By: Natasha Archary
After a bag of air from Kanye West’s album listening event went on auction this weekend, Sizwe and the team were curious to know what was the silliest thing Kaya listeners have ever spent money on.
Absurd online listings get posted every day on the world wide web, from greasy fries to a ghost in a jar, nothing is off-limits for those looking for a bargain buy or something off-the-charts crazy.
Listen to some of the silliest things the Kaya Drive team noticed people willing to spend money on:
Also read: Fan auctions bag of air from Kanye’s DONDA listening event
Since eBay launched in 1995 in the US, people have been selling everything, including the kitchen sink. Listings on eBay grew in 2016 to 162 million users and 25 million sellers.
Sizwe mentioned the grilled cheese sandwich that went on auction in 2004 for $28,000 because it was said to bear an image of the “Virgin Mary.”
Diane Duyser’s sandwich fetched over 1.7 million hits on the auction site.
Here’s a list of 5 of the silliest things ever sold on eBay:
-
Celebrity gum
Imagine paying $500,000 for chewing gum that Sir Alex Ferguson, the former manager at Manchester United once twirled around with his tongue. This happened in 2013 and the full amount on Fergie’s not-so minty bubblegum was donated to charity. It was Fergie’s final piece of gum as Manchester United’s manager.
-
A cursed tie
Said to bring illness and death to the owner, the cursed tie was posted for little over $1,499
-
Rock ‘n Roll water
In 1977, North Carolina a cup that Elvis Presley had apparently sipped from went on sale 27-years later. The seller froze the cup the day he picked it up but sold it defrosted for $455.
-
Ghost in a jar
“Haunted” or “possessed” listings have a market as ghost jars and creepy dolls have all fetched handsome prices online. Possessed dolls that don’t need batteries but can laugh and walk anyone?
Salvatore Garau has sold his latest invisible sculpture. The work, titled “I Am,” doesn’t exist except in the artist’s imagination. The buyer gets a stamped certificate in exchange for $18,000.
Also read: Bottle of Pétrus, a French wine that orbited Earth for a year to go on sale for R14 million