible. I'd never heard of such a thing.
A much lower price was realized by an apparently disagreeable fellow who had a bad experience at McDonald's one day, and later auctioned off the fork he took home as a souvenir. The take: one cent.
A custom-made set of dolls in the style of Justin and Janet at the Super Bowl did much better: $366!
You heard of the guy who allegedly modeled his ex-wife's wedding dress for sale? Well, the winning bid of $3,800 was apparently entered by a hacker, and the seller ruined the victim's perfect feedback when the $3,800 wasn't paid.
The sorriest listing ever: a guy "in need of a few friends" offered to add the winner to his instant messenger list for $5. After a single bid, he "ended this listing early because the item was lost or broken." How rejected must that cancelled bidder feel?
Other prices:
A demonically possessed can of Coke: $200
Fine specimen of conglomerate (transl. it is just a plain old rock): offered at $21.95.
BMW 740 with "small dent" (transl. it has a truly huge dent and looks like crap): offered at $70,000. No sale.
Eurotunnel TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine): offered at £1,000. Sold for £39,999.00.
Huge underground facility, suitable for a Titan Missile Compound: Opening bid $3,950,000. No bids yet.
Yes, you can sell anything, however weird. But if you sell, don't get caught shill-bidding. A 36-year-old California man, Kenneth Fetterman, was just sentenced to 46 months in prison for engaging in a scheme to inflate bids for paintings he and his buddies listed on eBay.
So be bizarre, but don't cheat.
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