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Bizarre Items are practically a category of their own on eBay. Sure, most of us have an account—even if we rarely use it anymore. While eBay was once the go-to platform for buying and selling second-hand goods, it’s now better known for being a treasure trove of the strange and unexpected. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen on eBay? Chances are, it’s got nothing on some of the truly bizarre items people have listed (and sold!) on the platform.
1. Lint From Stephen Curry’s Hair
Canadian rapper and music mogul Drake showed up to Game One of the NBA Finals between his Toronto Raptors and the Golden State Warriors with his trolling A-game. If wearing a Dell Curry Toronto jersey wasn’t enough, Drake allegedly picked lint from Curry’s hair on the sidelines during a verbal face-off. Drake then told the world via Instagram he would auction the lint on eBay. While the rapper never followed through, others tried to pass a piece of fake lint off as Curry’s.
2. Unopened Coke Can
Unopened vintage Coke cans can fetch upwards of $100 in auctions, but did you know factory defect cans are worth much more? One example is currently on eBay: “Can was discovered in a 12 pack and was immediately put into storage,” says the product’s item description. The can has a completely airtight seal yet only weighs 13.0 grams, which means it is bone dry on the inside!” The price for this can is $100,000 or the best offer.
3. Ghost in a Jar
In a weird moment for online commerce, a mysterious, creepy jar appeared on an Arkansas eBay account. The since-deleted account, Teajay101, offered a “Ghost in a jar! No Joke, Serious Inquiry Only.” What’s more, the seller preemptively disclaimed any responsibility should the “black thing” escape the jar—clearly, Teajay was no marketing expert.
4. An Illinois-Shaped Cornflake
Imagine you’re sitting down to breakfast. The coffee is brewing, the birds are chirping — it’s like any other morning. Except today, as your cereal rains into the bowl, you see an early-morning miracle: an Illinois-shaped cornflake is sitting there, staring back. Two types of people deal with this situation: one who smiles and eats the fantasy flake, while the other sells it on eBay for $1,350 — exactly what happened to two sisters, according to various accounts.
5. One Person’s Entire Life
Not everybody gets lucky with a Midwest state-shaped cereal flake. Instead, they think up new ways to cash in. British divorcee Ian Usher decided he wanted to get rid of everything after his five-year marriage in Australia failed. Wanting a reboot, he posted a listing titled “ALife4Sale — Life For Sale — Ian Usher” on eBay. The listing went viral with the help of a crafty marketing plan. Reports detail how, after a prolonged, disastrous auction where trolls pushed the reserve price to astronomical levels, Usher managed to find buyers for all his belongings, sold his life story movie rights, and bought a Caribbean island.
6. Justin Timberlake’s French Toast
For a while, Justin Timberlake was the most talked-about recording artist on the planet. His Justified album was going multi-platinum, and the pre-Internet mass media fawned over the ex-NSYNC singer. Following a New York radio interview, a savvy DJ retrieved some of Timberlake’s leftover French toast and put it on eBay as a publicity stunt. Amazingly, a teenage fan named Kathy Summers won Timberlake’s discarded breakfast with a $1,025 bid. I don’t want to know what happened to that French toast.
7. A Haunted Rubber Duck
Good news for Satanists everywhere who also have $666 sitting around — currently listed on eBay is a terrifying rubber “Demonic/Haunted” red duck. The listing description warns of the consequences of buying the evil bird, namely the “shadow people” that commonly appear in the same room. “If you sleep in the same room as the duck, you are guaranteed to have terrible nightmares,” says the seller. “This has been the case with every owner.” Serious inquiries only are expected — yes, it actually says that.
8. A Grandmother
Having them has many benefits, so why not advertise your grandparents on eBay? This thought hasn’t crossed many minds, but it did appeal to one young English girl named Zoe Pemberton. In a now-deleted listing, Zoe described her grandmother, Marion Goodall, as “annoying” though she conceded Grandma was “cuddly.” Sadly for the 10-year-old entrepreneur, UK regulations on human trafficking thwarted her efforts.
9. Britney’s Bubble Gum
We love Britney Spears, but recently, some of us have pined for “old Britney” because “free Britney” isn’t doing so well. Old Britney could spit her bubble gum out and start a bidding war…for her used bubble gum. In 2004, an event attendee collected Britney’s discarded gum. The verified glob fetched a whopping $14 million on eBay. That’s some impressive if somewhat horrid, entrepreneurship.
10. A House
When most people think about buying a house, eBay is the last place that comes to mind — and yes, eBay does have houses for sale. One property on offer looks innocent enough: “4 Bedroom House in Nova Scotia, Can w/ANTIQUE PIANO!” The listing asks viewers to make the post viral. However, it might go viral for the wrong reasons — one click on the photo shows a terrifying building custom-built for a slasher movie.
11. Guinea Pig Battle Armor
In a tragically deleted 2013 eBay listing, one eBayer posted the greatest item of all time: guinea pig battle armor. The product was as described: a shining, scaled-steel war suit with a fearsome polished battle helmet. On a great day for guinea pig rescue and battle technology, the suit sold for $24,300. The proceeds went to Metropolitan Guinea Pig Rescue in the Washington, D.C. area.
12. Donald Trump Chia Pet
This product must be seen to be believed. Introducing the Freedom of Choice Chia Donald Trump. Available on the As Seen on TV eBay page, the chia head is a sight to behold and a novelty gift for both sides of the political aisle.
13. Terrorist Data
In 2005, two years into the second Gulf War, a hapless British MI6 intelligence agent grew tired of his Nikon camera and decided to sell it for $30 on eBay. The bid winner became an unwitting international spy. The camera’s memory held photos, records, and details of Al-Qaeda terrorist cells. Moreover, top-secret, classified MI6 computer system data was also on the camera, much to the buyer’s astonishment.
14. A Cane Toad Purse
If a haunted rubber duck or guinea pig chainmail doesn’t wet one’s whistle, why not go for a real-life taxidermied toad purse? “Cane toads are a highly invasive species and are regarded as a major environmental pest in Australia and Asia,” says the seller listing. “This frog leather is carefully processed and slowly made into purses, wallets, and other accessory products.” It may sound like one, but it isn’t a fantasy — a real-life stuffed toad purse is available to take home today.
15. Iceland
A 2008 Reuters story reported the moment an Icelander decided to put his country up for sale following the global banking crisis. Iceland’s economic collapse was especially serious, with its three major banks imploding, wiping out 50% of the nation’s savings and pushing 25% of mortgage owners into default. One Icelander clearly tired of the meltdown, so he sold his country to the highest bidder. “Located in the mid-Atlantic ridge in the North Atlantic Ocean, Iceland will provide the winning bidder with a habitable environment, Icelandic Horses, and admittedly, a somewhat sketchy financial situation.” The good news is Iceland has since rebounded, so there’s no need to sell anymore.
The 41 Biggest Wastes of Money
If you’re looking for ways to earn more money to put toward your goals, start by examining your spending habits. By tracking your spending and seeing where every dollar goes, you’ll likely find several instances of spending money you don’t have to. It could be little things that add up or recurring monthly expenses that are an utter waste of money. Once you eliminate your bad spending habits, that money can go toward your emergency fund, paying off debt, or other essential things. Here are the 41 biggest wastes of money to look out for.
The 41 Biggest Wastes of Money
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