5 September 2005
Mirror
£25bn SITE THAT HAS US ALL BUYING & SELLING
IT has become the world's most popular way to window shop and is turning us into a nation of online auction addicts.
As eBay celebrates its 10th birthday, it has grown from a computer geek's hobby to a £25billion business.
With 157 million registered users worldwide there are, at any one time, three million items on sale in the UK alone and 22 million globally. The website gets 150,000 hits a minute.
Like a global car boot sale, you can put just about anything up for sale and someone will make you an offer. eBay takes a small percentage as commission.
Here's one of our 10 eBay Top 10s...Full list is on the page
Lots that were once the stars'
1. Three tablespoons of water from a cup Elvis sipped at a 1977 gig were sold last year for £252 by Wade Jones of North Carolina.
2. A tooth said to have been pulled from Elvis Presley's mouth failed to attract the minimum £60,000 selling price in 2003.
3. A ball from Elvis's pool table went for £937.
4. A hanging plastic fern from Graceland sold for £395.
5. Singer Justin Timberlake's half-eaten French toast sold on the website for £1,971 with his fork and syrup thrown in.
6. Former Big Brother contestant Emma Greenwood sold her pink suitcase from the show for £1,950.
7. Rocker Bryan Adams's dirty socks went for £551 to a fan .
8. Christina Aguilera's used bathwater and thong made £810.
9. Socks with Christmas trees on belonging to Sir Cliff Richard, went for £80.
10. George Michael's 1991 black Range Rover with the registration number J5 STUD sold for £11,600.
