Ten of the Strangest Things You Can Buy Online

Internet shopping has revolutionized the retail world. Today, we can have everything from second-hand clothes to cutting-edge tech brought to our door at the click of a button. But beyond the humdrum of a standard online order lies a marketplace like no other.

Like it or loathe it, all kinds of strange and unsettling items are up for grabs online. Almost anything can be traded on the digital marketplace, including celebrity chewing gum, dragon’s blood resin, and collectible sick bags. These are just ten of the weirdest things ever sold via the web.

The internet has also made it easier than ever for niche communities to find one another. Whether someone collects airline memorabilia, practices folk magic, or simply wants a bizarre novelty item, there is almost always a buyer somewhere. That reality has produced some truly unusual online sales over the years.

Related: Ten Horror Stories from the Depths of Social Media

10 Guinea Pig Armor

Guinea pigs and chainmail armor are an unexpected pairing. However, one eBay user found brief fame online due to the suit he crafted for his fluffy pet Lucky.

In 2013, IT specialist Sean McCoy created a Renaissance-style costume for his furry little pal. He took photos of the guinea pig in chainmail, which soon went viral online. Sadly, Lucky died just a week later. Mr. McCoy did not want the suit to go to waste, so he put it up for auction online. A surreal bidding war soon broke out. Despite several fake bids, the armor was finally sold to another IT worker, David Bradford, for $2,000.

The original photos were featured by major news outlets around the world and inspired countless internet memes. All profits from the sale were donated to Metropolitan Guinea Pig Rescue, a charity that cares for unwanted guinea pigs and finds them new homes—a heartwarming end to a baffling story.^[1]

9 Sick Bags

While some people choose to collect coins or beer mats, others opt for something a little more eccentric. Collecting sick bags is a niche hobby. Reports say that more than 100 people openly admit to hoarding vomit sacks.

Enthusiasts use specialist corners of the web to buy and trade barf bags. They say the internet is an invaluable tool for growing their collection and reaching out to the wider community. The hobby is formally known as airsickness bag collecting, and some enthusiasts own thousands of bags from airlines all over the world.

There is now even a New York exhibition, The Last Barf Bag, where collectors show off some of the thousands of items that they amassed over the years. Dramamine, the motion-sickness medication company, decided to host the showcase in tribute to the unorthodox hobbyists. One exhibitor, Steve Silberberg, is said to have caused a bit of a stir when he arrived in a car with a BARF BAG vanity plate. Some serious collectors reportedly own more than 6,000 bags representing hundreds of different airlines.^[2]

8 Invisible Sculpture

Most online purchases involve tangible products, but some sellers have found customers willing to pay for something available free of charge: absolutely nothing.

In 2021, Italian artist Salvatore Garau sold an invisible sculpture called Io Sono (“I Am”) for €15,000 (about $18,000 at the time). The artwork consisted of no physical object whatsoever. Buyers received only a certificate of authenticity and instructions for displaying the sculpture in an empty space measuring roughly 5 by 5 feet (1.5 by 1.5 m).

Garau argued that empty space is not truly empty because it contains energy and therefore possesses artistic value. While critics dismissed the sale as absurd, supporters viewed it as a legitimate example of conceptual art. The auction attracted international attention and sparked debates about what qualifies as art in the modern age.

The sale also inspired a flood of jokes online, with many people claiming they had been creating invisible sculptures for years without realizing their value. Regardless of where one stands on the debate, paying thousands of dollars for literally nothing remains one of the strangest purchases ever made online.^[3]

7 Celebrity Chewing Gum

The internet has come a long way over the past few decades, but the sale of unnerving items has never gone away. As early as 2004, users were taking to the web to trade strange celebrity objects.

One of the oddest early listings on eBay was a piece of used chewing gum. But this was no ordinary candy. This gum had been spat out by none other than Britney Spears. The gum was initially advertised as containing the pop star’s DNA. However, the site took it down for violating its Human Body Parts and Remains policy.

The item was later reposted and reportedly sold for as much as $14,000. The listing became one of the internet’s earliest examples of bizarre celebrity memorabilia attracting widespread attention. While countless unusual celebrity items have been sold online since then, few have matched the sheer oddity of paying thousands of dollars for a wad of used chewing gum.^[4]

6 Body Part Pics

If you thought that stripping naked was the only way to sell photos of your body parts online, think again. Several unlikely influencers have made waves across the internet by posting images of their abnormal body parts.

George Woodville is one of the best known. The twenty-something Brit goes by the name of The Barefoot Guy. He makes around £1,000 a month selling photos of his dirty feet on OnlyFans. Woodville stopped wearing shoes in 2021 and has since gathered a layer of filth on his soles. His subscribers are willing to pay $10 a minute for custom videos of his crusty feet.

Elsewhere on OnlyFans, you might find women making thousands a year by selling images of their body hair. One Canada-based creator told reporters that she has amassed 100 fans and more than 37,000 TikTok followers by sharing the dense bushes under her armpits. Another, who goes by BendyThumbsNZ, sells photos of her double-jointed digits.

These unusual offerings are part of a growing market for niche body-part content. Beyond feet and thumbs, some creators earn money from photos of their ears, hands, freckles, or other distinctive features. Who knew people were so keen to see furry underarms and grubby feet?^[5]

5 Dragon’s Blood

TikTok is a hub of niche groups and strange communities. One subculture thriving in the digital age is WitchTok, an online collective of mostly young women who share a passion for divination and folk magic.

While their practices are rooted in ancient traditions, these digital sorceresses sit squarely in the 21st century. They use social media platforms like TikTok to buy and sell their wares. WitchTokkers trade a range of mystical items, from protection oils to crystals. However, there is one item that stands out as especially startling: dragon’s blood.

The witches of TikTok aren’t claiming to have harvested blood from actual dragons. What they call dragon’s blood is a fragrant red resin obtained from several species of trees and plants. Followers of the occult claim the sap has magical properties. It is often burned as incense to ward off bad energy and unwanted spirits. Dragon’s blood is also frequently used in love spells. Practitioners say the resin can help attract a new lover or bring renewed passion to an existing relationship.

Long before social media, dragon’s blood was valued throughout the ancient world. It was used in traditional medicine, dyes, varnishes, perfumes, and religious ceremonies across parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Its unusual name and blood-red color have helped preserve its mystique for centuries, making it one of the strangest items readily available through online marketplaces today.^[6]

4 Ad Space on Woman’s Face

Among the many online money-making schemes, selling your forehead as a billboard has to be one of the craziest. Nonetheless, in 2005, Utah mom Kari Smith became a walking advertisement to help fund her son’s education. She auctioned off her forehead online for an asking price of $10,000. She was soon inundated with thousands of viewers and several offers.

The first company to agree to stump up the money was Golden Palace, a Canadian online gambling firm. They clicked “buy now” and brought the auction to a close two days early. After Ms. Smith arrived at the parlor, the tattoo artists spent almost seven hours trying to talk her out of it. But there was no changing her mind. Don Brouse ended up inking the site GoldenPalace.com into her forehead in block capitals.

Golden Palace was no stranger to publicity stunts. The company became famous for purchasing unusual advertising opportunities and bizarre memorabilia to attract attention online. Marketers claimed their name was already inked on another person’s forehead, along with more than 100 arms, legs, chests, and backs.

Although the tattoo was eventually removed, Smith’s unusual auction remains one of the most famous examples of people monetizing their bodies through the internet. It also proved that advertisers would buy almost anything if it generated enough publicity.^[7]

3 Used Bathwater

In the age of digital influencers, social media is abuzz with strange, attention-hungry trends. One of the weirdest is young women selling their used bathwater.

Gamer girl Belle Delphine was one of the first social media stars to get in on the act. In 2019, she began bottling her bathwater and selling it to her fans for $30 a pop. Marketed under the name “GamerGirl Bath Water,” the product was intended, according to Delphine, “for all you thirsty gamer boys.” Her bathwater sold out almost immediately.

The stunt quickly became an internet sensation. Many people initially assumed the sale was a joke, while others questioned whether anyone would actually pay for such a product. Yet the rapid sellout demonstrated that there was indeed a market for bizarre influencer merchandise.

Since then, more viral figures have discovered that used bathwater can be a disturbingly easy way to turn a profit. In 2025, Sydney Sweeney teamed up with men’s soap brand Dr. Squatch to create a product infused with her used bathwater. The limited-edition bar of soap was said to provide an earthy scent with hints of pine, moss, and fir—and, of course, an added slosh of Ms. Sweeney’s bathwater.^[8]

2 Man’s Life

In 2008, Ian Usher made a bizarre decision that changed his life forever. The 44-year-old Brit listed his entire life for sale online. Mr. Usher was living in Australia at the time and was in need of a fresh start after splitting up with his wife.

So he sold his “entire life” on the web. The items up for auction included his three-bedroom house, Mazda car, jet ski, and motorbike. He also promised to introduce the winner to his friends and offered a trial shift at his sales job in a rug shop.

The auction soon drew several bids. After sifting through the hoax offers, he sold his entire life for 399,300 Australian dollars, although he had hoped for a higher price. “I am relatively pleased but I thought it would go a bit higher, if I’m honest,” he said after the auction. The identity of the winning bidder remains a mystery to this day.

Despite not making as much money as he would have liked, Mr. Usher says he has no regrets about selling his life. After the auction, he told reporters that he planned to go traveling. “I’d like to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower,” he remarked. “It’s one of a huge list of things I want to achieve.” He later documented the experience in a book called A Life Sold, proving that even the strangest internet stunt can become the start of a new chapter.^[9]

1 Donor Sperm

Sperm donor groups are thriving on social media. Thousands of people desperate for a baby are joining groups like Start a Family Here, Sperm Donors UK, and Get Your BABYDUST Here! Despite lax regulations and significant risks, these groups are relatively easy to use.

Hopeful parents say they are forced to use these shadowy communities because official routes are often far too expensive. In many countries, sperm donation is heavily regulated through licensed fertility clinics, but that hasn’t stopped thousands of users from seeking informal arrangements online. Some donors boast about the quality of their sperm, while prospective parents search for specific traits or family characteristics.

As you might expect, this unorthodox route to parenthood is fraught with risks. The groups are full of posts by women recounting awful experiences with pushy donors. Many say men have tried to pressure them into sex by claiming that “natural insemination” is more effective than artificial methods. Others have raised concerns about inadequate health screening, inaccurate medical histories, and legal uncertainties regarding parental rights.

The growth of these online communities has alarmed fertility experts and regulators alike. Yet demand continues to increase as many would-be parents struggle with the costs and waiting lists associated with official fertility services. Few things better illustrate the strange realities of the internet age than the existence of online groups dedicated to arranging sperm donations between complete strangers.^[10]