Notice: Life for Sale.
June 20, 2008 by Liz Lewis
Filed under Adventure, Announcements, Extreme, How To, Misc., Morning News, Oddities, Psychology, Weird News
What would you do if you felt your life was falling apart? Most people would somehow pick up the pieces and carry on. But there’s this guy in Australia who has decided he doesn’t want to pick up the pieces. Instead, he wants to ’sell the pieces of his life’ and start a whole new life.
Sounds extreme. But is it really ? People have been starting over forever. Think Pilgrims. Think immigrants.
But Ian Usher’s way of starting over involves selling his life on e-bay…
From Sunday, June 22 for one week, Usher’s life is up for sale on eBay with the package including his $US420,000 ($NZ556,000) three-bedroom house in Perth, Western Australia, a trial for his job at a rug store, his car, motorbike, clothes and even friends.
Turns out Usher’s not the first one to try and sell his life on e-bay. According to this Reuters article….
- Australian philosophy student Nicael Holt, 24, offered his life to the highest bidder last year to protest mass consumerism.
- American John Freyer started All My Life For Sale (www.allmylifeforsale.com) in 2001 and sold everything he owned on eBay, later visiting the people who bought his things.
- Adam Burtle, a 20-year-old US university student, offered his soul for sale on eBay in 2001, with bidding hitting $US400 before eBay called it off. Burtle admitted he was a bored geek.
Unlike Burtle, Usher appears to be the real deal. The homepage of his website A Life 4 Sale says it all…
Hi there, my name is Ian Usher, and I have had enough of my life! I don’t want it any more! You can have it if you like!
No, I’m not contemplating suicide, I am going to sell my life!! I have my reasons, for further details click the “Why” tab below. However, I am still not sure whether this is inspired madness, complete foolishness, or just some sort of mid-life crisis.
Whatever it is, it’s all going up for sale in one big auction. Everything I have and everything I am.
On the day it is all sold and settled I intend to walk out of my front door with my wallet in one pocket and my passport in the other, nothing else at all, and get on the train, with no idea where I am going or what the future holds for me.
He’s got me intrigued. What about you?
some days that sounds MIGHTYmighty tempting.
M.
how is this selling your life? the buyer doesn’t become Ian Usher, the buyer is just buying his belongings, the least of what makes up someones “life”. It should be called just an auction of his belongings.
Hi MizFit, I know what you mean…there are days and then there are days!!!
Remember the song ’some days a diamond, some days a stone’ (Kris Kristoffason? I think)
Hi Ali,
You’e right. He’s not really selling his life.
But in a metaphoric sense he is. I guess it’s like a cleansing of his life and the idea of starting new…without the package of belongings…