Haunted eBay

If you have ever taken the time to peruse eBay you will notice the beginning of a very odd trend. You see, it seems that anything that is labeled "haunted" seems to be going for quite a bit of money these days. Be it a haunted doll, a ghost in a jar (very popular auction by the way) or jewelry. Why is this? Is it because people want to be able to claim that something they own is haunted? Or is it because it is nice to think that something you wear and carry on your person may have once been very special to someone else; so special that they decided to attach their spirit to that item and follow you around?
Come along as I delve just a little deeper into the mystery of why haunted sells on eBay.

Have you ever had an item that moved on it's own? Or maybe it seemed to hold onto heat. Perhaps it would stay ice cold no matter how long you held it. Oh, I know what you are thinking, you are thinking about all of the properties that make up certain rocks/gems/jewels/metals, right? Well now, we can't be thinking along those lines. For if we start to think like that the whole "haunted" aspect tends to go out the window rather quickly, and we don't want that. Allow me to share with you some of the quotes taken from some of the auctions currently on eBay: "This is a beautiful sterling silver ring with an aquamarine stone and marquisate. This ring is charged with a powerful spell to resist the effects of time. She who wears it will seem to forever remain the same age, and might even grow younger.", "This diamond came from a pendant my grandmother always wore and many believe she wants it back!! If you buy this you will notice that it often disappears from around your neck while you wear it." - (Side note on this one would be to question how a solitary stone would stay on your neck while you are wearing it anyway, but again, I am thinking too much apparently.) So as you can see, the selling tactics are flawless and all of us should rush out to make a bid. Err… on second thought, better not. I could just be leery of salespeople, but they sound like ploys to me.

So the question becomes, can an item such as a gemstone or piece of jewelry (examples) be haunted? The answer to that is yes and no. Have there been cases where the item in question does indeed appear to have a mind of it's own? Yes. Does it happen as often as eBay sellers would have you believe? Sorry to disappoint, but no, not nearly as often as that. If it did happen that often we (by we I mean us paranormal investigators) would have a bit more solid proof that it can happen and possibly know the why and how. But alas, as so many other things we look into, it happens rarely and generally does not have any rhyme or apparent reason to it. I'm not talking about curses here by the way (such as the ever famous Hope Diamond); I am talking about being haunted. When an item seemingly disappears and reappears somewhere else, or when while wearing it it flies off for no apparent reason, then there are those certain necklaces that have the odd habit of lifting up and off of a person that is sitting still. Obviously these odd acts do not apply solely to jewelry and gems, but also to dolls, furniture, treasures supposedly found here or there, paintings and such items that a person can get really attached to in life.

So why do people pay outrageous prices for something that is claimed to be haunted? That is the issue. I have known people who tried to sell something and have the auction fail, so they try again adding the word "haunted" to the story and boom! Off the auction goes surpassing even the seller's expectations. I actually know a woman who keeps an eye out for haunted items on eBay. She has quite a collection going and admits that she has paid more for most of it than it was worth. Out of her entire collection she believes only one item is truly haunted and that item was one of the first things put up for sale on eBay that was labeled as such. If you ask her why she does it she will shrug and say, "Because it's interesting to see." The "what if" thought creeps into your head and you sometimes can't let go of it. There is also the allure of seeing if the allegedly haunted items do half the things that they claim they do.

I guess my advice to you would be "Buyer Beware". The more outrageous the claim, the more likely it is to be false. After all, if the items could really do all they claim they can, why haven't we heard about it on the News? Keep your heads about you as you look through eBay and other auction sites and be weary if the "haunted" word pops up. It grabs peoples interests immediately, even if the person doesn't believe per say; they still get the thought of "what if". But then, adding that magic word is what the sellers call "buyer attraction lingo". No matter the conversation, if that word is said attention shifts and ears perk up, however briefly or nonchalantly. Don't believe me? Go ahead, try it yourself and watch the effects. Be it Haunted eBay or a Haunted Outhouse, interest soars, and apparently so does the price.