eBay bid made briefly to save Dartmouth's swim team
According to this New York Times story (registration required), Dartmouth students tried to save their swim team until eBay removed the listing because it was obvious the sellers weren't owners of the item they were selling:
Lots of unusual things show up on
eBay , but Item 1976909200, listed on Monday, is a real standout: the Dartmouth College NCAA Division I swim team....The eBay listing, designed by the boyfriend of a sophomore swim team member, was intended to bring attention to the plight of Dartmouth swimmers and maybe raise some money. At least briefly, it seemed that some money might be forthcoming. The first eBay bid, a $211,000 offer, appeared on Wednesday. Yesterday morning, there were six bids, and a notation that the reserve — the the minimum that would be accepted — had been met. But then the high bidder, Mayday 11111, retracted a $212,099.99 bid.