Buzz
The online world has turned into a massive global bazaar, much like a worldwide yard sale. If you've ever wandered through such sales, you'll encounter plenty of peculiarities. While we've previously highlighted oddities from eBay auctions, this list expands to include all online marketplaces. A quick note: determining the sincerity of these listings is tricky. It's entirely possible the sellers were joking. You be the judge.
10. Sperm Whale Remains
In May 2014, an unexpected visitor washed ashore on a beach near Cape St. George, Newfoundland: a 40-foot (12-meter) deceased sperm whale. The local authorities, tasked with its removal, sought a cost-effective solution. Initially, they considered renting a 50-foot (15-meter) vessel to tow the carcass back to sea, but it proved insufficient. After days in the surf, the decaying whale began emitting a foul odor. In a last-ditch effort, Mayor Peter Fenwick listed it on eBay.
Fenwick clarified that the goal wasn't profit but finding someone to remove the whale. Bidding reached $2,000 before eBay removed the listing due to its policy against selling animals, alive or dead. Environment Canada also informed Fenwick that selling an endangered species, even deceased, violated Canadian law. Fortunately, nature intervened as high tides and strong winds carried the carcass back to sea, resolving the issue.
9. A Human Soul
Although the devil might offer a tempting bargain for a secondhand soul, eBay strictly prohibits such sales. When questioned about this policy, eBay stated: “If souls don’t exist, selling them would be impossible. If they do exist, eBay’s policy on human remains and body parts forbids their sale.”
It turns out eBay’s policy exists for a reason: people have attempted to auction their souls for years. In 2008, a member of the band Paradigm tried to sell his soul for 25,000.50 pounds (approximately $37,500 at the time—the extra half pound remains a mystery). But that’s not all! The deal included updates on his soul’s status, a share of his band’s earnings, and an annual birthday card. He even included a clause allowing him to repurchase his soul for 100,000,000 pounds ($150,000,000).
8. Excrement
Selling feces has carved out a niche in online marketplaces, though some argue this practice has existed for years. Mailpoop.com offers a humorous gift: a box of dog poop. Prices vary based on the size of the dog, with a 110-pound (50 kg) dog producing 2 pounds (1 kg) of smelly delight for just $20. Their website even features a gallery of their dogs in action.
For those seeking a more unique experience, Shitexpress.com offers sealed containers of horse, gorilla, or elephant dung. This product is often intended as a prank, accompanied by an anonymous note from someone the recipient has annoyed. Messages range from “A warm gift from me to you” to “I despise you.” A side note attempts to offer perspective: “Reflect on your actions. This was sent because you likely upset someone. Stay calm—no harm done. Use this as a chance to improve yourself.”
7. Belly Button Lint
Seasoned garage sale enthusiasts often stumble upon items they never imagined anyone would want, let alone sell. While the adage says one person’s trash is another’s treasure, I say it’s often just trash. eBay is filled with such listings, from empty toilet paper rolls to used makeup containers, often repurposed for crafts to avoid landfills.
Then there are listings like 72 Taco Bell mild sauce packets for $18 (yes, they’re free at the restaurant). Or an iPhone 7, battered as if it met a garbage disposal, listed as “functional but needs screen repair” for $500. Another seller offered a rusted “portable fire pit” on a chair base for $100, while someone else tried to sell a “rare” four-nut peanut for $500.
The crown for the strangest listing goes to a Baltimore man who posted on a MOPAR forum, offering his collection of belly button lint in exchange for a muscle car, motorcycle, rifles, gold coins, or cash. His multi-colored navel fluff, stored in dated plastic containers, came with a plea for serious offers and a warning against lowballers.
6. Single-use Plastic Bag
Some sellers focus on items no longer commonly found, such as discontinued products like VHS tapes or nostalgic memorabilia like Care Bear keychains or Ross Perot campaign buttons. Others, however, overestimate the nostalgia factor. For example, one seller listed a “2019” pencil for $49, claiming pencils were outdated—despite it lacking an eraser. Another offered two snowballs from the January 2016 NYC blizzard, priced at $10,000 plus $2,000 shipping, without explaining how their authenticity could be verified.
An inventive Australian seller tried to capitalize on nostalgia just one year after single-use plastic bags were banned. They framed a plastic bag, titled it “The Last Plastic Bag,” and listed it for $250. It might take centuries before anyone feels nostalgic about such an item. Check back then.
5. Harambe-Shaped Flamin’ Hot Cheeto
The tendency to see familiar shapes in random objects, like faces in mashed potatoes or animals in clouds, is known as pareidolia—a mental shortcut to make sense of chaos. However, spending exorbitant amounts on worthless items due to this phenomenon is less rational. A famous example is Diane Duyser’s 1994 grilled cheese sandwich, which she believed bore the image of the Virgin Mary. She preserved it in a plastic case for a decade, and in 2004, sold it on eBay for $28,000.
But that’s just the beginning. In 2008, a Texas man bought a cornflake shaped like Illinois for $1,350 and arranged for someone to pick it up in Virginia. This decision came after another cornflake, marketed as the world’s largest, was mailed to him and arrived broken. Another cornflake, resembling Australia, reportedly sold for over $200.
Religious imagery often appears on food items. In 2005, a pierogi bearing the likeness of Jesus sold for $1,775 after being cooked on Easter. Jesus has been spotted on various foods, including a banana peel, a potato chip, a burnt fish stick, a pizza crust, and, of course, grilled cheese sandwiches. He’s even been seen on a Cheeto, both on a cross and walking.
The unique shapes of snack foods have sparked intense online bidding. A Cheeto resembling Superman in flight was listed for $5,000. A Dorito shaped like a pope’s mitre sold for $1,209 in 2005. In 2017, a Flamin’ Hot Cheeto shaped like Harambe, the famous gorilla, fetched nearly $100,000. Harambe had been tragically killed in 2016 after a child fell into his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo.
4. Country Jacuzzi Hot Tub
Some online offerings are services rather than products. For those tired of parental pressure to find a partner or awkward blind dates, services like Invisible Boyfriend or Invisible Girlfriend provide a solution. Users complete a questionnaire to create their ideal partner’s personality, choose a fake photo, and select a backstory. They receive texts from their “partner” and can even arrange for gifts or flowers on special occasions—though sexting is off the table.
Some companies offer services like fake job references or alibis for skipping work or cheating on a partner. You can hire professional wedding guests to fill seats, paparazzi to make you feel famous, or even rent a wife to experience married life before committing. This service doesn’t include intimacy—just tasks like cooking, laundry, and cleaning, reminiscent of a 1950s marriage.
Not all services are created equal, and the internet is full of questionable offerings. One cake decorator, after receiving harsh criticism, claimed to have improved overnight thanks to the feedback. They posted a photo of a cake featuring a jagged, egg-shaped window with a figure resembling Joan Rivers or a grimacing Tinker Bell. Proud of their progress, they raised their prices.
A seller advertised a “country Jacuzzi hot tub” for $9,500, made by cutting a steel tank in half, adding seating, and using a campfire for heating. They promised the water would heat in two hours and stay warm all night. However, a brand-new, high-quality Jacuzzi with advanced features costs about $3,000 less.
3. Grandma’s “Denchers”
Online marketplaces often become stages for personal drama. In 2008, a woman found a condom wrapper and unfamiliar underwear in her bed, evidence of her husband’s infidelity. She attempted to auction the items on eBay but was blocked due to policies against selling used intimates. Instead, she sold a photo of the items, noting the condom wrapper was for a “size small.” She also planned to sell his Harley Davidson for 99 cents. Similarly, in 2013, a radio host’s wife, angered by his on-air flirting, sold his $45,000 Lotus Esprit Turbo for just 77 cents.
Some ads serve as emotional outlets, offering a way to vent frustrations. An Oklahoma City woman listed her husband’s riding lawnmower for $500, adding biting remarks like, “It’s got fewer miles than his girlfriend. Barely used, unlike his cheap girlfriend… It’s a lawn tractor. Not sure what that means; the only plowing he did was on her.” Another seller offered a free $1,600 couch and loveseat set, barely a month old but visibly damaged. She admitted to stabbing the couches during a fight with her husband, writing, “We made up and I moved back in,” followed by a sarcastic “nahhhhhhh hahahaha.”
In 2016, a British woman left her husband for another man, taking his car and abandoning her 2004 Smart Roadster. Her husband, who despised the car, sold it along with her belongings on eBay, vowing to use the money to get drunk and hire a prostitute.
In 2020, a woman browsing a used fashion marketplace recognized her boyfriend’s bedroom in a photo of a T-shirt listing. After confirming the seller was indeed her boyfriend, she confronted him. The seller apologized but then had the audacity to ask if she still wanted to buy the shirt.
2. Crypts Near Marilyn Monroe’s
Celebrity obsessions are nothing new. When the Beatles toured the U.S. in 1964, fans stole and sold items like ashtrays, bath mats, and even soap from their hotel rooms. Pool water from their Miami swim was bottled as “Beatle Water,” and their bedsheets were cut into 7,200 squares, each authenticated with details about which Beatle slept on it. Recently, sets of these fabric swatches sold on eBay for $150 per set.
Recent examples of celebrity memorabilia sales include Scarlett Johansson’s used tissue ($5,300), Justin Timberlake’s uneaten French toast ($3,154), Lady Gaga’s fake fingernail ($13,000), and William Shatner’s kidney stone ($25,000). Britney Spears’ personal items have also fetched high prices, such as her used chewing gum ($14,000), a half-eaten egg salad sandwich ($520), and a pregnancy test taken from her hotel bathroom ($5,000).
Marilyn Monroe’s personal life has been exploited both during her lifetime and after her death. In 2010, three chest x-rays taken during her 1954 hospital visit were auctioned. The frontal x-ray sold for $25,000, while the two profile images each fetched $10,000.
Monroe was buried in a crypt at Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park, purchased during her brief marriage to Joe DiMaggio. After their 1954 divorce, DiMaggio sold the crypt above hers to Richard Poncher. When Poncher died in 1986, he requested to be buried face-down to “look at Marilyn for eternity.” His widow, Elsie, claims his wish was fulfilled.
In 2009, Elsie attempted to sell Poncher’s crypt to pay off her $1.6 million mortgage. The auction started at $500,000 and reached $4.6 million, but the winning bidder defaulted. Eleven others who bid over $4.5 million also withdrew, leaving Poncher’s crypt unsold.
Another widow tried to auction a crypt near Monroe’s, starting at $250,000, but received no bids. Meanwhile, Hugh Hefner bought the crypt next to Monroe’s for $75,000. When Hefner was buried there in 2017, fans were angered, as he had used Monroe’s 1948 nude photo without her consent to launch Playboy in 1953, never compensating her or apologizing for the damage to her career.
1. A Scent of Brangelina
In the 1987 movie Spaceballs, Mel Brooks’ character, President Skroob, inhales clean air from a can labeled “Perri-air” to escape his planet’s pollution. Little did Brooks know how prophetic this would become. Today, clean air is a lucrative business, especially in heavily polluted regions like China and India. Vitality Air earns $300,000 yearly by bottling 8 liters of mountain air from Alberta, Canada, selling each for $32. This follows their initial success in 2014, when they sold a Ziploc bag of Alberta air on eBay for $169. You can also buy jars of British air for $113 or a Ziploc bag of air from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which sold for $20,100 in 2015.
Celebrity air fetches even higher prices. In 2015, a Ziploc bag of air supposedly from a Kanye West concert during his Yeezus Tour was listed on eBay starting at $5. After 90 bids, it sold for $60,100. Capitalizing on the trend, 20 more bags of alleged Kanye concert air were auctioned, with one listing boasting, “Air taken from FRONT ROW SEATS; POSSIBLY CONTAINS KANYE’S BREATH!!!” Kim Kardashian, Kanye’s then-wife, tweeted, “Wow, he can sell anything!”
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, another iconic couple now divorcing, also inspired a bizarre auction. In 2010, a jar supposedly containing their breath from a red carpet event was listed on eBay. There’s no proof the jar was near them, that they exhaled into it, or even that it was at the event. Despite this, someone bought it for $523.
