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What You Can and Can't Sell on eBay

by Terrence O'Brien on February 12, 2009 at 06:45 PM

Recession Guide: What You Can and Can't Sell on eBay
We haven't seen any numbers confirming this yet, but we're pretty sure people are flocking to eBay to sell whatever they have laying around in order to supplement their income during the recession. However it is important to realize that while that 1st gen iPhone may be a good way to line your pockets with a little extra dough you can't auction off just anything on eBay.

eBay has some pretty stringent terms of service (TOS) that prohibit you from selling intangible items, drug paraphernalia, and other "inappropriate" things. So what's out?

  • Your virginity. Natalie Dylan attempted to auction off her cherry on eBay to pay for school. eBay politely told her to take it elsewhere, which she did. Nevada's Moonlite Bunny Ranch is now organizing the auction.
  • Yourself, or your soul. Falling under the category of a "non-item" you can't auction off your being or your eternal spirit. Sorry guys.
  • Your wife. There's a problem if your item can resist the idea of being auctioned off.
  • Your bong. Drug paraphernalia is a big no-no. Even if it's touched the lips of an Olympic record holder.
  • A Senate Seat. As a bunch of jokesters found out in the aftermath of the Rod Blagojevich scandal.


Despite these limitations you can still auction off phone numbers and your life. Interesting huh? [From: Wired]

Banned: Stuff You Cant Sell on eBay

    Natalie Dylan - Virginity
    Last January, Natalie Dylan, a 22-year-old college student from San Diego, was booted off eBay after she tried to auction off her virginity on the site. She has since hosted the auction on the Web site of a Nevada brothel. As of February 6th, the highest reported bid was $3.7 million.

    Apex A-600 DVD Player - hidden ability to deactivate Macrovision's copy-protection feature; removed at Macrovision's request
    In eBay's early days, lots of folks tried to sell the Apex A-600 DVD player, which had the hidden ability to deactivate Macrovision's copy-protection feature. After some calls from Macrovision headquarters, eBay took the auction down.

    Dante Knoxx (musician) - his soul
    This past December, UK musician Dante Knoxx failed in his attempt to sell his very soul on eBay. We think that's probably in his music career's best interest, truthfully. Judging from this guy's looks, he doesn't have much soul to spare.

    Man Tries to Sell Kidney
    The Ur of all banned eBay auctions is the case of an anonymous man who tried to sell his kidney back in 1999. The auction lead to a raging debate about privilege, health and ethics (and a highest bid of $5.7 million) before it was removed from the site.

    Kevin Mitnick (Hacker) - Prison Commissary Card
    Back in 2000, convicted hacker Kevin Mitnick used eBay to auction off the commissary card he carried during his stay in a Federal prison. After two days, eBay yanked the item, citing their opposition to selling government IDs.

    Getty Images

    Woman Selling 4- and 8-year-old kids
    In 2007, a 31-year-old mother of two in Benton, Illinois posted an eBay listing, trying to sell her children. While eBay promptly canceled the auction, Benton police found the children to be safe and sound, leaving them in the custody of their still-unidentified mother.

    eBay Lottery
    Possibly the most ingenuous of all banned eBay auctions was the one held by an anonymous entrepreneur in 2006. Selling 10,000 "tickets," for $2.50 a piece, he promised to give half of the auction's total take to the person with the winning ticket. Apparently no gambling men among them, the folks at eBay took it down.

    Mummy
    In 2006, 45-year-old Lynn Sterling/a> put a mummified human skeleton up for auction on eBay. The folks at eBay quickly kicked this sale to the curb, though not before a user named Satan's Child placed a bid of $500.

    AP/(Mark R Rummel)

    Man Tries to Ditch Cheating Wife on eBay
    Last May,     more than a little perturbed by his wife's behavior, Paul Osborn took his temper to eBay, where he offered to sell the "adulterous, lying, cheating, bitch, whore" Sharon to the highest bidder. As you might imagine, that auction didn't last too long.

    Man Attempts to eBay Himself
    In 2007, Michael Hault -- a student at England's prestigious Cambridge University -- went on eBay to sell himself. That's right. Himself. Brilliantly, in defense of eBay's removal of the auction, a company spokeswoman said, "He needs to be clearer what the buyer could expect."


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Tags: auction, ebay, recession, terms of service, TermsOfService, tos

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