Even fathers' ghosts go on sale on eBay

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Date published: 12/11/2004

ONLINE AUCTION GIANT eBay has become the source for all sorts of odd, off-the-wall items.

In fact, it seems like at least once a month I see a news story about some offbeat product someone has decided to sell on the site. I've seen a real Soviet MiG-29 fighter jet, a piece of toast with a marking that supposedly was the Virgin Mary's image and a Santa doll that's flatulent when you pull his finger.

After seeing a story about a particularly odd auction item the other day, I discovered a new twist on the eBay phenomenon.

It seems that a few weeks ago, a woman decided she would list the ghost of her father for sale on eBay. The story goes that the woman's son thought his grandfather haunted their house, and he was terrified. The mother decided that the easiest way to allay her son's fears was to auction Pop's spirit form on eBay. In order to make sure the winning bidder got something to "prove" he or she had purchased their very own poltergeist, the woman promised to send her dad's walking cane along at the end of the auction. The auction ended at $75,000, though I seriously doubt that money ever changed hands.

Well, this auction caught the eye of a reporter, who wrote a story about it. Next thing you know, the eBay copycats began to strike. The ghosts of fathers all over the place began seeping and moaning their way out of the woodwork. My search for "father's ghost" on the auction site yielded several exact duplicates of the original auction, offering a cane and a spirit for a few bucks.

Other sellers have added items to the cane. One, for instance, has a jaunty purple hat his father wore.

Another seller says that her cat is afraid of her father's ghost. Her father, according to the auction, was "an avid cross-dresser." I'm not sure if that contributed to the cat's fears, but the winning bidder will get a picture of the cat as part of the deal.

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Date published: 12/11/2004