by Elizabeth Applebaum, Gift Guide Editor

The boss's birthday is coming up. What a great time to help him
celebrate! When you're on eBay, the possibilities are endless. Its
slogan is "The World's Marketplace," and eBay, the Web's most
famous selling spot, does indeed offer seemingly everything for
everyone from everywhere. There are cars, jewels, cosmetics,

antiques, kitchen supplies, toys, books, CDs, shoes — often at
greatly discounted rates. But there's also a very different side to
eBay, and it's weird. If you're looking for a unique kind of present
though, it might be just what you need. Consider these items, all of
which really were up for sale on eBay in recent weeks:

killed. So why on Earth did the man

1. A "Haunted Locket,"

have his wife put this treasure up for
sale? "To summon [sic] this all up, the

7.

2.

containing a lock of hair, that "brings luck

bible means a LOT to me," but he's
selling it (bidding started at $1,000) to

to its owner." The seller, from New York,

tells the story of Jayne, a "major gambler,"

help save the family business.

who wore the locket for good luck.

Apparently Jayne was nice enough to

give the locket to a friend, who in turn

6. The "Automatic
Nose Hair Puller."

gave the locket to the eBay seller in a time

Welcome to the
Twilight Zone of
eBay, the Web's
largest online
auction house.

of crisis. "My sister was having financial

difficulties," the seller says. When handed

the locket, the seller "took it and felt Jayne

immediately. When I passed it on to my

sister, she said that she almost could not

handle the energy. She wore this locket for

a few days until she was offered a huge

6.

of authority ... he is well read and very

articulate in his speech." When not cut-
ting hair, he might trim ear hair, which

5.

Wow!

"while not pleasant, wasn't too
bad."Nose hair was another story, as

(Unlike her friend, however, the seller

"one never knew what one would
encounter when looking up a nose."

isn't giving the locket to anyone, though

she did decide to sell it so that Jayne, now

deceased, "can help someone new.")

2. A "Walking Stick Cane
Handmade Dated 91
Found in 69 Car."

This astonishing item, which seems to be

just an ordinary cane, was "found in a
1969 Cadillac under the carpet where the
rear bottom seat is," the seller writes. "It

says Mom 10-25-91...wich [stet] is pretty

weird dont[stet] ya think....????" So weird

that the seller offered it at a buy-it-now

price of $5,000.

page description/history.
Apparently, the item originated in a

barbershop, the proprietor of which, "is
a distinguished looking man with an air

settlement for a lawsuit that she had never

intended to file."

Touted as "truly one of a kind!" the
nose-hair puller came with a three-

3. "Bizarre Puppets Are
Creepy Puppet Films in DVD"

Fascinating and utterly spooky at the same
time. Listen to the stiff announcer describe in
detail how to make a puppet of your very own
using materials found around the house.
Particularly creepy puppets are made straight
from scratch! What kind of puppet will you
make?

4. A "Rattlesnake
Taxidermy" specimen.

Yes, it's a real preserved snakehead
seemingly popping right out of its
(ceramic) egg. "Watch your friends jump
when they see this!" the seller says.

5. An "Amazing Miracle"
Bible that "Survives MU2
Plane Crash. My proof that
God exists!"

It all began in Texas. Learning that his

grandparents had just died in a plane

crash, the seller's husband asked God
for a sign that heaven existed. His sign
would be the gift that his grandmother

purchased for him just before her
death. And would you believe! The gift

was a Bible, which was badly burned,
but still managed to survive the plane

crash in which his grandparents were

(Fortunately, the seller doesn't go into

suggestive details at this point.)

7. A vintage "National
Casket Co. Embalming
Funeral Bottle."

Inarguably what every home needs, this
bottle is about 85 years old and came

from a funeral home in Vermont.
Complete with the original stopper, it

featured an embossed image of an
eagle and the Capitol building dome.

Potential buyers, the seller advised,
were "bidding on a rather morbid item."

have you made the
aveda connection?

•
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