STEP 1 Buy 100 pieces of crap from thrift stores and garage sales.
STEP 2 Get 100 authors to write a fiction about pieces of crap.
STEP 3 ???
STEP 4 Profit!
Significant Objects hosts the stories for all 100 pieces of crap/art, but the last six are still available for bidding: Blue Vase by Lauren Mechling, Umbrella Trinket by Bruce Holland Rogers, Lighter Shaped Like a Small Pool Ball by Rob Agredo, Bar Mitzvah Bookends by Stacey Levine, Geisha Bobblehead by Edward "ed" Champion, and Missouri Shotglass by Jonathan Lethem.
posted by carsonb on Nov 14, 2009 - 12 comments

"What would you say if I told you that I filled my entire living room with completely original works of art for less than $300?" Andrea Dickson from Wise Bread has found an unlikely -- though, the more you think about it, almost obvious -- place to find original art from new artists: Ebay. If you can filter through the crapload of "artistic nudes", there are plenty of gems, and usually at buyers' market prices. And, as Andrea's mother mused, when it comes to decorating the house, it beats buying mass-produced art from Costco, which is about as original as a Big Mac.
posted by chakalakasp on Oct 1, 2008 - 35 comments

An online auction site called Swoopo, once called TeleBid, has hit upon an ingenious way to make money. They are an auction site not entirely unlike Ebay - but using a different auction scheme. Where EBay uses a slightly modified Vickrey auction system, Swoopo uses an auction system based on the "Dollar Auction" game - with interesting results. [more inside]
posted by Zarkonnen on Oct 1, 2008 - 31 comments

You talked to her father, prepared a YouTube worthy proposal, gathered all your courage.... and she said no. How will your life go on? And what are you going to do with the ring? Enter I Do... Now I Don't, an auction site that caters to broken-hearted lovers such as you. Started by a fellow who has been there. Buy if you dare. Via
posted by ThePinkSuperhero on Feb 26, 2008 - 19 comments

Invest wisely. End poverty.
posted by gman on Oct 25, 2007 - 30 comments

The Facebook Apps Top 30. Opening their source code to application developers, facebook won a strategic gamble. Now, these developers are making their own deals. The I am Hungry application went for just over $20,000, or around 13 cents for data of every user who signed up. But don't worry, you have a chance to bid for yourself.
posted by parmanparman on Oct 9, 2007 - 36 comments

Man buys Allsop, relists it as Allsopp - proving that on eBay, presentation is everything. via b3ta
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 on Aug 31, 2007 - 38 comments

Charity-by-Numbers. Re-Paint-By-Number. Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles is holding an exhibition & charity auction for The Alliance for Childrens Rights. The show features old paint-by-numbers art work that has been altered by many contemporary artists. You can find Before and After images of all the artwork in their ebay listings as well as many on the gallery's site. (Sorry, no direct link to the embedded feature.) Many larger views are on the Juxtapoz blog. Some are subtle, while others bury the original almost entirely.
posted by JBennett on Feb 14, 2007 - 1 comment

What you have purchased for less than the price of a cup of coffee is arguably one of the most important "lost" music recordings out there. Record collector Warren Hill paid 75 cents at a yard sale in Chelsea, New York for an acetate in a plain cardboard sleeve. After some research, Hill's friends confirmed that the acetate disc, recorded by sound engineer Norman Dolph (who also wrote Reunion's "Life Is A Rock But The Radio Rolled Me"), was the third recording ever made by the Velvet Underground and the first album they ever did. A demo rejected by Columbia Records, the acetate is now up for auction on EBay, where the high bid is $124,640.50 and climbing, already breaking records as the most expensive LP ever sold at auction. (Bonus: see a post from a teenage eyewitness to the VU's 1966 session that produced this acetate.)
posted by jonp72 on Dec 5, 2006 - 32 comments

eBay hilarity: "THIS VEHICLE HAS COME TO US VIA AN INSURANCE COMPANY, IT HAS TRAVELLED 32,000 MILES AND IS ONE NOT VERY HAPPY OWNER FROM NEW. MUST TELL STORY:" (via)
posted by NekulturnY on Feb 18, 2006 - 40 comments

Up for auction is Vincent Gallo's sperm.
posted by radiosig on Oct 31, 2005 - 22 comments

Own a piece of national tragedy. Rehnquist's original signed decision on the 2000 election recount, throwing the country over to the loser of the popular vote (and, quite possibly, the loser of the electoral college) is up for auction.
posted by jonson on Sep 10, 2005 - 39 comments

Buy the (new) Pope's (old) Mobile
I used Babelfish to translate it (Google's translation apparently doesn't work on eBay).
Only 1.7 million pageviews so far.
posted by fenriq on Apr 29, 2005 - 8 comments

This monkey business has finally gone too far [warning: cackling].
posted by thedevildancedlightly on Apr 13, 2005 - 17 comments

You can buy a pair of invitations to a wedding I don't want to go to
posted by iffley on Oct 20, 2004 - 18 comments

For Sale: Slightly Used, Amazingly Versatile 7-Letter Kit. (Letters included: L-I-N-D-O-W-S) Warning: Improper placement of W may result in lawsuits.
posted by Mwongozi on Sep 27, 2004 - 11 comments

Fart in a jar. Don't worry there are a few varieties to choose from. Even Butternut Chicken. Will anyone buy these?
posted by trbrts on Mar 18, 2004 - 9 comments

There's Gold in Them Thar PCs. If you're worried about the growing problem of e-waste, if you don't want to ship your toxins overseas, you now have another option. You can recover heavy metals (precious and otherwise) in the privacy and comfort of your own home. Just make sure you leave a window open so you have some fresh air.
posted by alms on Mar 16, 2004 - 8 comments

Crap on wheels... that's Robbie Williams. He has a bit of a history with (ahem) lavatory 'situations'...
posted by apocalypse miaow on Aug 2, 2003 - 12 comments

State of California sells confiscated items on eBay. Actually, it's not just items confiscated at airports -- it's any kind of surplus the state wants to get rid of. See the complete list here. (Apparently they unload some at Goodwill, too.) (SFGate link via ObscureStore)
posted by Vidiot on Mar 2, 2003 - 12 comments

Personal history for sale! Further evidence that the line between the physical and internet worlds are melting. What aspect of our lives are not for sale?
posted by Birichini on Feb 18, 2003 - 20 comments

Budget cuts threatening your college athletic team? No problem. Raise $210,000 on eBay.
posted by SandeepKrishnamurthy on Dec 4, 2002 - 7 comments

A Scranton, PA man is auctioning 250,000 pieces of software mostly games from the 80s and early 90s composed of around 20,000 unique titles (2MB Excel Spreadsheet) for $250,000. He says its the worlds biggest collection and many games are rare and in demand. You will need trucks and warehouse. If anyone can afford to sit on these for a few decades untill the 80s generation gets old and nostalgic it could be the Schoyen of early computer gameing software.
posted by stbalbach on Sep 8, 2002 - 16 comments

Let the market decide where Dan Bern will play next. Bern and his band are auctioning off a private concert at the auction winner's house. You can apparently make his appearance as large or intimate as you want. Would a dutch auction like this be enough to build a U.S. tour on?
posted by Dirjy on Sep 5, 2002 - 3 comments

AIM screen name 'satan' going for $15k in an apparent bidding war that abandoned all sense of reality. Still three days left, let's see if they can break $50k? The dark lord could not be reached for comment, though jesusrox232 called it "ridiculous."
posted by mathowie on Aug 26, 2002 - 29 comments

[this is bad] Now you can buy your way onto Filepile.
posted by johnnydark on May 23, 2002 - 84 comments

Truth in advertising is such a rare thing. I particularly like the reply to the VP of Engineering from Polk Audio. You can only wonder if it was a real email or somebody just trying to yank his chain.
posted by johnmunsch on Apr 11, 2002 - 9 comments

The last living member of the Heaven's Gate cult is auctioning off the leader's van on Ebay.
posted by Pinwheel on Mar 28, 2002 - 11 comments

Is your inability to become a new MeFi member too much to handle? Well, you can just follow this man's example, and buy your way in!
posted by christian on Nov 18, 2001 - 40 comments

24th century* apartment. Only $4 million.
*Actual 24th century-ness of the apartment will not be known until we actually reach the 24th century.
posted by andrewraff on Nov 9, 2001 - 17 comments

They're auctioning off my childhood. But I can always pick up the original Enterprise for only US$15,000. Starting bid, of course. Maybe I'd rather have Shatner's Kirk tunic -- a steal at only US$6,000.
posted by honkzilla on Nov 2, 2001 - 10 comments

Looking for a catchy ICQ number? How about a short one? I can understand domain name reselling, but this is ridiculous. What's next, a market for easy to remember IP addresses?
posted by ry on Jul 31, 2001 - 47 comments

MIR debris for sale on eBay. Who'd have thought it?
posted by normy on Mar 23, 2001 - 5 comments

20yr old sells soul on eBay for $400 For the auction listing, he displayed a picture of himself wearing an "I'm with stupid" T-shirt.
posted by ritualdevice on Feb 9, 2001 - 9 comments

'Goonies' House for Sale -- Throw in a set of Bully Blinders^TM for good measure, and I'll take it. via bamf.com
posted by ratbastard on Jan 7, 2001 - 3 comments

Buy 1777.58 acres of the Moon "Probably the most romantic and original present you could ever give to a loved one." My ass!! You too can claim ownership to planets/stars throughout the universe and sell them over eBay....
posted by grank on Dec 17, 2000 - 8 comments

Don't have what it takes to compete in the Olympics? Buy your way to glory.
posted by sandor on Sep 27, 2000 - 6 comments

Finally, the weapon we've been waiting for. And at a bargain price really. ;]
posted by aflakete on Jul 24, 2000 - 4 comments

T-206 The most valuable baseball card of all time is up for auction on Ebay. Honus Wagner T206
posted by owillis on Jul 5, 2000 - 5 comments

Why go all the way down to your local police auction to pick those great seized property bargins, whey you can buy former drug lords' mountian bikes on ebay?
posted by mathowie on Aug 2, 1999 - 0 comments

When this new feature is added to all IE browsers, I suspect that Ebay addicts will slow auction website servers to a crawl.
posted by mathowie on Jul 28, 1999 - 0 comments