Collectors buy and sell for weird and wonderful reasons

By RICHARD WOOD

Auction sites that sell anything and everything can attract some pretty strange items for sale.

TradeMe general manager Nigel Stanford said it was not unusual to see people trying to sell their soul, their girlfriends, or their mothers.

More seriously, recent items have been a kangaroo testicle pouch and a home made "willie warmer", which sold for $12.

Collectors love auctions and one of the big sellers is collectable toys such as those found in McDonald's Happy Meals and the Fun Ho! car series. Floating around various sites one night last week, I checked out the "closing soon" lists for a snapshot of the more ordinary items for sale.

Included in the list at recycle.net.nz was an Indiana Jones DVD that had 10 hours to go and no bids, a few old American coins selling having passed reserves of next to nothing, and various personal computer parts.

Among the goodies on trademe.co.nz were a number of display plates attracting no bids. There were fibreglass sideskirts for an XJ6 or XJ12 Jaguar which had attracted three bids up to $35 but had not met the secret reserve price with five minutes to go. And a condenser microphone that had reached $240 after eight bids with 13 minutes to go.

On AuctionCity the closing soon list included a paper cutter, various personal computer parts and ceramic statues of animals.

There was plenty of bidding showing but I missed the day's action so with at least 15 hours to go bidding was nowhere near the openly published reserve prices.

In the eBay list of those closing soon some Princess Diana pics and books attracting minor interest with a rare Royal Disasters one up to $20.50 with 13 minutes to go. Remember on eBay prices are usually in US$.

With seven or more hours to go and only some early bids there were collector cigarette cards being listed in Australian dollars, and loads of postcards and stamps.

Over at buyme.co.nz a battery-powered kids' ride-on motorbike was on offer starting at $100 with 17 hours to go and a DJ mixer and speakers had a $50 bid each with seven hours to go.

TradeMe

recycle.net.nz

AuctionCity

eBay NZ

buyme.co.nz