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Frightening,
unusual eBay auctions fetch high profits
Spooky
• Haunted items, such as a mirror
found in a graveyard and a candle holder,
have become the latest fad to hit eBay.
Other freaky items include a vampire killing
kit and a rubbery ducky that melts bath
toys. Yulian Danusastro / Online-Forty Niner
By
Brittani Bixler
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
When
eBay started up in 1995, it was not much
more than a garage sale with the typical
"one man's trash, another man's treasure"
items being auctioned off. Comic books,
trading cards, beanie babies and sports
memorabilia dominated the early trading
monopoly.
As
time passed, items being sold began to look
much different from the usual things found
at a yard sale. Objects came complete with
a description, which included the seller's
personal story of why they felt the need
to depart with this particular "treasure."
The story, which often came along with the
auctioned item, proved to be the hook which
baited the eccentric buyers.
A
piece of chewing gum once sold for $500.
This was no ordinary piece of gum, however,
for this was once chewed by pop superstar
Britney Spears. Shortly before, Justin Timberlake's
half-eaten piece of French toast was auctioned
off.
It
was obvious to many that some people will
pay hundreds, even thousands, of dollars
to have in their possession items that belonged
to their idol.
Do
not think it is only young entertainers
whose possessions fetch a profit. A Christmas
pudding given to an aide by Queen Elizabeth
II was once auctioned off on eBay, which
ultimately led to the aide's termination.
He left the palace with little pride, but
was $38 richer.
As
the world of online auctions evolves, eBay
has entered yet another stage. It proves
that buyers around the world not only want
to feel connected to the living, but oftentimes,
to the dead.
This
week's auctions hosted many items with the
simple descriptive title "haunted."
A
grieving granddaughter, shortly after her
grandmother's death, put a haunted candleholder
up for auction. The package will arrive
in 1-2 weeks and will include an ivory beeswax
candle and her grandmother's ghost.
Walking
in a graveyard at dusk with her friends,
a teenage girl found a haunted hand mirror,
which she placed on eBay with an opening
bid of $20. The description at the bottom
of the screen told her tale of her being
visited by a distant traveler in the mirror
by the name of Coralius. She also mentioned
that she did not promise the buyer would
receive such a visit. Obviously someone,
somewhere, believed they would also encounter
this traveling ghost. The mirror sold for
$100.
Even
innocent-looking bath toys are increasing
their owners' income. A haunted rubber ducky,
for $107, will cause other toys to melt
in its presence.
One
seller, while cleaning his garage, discovered
he had a vampire-killing kit that he felt
he just did not need anymore. The kit, which
included an ebony wood stake and a large
bottle of holy water, closed out the auction
with a high bid of $4,500.
Buyers
interested in purchasing something haunted
must first enter the "weird stuff"
category on eBay's home page. They then
must make a second decision the subcategory.
Would a haunted textbook be considered "slightly
unusual," "really weird"
or "totally bizarre?" My guess
would be "really weird", but eBay
offers all three subcategories just in case.
The
phenomenon of haunted auctions is something
that those who believe in ghosts take very
seriously. For others, however, it can be
seen as yet another way to make a quick
dollar. Cal State Long Beach senior Max
Knego admitted he would attach a "haunted"
title to something he was selling "if
it would increase the bids from people who
are into that stuff."
This
brings up an issue of what happens if a
buyer purchases something that is not really
haunted even though it is claimed to be.
CSULB senior Christi Krumm asked, "I
wonder if you could get your money back
due to the false advertising?"
When
asked if he felt that misled buyers deserved
their refund, CSULB junior Josh Kain sternly
answered, "No. It is their own fault
and I don't feel sorry for them."
So
next time you come across your old dusty
chemistry book, think twice before heading
to the trash can. Take a moment to slap
a haunted label on it, post it on eBay and
include your personal story of how an 18th-century
professor visits you in the night and gives
you answers for your upcoming midterm. Chances
are the "haunted" text will just
be exactly what an eager buyer is looking
for and may be worth thousands!
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