Electronic commerce company, eBay, was founded in 1995. A portal for people to sell merchandise or services worldwide. The company started small, but oh, how it grew into a juggernaut auction house.
You can buy just about anything and everything on eBay today. Household goods, furniture, collectibles, antiques, autos and so on. But the “so on” took a whole different meaning when the weird, the bizarre and the creepy items popped up for sale.
Yes, many items were against eBay`s policies and taken off the site, but some complied and were sold.
I bet you`re thinking, “What is WEIRD?”
Golf balls surgically removed from a snake`s gut – gross. Soiled underwear worn by Elvis (that`s for another blog) – gross, gross. Four good-looking Australian guys put their weekend up for auction, promising the winner a fun and entertaining couple of days with a lot of beer and jokes - AWESOME!
I have no idea why anyone would put that on an oddity list, do you?
In oddities, there are three categories: weird, creepy and bizarre. I chose to blog about the top five weirdest stuff ever sold on eBay.
5. Grilled Cheese Virgin Mary - $28,000
Seller Diana Duyser said she took a bite after making the grilled cheese sandwich and saw a face staring back at her. I would have ate the sandwich regardless of the so-called image; but this woman put the sandwich in a clear plastic box with cotton balls, and kept it on her night stand. Not for a day, week or a year, but for ten years! She said the sandwich never sprouted a spore of mold.
I can see a `face` but to say that`s the Virgin Mary, well, it`s sort of a s-t-r-e-t-c-h.
Sacred or science kept that bread fresh. I haven`t a clue. But Duyser saw an opportunity to make a buck or two. She listed the manna-from-Heaven, but eBay took it down due to their `factual` policy. Once eBay was convinced that Duyser would deliver the product as listed, eBay allowed the sale. An online casino, Golden Palace, saw an opportunity as well. They bought the holy bread and had t-shirts made of the image. The sacred sandwich received over 1,700,000 visitors since being posted on eBay. Holy Moly!
4. Vampire Slaying Kit - $4,550
Don`t believe in religion? How about vampires? Listed on eBay was a late 1800s European “Vampire Killing Kit.” Early modern European era filled with witch hunts and widespread moral panic. Of course, back then you would want or even NEED a kit such as this. One that included a crossbow with four silver-tipped arrows, an ebony wood stake, a large bottle of holy water and various surgical instruments crammed inside a solid mahogany wood box. Buffy just needed a stake and kick-ass martial art skills. After watching
Twilight, maybe the kit`s not a bad idea to have around the house.
3. Corpse of a Fairy - $430
Not into religion or myths.... How about magic? Take a good look at the photo. The 8-inch remains complete with wings, skin, teeth and flowing hair. Seller claimed the `fairy` was examined by anthropologists and forensic experts who confirmed the body was genuine. Riiight. (Let`s check the credentials of these so-called experts.) Description stated that x-rays of the fairy reveal an anatomically identical skeleton to that of a child. The bones, however, hollow like those of a bird making them particularly light. The puzzling presence of a navel, even suggested that the beings reproduced the same as humans, despite the absence of reproductive organs.
April Fools!
You guessed it. A true hoax on April 1st on the website of an illusionist Dan Baine from London. However, the dead Tinkerbell generated so much interest on his website, Baine decided to sell the fake fairy corpse on eBay. A private art collector in the United States bought it.
2. A Person`s Life - $384,000
What do you do when your six year marriage ends in divorce? Most people pick up the broken-heart pieces and go on about life. Not this guy. Ian Usher decided he wanted a fresh start, so he put his entire life for auction. His car, job, house, entire possessions and his friends.
Wait, what? Uh, he auctioned his friendships?
Well, an introduction to his friends. Not sure how they felt about that. Everything must go. Three-bedroom home and all of his possessions. Also, included was a trial at his job as a sales assistant at a rug shop. If the buyer could afford this guy`s life, I`m sure he didn`t need the sales job.
Usher wanted to complete a 100-item bucket list in 100 weeks. With only cash in his pocket and a passport, he walked away. My "life 4 sale" auction made international headlines and Disney bought the rights to his story.
Ian`s "life for sale" was #1 on most of the weird items sold on eBay list. I thought it was weird too, but not THAT weird. Actually, it was brilliant.
1. The Imaginary Friend - $3000
Not religion. Not myths. Not magic. Not life. What`s next is not REAL!
A man from the Newport, Wales listed his imaginary friend, Jon Malipieman, up for auction. Seller was 27-years old at the time and felt he had outgrown his uh, `imaginary` friend.
You know you want to
laugh out loud!
In the auction description: “He is very friendly. Along with him, I will send you what he likes and dislikes along with his favorite things to do and his personal self-portrait.”
And how do you ship an imaginary friend? Inside an envelope – duh!
In the end, who is nuttier? The one who sold the item or the one who bought the item?
You tell us.
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ALSO
Top 5 Most Expensive Artwork (Ugly) Sold At Auction
Top 5 Most Expensive Fruit Sold At Auction
About the Author...
Chuck G. is a freelance blogger and celebrity interviewer based in Southern California. She`s quite the geek who likes to play arcade games and writes/produces short films. You may follow her on Twitter @chuckgwriter.