We’ve all taken eBay for a spin but I bet none of you know just how crazy some auctions on the site can get. From forehead tattoos and empty jars to baby’s and air guitars. Keep reading, so much more in store.
Ian Ushers Life
After the finalization of his divorce, Usher posted his famous “life for sale ad” on eBay. He was offering to sell all of his material possession, including his house, friends, and potentially his job as a sales associate, assuming the buyer passes the interview.
Usher eventually sold his “life” for just over $300,000. Since then, things have seemed to go pretty well for him. Usher used the money to start his life of adventure, in which he wanted to fulfill his 100 life goals in only 100 weeks. He has also written a number of books, his most famous being A Life Sold, which Disney is considering making into a full-length movie. If everyone’s life was guaranteed to go this smoothly after selling all of your worldly possessions, we bet a lot more people would be doing what Usher did.
Bridgeville, California
In 2002, a small town in California named Bridgeville was put up for auction on eBay. Bridgeville became the world’s first town to be auctioned off on the popular website. Until this point, it seemed no one wanted the little town, as it had gone through two different owners in five years. However, shortly after it was listed Bridgeville was sold for a modest $700,000, even though the original highest bidder had backed out. Oddly enough, the town went back up for sale on eBay in 2006 once again, this time selling for double what it had original at $1.25 million.
While it would be cool to have a town all to ourselves, we’re not sure what we’d do with it (besides name it after ourselves, duh). This could be a great strategy business wise, but if you don’t know how to care for a floundering town, then we can’t imagine things turning out very well. Perhaps that’s why this town keeps being re-sold and bough by different people. At this rate, Bridgeville will go back on the market soon and you can have the chance to buy your very own Californian town
The Original Hollywood Sign
This purchase may have been the fastest way to ensure you’re a part of Hollywood history forever. In 2005, someone bought the original Hollywood Sign for a little over $450,400 through eBay. The famous sign was first built by a real estate company to be a famous landmark in 1923. Since then, the sign (and, later on, its replacements) has become synonymous with the glitzy and glamorous lifestyles of those living in Hollywood.
When the original sign was eventually replaced, it was first bought by a nightclub promoter from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and put in storage. Fast forward to 2003 and the sign was sold once again. The new owner, who had paid a price in the six figures for the landmark, began selling pieces of the sign on picture frames and jewelry. Eventually, that same owner listed the sign on eBay for $300,000 where it then sold for over $400,000. Maybe this new purchaser will be a permanent owner for the sign, or else we might be seeing this landmark back for sale sooner rather than later.
Facts about Reddit
Dorito shaped like the Pope’s hat
The unique Dorito received over 34 bids before GoldenPalace.com put up over a grand. GoldenPalace.com is the Internet casino that had previously been in the news for purchasing the Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese. Of their unique purchase, CEO Richard Rowe commented, “We believe that this chip, like the Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese Sandwich, is another perfect example of American pop culture.” Okay, whatever floats your boat.
William shatner’s kidney stone
The 74-year-old actor’s kidney stone ended up selling for a ridiculous $25,000 to GoldenPalace.com, the same wacky online casino that bought the Dorito shaped like the Pope’s hat and the Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese.
Before the kidney stone sold, Shatner remarked, “This takes organ donors to a new height, to a new low, maybe. How much is a piece of me worth?” And he has a good point. We can’t imagine wanting a physical piece of a person so much that we’d spend such huge amounts of money on a kidney stone. The buyer must have been a huge fan of Star Trek or else we don’t know what prompted this big splurge.
Forehead Space
It’s hard to believe a company would actually think someone’s forehead is a good way to advertise. But, that’s exactly what SnoreStop seems to think. SnoreStop CEO Christian de Rivel is quoted as saying, “I look forward to an enjoyable association with Andrew – a man who clearly has a head for business in every sense of the word”. SnoreStop probably got more publicity from the media surrounding this eBay purchase of $37,375 than the actual advertisement itself. But, with that hefty paycheck, Fisher probably isn’t complaining.
Einstein’s letter
In 2012 A handwritten letter by Einstein from 1954 to philosopher Erik Gutkin questioning the existence of God sold for $3 million. Someone had some serious cash to spare.
An Air Guitar
Now we’ve come to my personal favorite, an air Guitar. Yes, someone was actually trying to sell an “autographed air guitar” for $15. You’d literally be paying for the box the item came in and the air inside instead of an actual physical product. The mystery still remains who exactly signed this one of a kind instrument, and we might never know.
This isn’t the only “air” product to appear on eBay during its years online. People have tried to sell all sorts of imaginary products- and sometimes people are weird enough to even bid on them. Don’t confuse an “air” product with an actual one, because there’s not too much music you can play on an airguitar. With that being said, if you’re actually in the market and willing to spend money on an imaginary item, then all the power to you. eBay is one of those places you can shop for whatever with zero judgment, so don’t be ashamed if all that’s on your wish list is an airguitar and a set of airdrums.
Ghost in a Jar
An Arkansas seller sold their ghost for just under $56,000 – a huge price tag for basically a jar of air. $56,000 is absolutely insane for a jar full of ajr. The seller reportedly found the jar in an abandoned cemetery, but they wanted to sell it after claiming the ghoul in the jar had been terrorizing them. The owner even warned potential buyers that they couldn’t be held responsible for anything that happened to them after the transaction.
This whole story is alarmingly unnerving, so we can’t imagine who was enticed to buy such a haunted item. While we doubt there’s an actual ghost living in the jar, having something with such a spooky history in our home is enough to give us nightmares. Whether the new buyer bought the ghost for a joke or because they’re intrigued by the paranormal, we hope they had better luck with their new ghoul friend than the past owner did.
The Right to Name a Baby
Unfortunately, this is one strange item that didn’t do very well in the online auction. eBay was initially unreceptive to Drummond’s idea, so it shut her auction down the first four times, even though it reached a bid of $41,000. He fifth auction came to a close at the end of August, but only reached $6,800. Even worse, the bidder then revealed he had no intention of paying the money or naming Drummond’s baby, and had instead only been trying to help the auction gain traction. As she was due that September, Drummond finally ended the auction. We hope Drummond’s family is in a better place financially nowadays. But, seriously, we want to know the name of that child!
Britney Spears Gum
Britney Spears has had her gum sold on eBay several times, with the highest winning bid coming in around $500. Surprisingly, the chewed gum of ex British soccer manager, Alex Ferguson, sold for a whopping $500,000!
Toast shaped like Saint Mary
Have you ever made toast and seen a religious figure in the burnt pattern? Diane Duyser sure has. She saw saint Mary in a piece of toast and preserved said toast in an air tight container filled with cotton balls. The woman held onto her relic for six years, and then sold it on eBay for $28,000!
Another forehead tattoo
Karolyne Smith offered her forehead as ad space to the highest bidder. Her intentions were good, but the means she used to collect the funds are questionable. Karolyne needed money to help put her son through private school. Apparently, she wasn’t able to take out a loan, so the next obvious way to get cash was to auction her forehead for ad space. Supposedly, the tattoo artist and everyone in the tattoo shop spent seven hours trying to convince Karolyne not to get the tattoo, but she did it anyway. How much did she get? $10,000. I’m not sure that I would ever do this, but if I did, I’d need at least a million dollars.
There was a follow-up article on Karolyne and her tattoo in 2018, over 13 years after the fact. Unfortunately, the money didn’t go as far as she thought it would, and at the time of the article, she was living in her parents’ basement.
Justin Timberlake’s French toast
A 19-year-old fan with some serious cash ended up purchasing the food for a whopping $1,025 – that has the most expensive plate of French Toast we’ve ever heard of. What we’re curious about is what this fan did with their purchase. Did they eat what was left of the French toast? Did they keep it in the fridge forever? Did they have it on display in their room, although mold would be a problem? We want answers now!