The crypt above Marilyn Monroe's grave sold for $4.6 million dollars on eBay
How much would you pay for the Holy image of Virgin Mary on a piece of toast?
Someone bought this anointed piece of bread for $28,000
These items, of course, are quite absurd. Personally, I would not be very interested in being buried above Marilyn Monroe, or acquiring a Holy piece of bread. It's no problem if you do, as long as you are willing to pay.
Nevertheless, I do think that these type of auctions are quite the publicity stunts that certainly bring a lot of attention to eBay. These auctions are becoming a sort of trend that turn into free advertisements and free marketing to eBay's name and brand.
So why not enjoy them as a third party viewer? Why shouldn't eBay let a piece of toast sell for $28,000 dollars on their site? If there's someone hungry enough for some Eucharist bread, they'll pay for it. And all parties benefit... unless the bread gets moldy.
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1918340_1918344_1918380,00.html
Here's what I want to suggest to the online auction scams:
ReplyDeleteA legislation that requires online action sites to have some sort of 3rd party rating displayed on their home page or in a prominent location. That way people can see the risk they may be in shopping there. Maybe a clickable link that will provide answers like how does this company resolve fraud complaints, etc. I thought maybe a lot of prominent online auctions would have a FAQ page that would address this, or some page that helps consumers see how this is done, but most do NOT. They just stick up the middle finger because who can do anything about it? The FBI doesn't care about your petty claim, and they're about the only people you can appeal to that would be able to apprehend cyber criminal activity
Personally, I do not prefer the bidding wars. I would rather go to a Craigslist type of deal where you can bargain with the seller in person in some cases. But obviously you can't buy everything through them, don't mind the occasional buy if the timing is right. So I agree with Jenny that if available buy now definitely go for that option.
ReplyDeleteDepends on what your definition of an outrageous auction is? If there is a market to be buried above MM and someone is willing to pay a lot of money for the plot, is it ridiculous? Or for that piece of toast that looks like the Virgin Mary?
ReplyDeleteI personally would not spend $28 grand on any piece of toast, but I am not the only person on earth that is a capable Ebay bidder. People may say the same thing about professional athletes. No one should pay them so much a year, but someone always does, why? Because they have value and in capitalism a price is associated with that value.
I like Ebay because of the availability of goods at a reasonable price and for finding unusual items that you won't find at the mall everyday. I like Ebay because when I sell items, it gives me a larger market to sell to, therefore I can get a higher price than selling my goods on the nearest street corner.
I think that these are pretty outrageous, but if someone is willing to pay them, why not! Ebay has such a diverse array of products and I think that is the reason why it's so popular. You literally can search for anything and most of the time find it on Ebay. I think that people need to be smart about what they buy and aware of potential scams. I personally would never buy either of the above but I think that if others wanted to, that's their decision.
ReplyDelete