Filed Under Miscellaneous Income

I was browsing eBay last week, not looking for anything in particular, but wondering how one goes about selling something on the site. I was eating potato chips. When I looked down to grab the next potato chip from the bowl, I was fully aware of the fact that potato chips and cornflakes had actually sold on eBay. I picked a chip up and closely examined it. I decided if it looked like anything it looked like a bird. More specifically, it reminded me of the rooster that is on boxes of cornflakes. The more I looked for the bird, the more I saw it.

There was no better time to test the old adage (which is at least as old as eBay) that people will buy anything. I created an eBay username, took a picture of the potato chip, and was selling the chip on eBay within minutes. It was quite effortless. I described the chip I was selling with these words:

At first I thought this looked like a rooster, but it is slightly different. It sure looks like a bird. However, I don’t know what kind of bird it looks like. It is one of a kind though. It was discovered about three days ago in a very large bag of potato chips.

I put a minimal effort into the advertisement and left the computer knowing that if anyone bids on the chip, or if it is sold, eBay would send me an email.

Over the next week I thought about my potato chip bird on eBay several times, but I didn’t get any messages about it until the week long bidding period was over. Then, I received a message that told me that my “item has sold.” I followed the link in the email and discovered that someone bought my potato chip for one dollar plus five dollars shipping and handling. I was a little doubtful of the sale even though everything on the screen was telling me otherwise. I looked around some more to confirm the unexpected. Sure enough, my potato chip sold for six bucks to someone in California.

Shortly thereafter I received the transferred funds and yesterday I took the chip, boxed up in an old check box with lots of tissues, to the post office and mailed it away, completing my first sale on eBay.

I am satisfied with the whole process and a bit surprised that my potato chip sold. I only wish I started the bidding higher because it is true…people will buy anything.

Inconvenient date for such a story, but it is true.