For Sale: One Life, Used

March 17, 2008 10:36 AM

Ian Usher's divorce prompted a decision to sell his entire life to the highest bidder. You can buy his life for A$230,000: clothes, home, vehicles - even his job & friends.
posted by batmonkey (18 comments total)

I'm sure the friends are thrilled. I'm not going to hold my breath on their video interviews showing up all that "soon".

(Also, the profusion of links for the rug store is a little suspicious.)
posted by DU at 10:48 AM on March 17, 2008

I can understand wanting to star a new life, but making myself an internet star is not how I would go about it.
posted by MNDZ at 10:50 AM on March 17, 2008

How much for just the Ex Wife? I don't have one of those....yet.
posted by Megafly at 10:57 AM on March 17, 2008

I'm guessing we're supposed to want to read his book.
posted by verisimilitude at 10:57 AM on March 17, 2008

The rug store: Jenny and Dennis at Jenny Jones Rugs, for their support and understanding when I needed it, and for the brave choice to offer a job as part of this auction. Thank you so much.
posted by jontyjago at 11:07 AM on March 17, 2008

I distinctly recall seeing a documentary about a guy in NYC who did this; the kid who bought his "NYC life" actually found it to be an amazingly worthwhile purchase (new arrival in the city, lonely, buys life, actually becomes friends with people, goes on to enjoy NYC while seller ends up sort of regretting it).

...Google, you have failed me for the last time!
posted by aramaic at 11:10 AM on March 17, 2008

aramaic,

What's the title of the documentary? Anyone? This sounds fascinating!
posted by arnicae at 12:00 PM on March 17, 2008

Well, I sorta found it. Not the exact documentary I saw, but the stunt it was based on.

All My Life For Sale

...the guy who bought the birthday party was, in the video I saw, quite enthusiastic about it. This was juxtaposed with footage of the seller alone in Iowa, talking about how weird it was that his old friends ended up liking the "new guy" and now here he was sitting in Iowa by himself.
posted by aramaic at 12:12 PM on March 17, 2008

Hm. It seems like the "All My Life for Sale" thing is different from the documentary mentioned - "All My Life for Sale" was a guy in Iowa individually selling each item and culminating in the sale of the domain name to the University of Iowa.

I'm extremely interested in knowing more about the documentary described, or even just details on the situation it chronicles.
posted by batmonkey at 12:32 PM on March 17, 2008

Sorry, but I've already bought all the friends I can afford.
posted by tommasz at 12:47 PM on March 17, 2008

Why would I want to buy this *proven* loser's life?
posted by monospace at 1:18 PM on March 17, 2008

get buy a life.
posted by hal9k at 1:29 PM on March 17, 2008

wtf - this guy is sellin reel stuff wen i just swoppid cash for isk an apexis cristals???
posted by Smart Dalek at 2:02 PM on March 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

Say what now?
posted by erebora at 2:05 PM on March 17, 2008

These stories always make me sad. Men--they're always men, as far as I know--do these publicity stunts after going through divorces or similar events. The point is like, "LOL, my life is such a mess! Woohoo!" but the joke is always really thin and it ends up being just actually sad.
posted by roll truck roll at 2:34 PM on March 17, 2008

roll truck roll:

Men--they're always men, as far as I know--do these publicity stunts after going through divorces or similar events. The point is like, "LOL, my life is such a mess! Woohoo!" but the joke is always really thin and it ends up being just actually sad.

Are you sure it's always men? I think we had a recent story where the shoe was on the other foot.
posted by A-Train at 2:09 PM on March 18, 2008

I thought buying a life was outlawed after the Civil War?
posted by Pollomacho at 2:12 PM on March 18, 2008

Actually yeah, you're right, A-Train. I was trying to create a pattern that wasn't there. It's a gender-neutral thing.

But it sure seems to happen to just white people.

:-) I AM JOKING
posted by roll truck roll at 4:30 PM on March 19, 2008