What NOT To Sell On eBay

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

Recently, I blogged about the Illinois man who was trying to sell a lock of his hair on eBay... the response from Families.com readers was overwhelming as was reaction from bidders (some I later found out were bogus). Needless to say, the auction item definitely raised some eyebrows. Well, brace yourself, because if you thought that guy was pushing his luck, then you aren't going to believe what one woman was trying to make money off of on the popular Internet auction site.

According to Michigan police (that's right, even the cops are involved in this strange case), officials are trying to track down the origins of a mummified human skeleton that a Michigan woman tried to sell on eBay. A few days ago, police were notified that the woman had the remains up for sale, they then notified workers at the county medical examiner's office, who confiscated the mummified remains from the home of Lynn Sterling.

According to news reports, the 45-year-old woman told police she got the remains from a friend who works in demolition. Sterling told officers that her friend said he found them in a Detroit school he helped tear down nearly 30 years ago. The woman claims the remains are part of an anatomical, medical-use skeleton. "I would never have put it on (eBay) if I thought it was anything other than an anatomical, medical thing," Sterling told local newspaper reporters.

What's more, Sterling maintains that she contacted an attorney before posting the remains for sale. That said, police announced Sterling likely wouldn't face charges, though officials said the remains would be sent to an anthropologist at Michigan State University for further examination.

According to Michigan police, officers were notified about Sterling's eBay posting by a caller from North Carolina who spotted the item online. A spokesperson from eBay says the item was removed from the site on the same day police were contacted because it violated a policy against selling human remains. The site allows the sale of skeletons for medical use, but not mummified remains.

But, here's what I consider the kicker to this entire bizarre incident: the mummified remains actually attracted a handful of bidders. My favorite one--a $500 bid from someone with the screen name: "Satan's Child."

Related Article:

"Are You Kidding Me?" The eBay Item That Made My Head Ache

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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