Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009

Brother, Can You Spare An Organ?

"You can choose either kidney," an eBay auctioneer known as "hchero" wrote in 1999 when he posted a listing for one of his own organs. "Of course only one for sale, as I need the other one to live. Serious bids only." Bidding, which began at $25,000, ballooned to $5 million before eBay shut it down for violating federal anti-organ trafficking laws. Kidney stones, however, are fair game. Just ask William Shatner, who hawked his kidney stone for a whopping $75,000 in 2006 and donated the proceeds to charity. The buyer, GoldenPalace.com, is the very same online casino company that forked over $28,000 for a cheese sandwich that resembled the Virgin Mary.