REVEALED!

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REVEALED! 〰️

Edinburgh Fringe 2024 is here! And so is our annual features series. This year, it’s all about REVELATIONS: the gossip, the mysteries, the spies and the moles. Because everyone knows you can’t keep a secret at Edinburgh Fringe…

Ruby Carr is making her Edinburgh Fringe debut with her show eBae, all about her obsession with the thrill of an auction. In the course of her online travels, she’s seen some weird stuff and shares the top 10 strangest with us!

By Ruby Carr

Picture the scene. You're my friend (lucky you) and we’re hanging out. We chit chat, catch up, and you tell me about your job and your annoying boss. Then I go, “can I show you something?” You know what's coming, you’ve seen this twinkle in my eye before. The twinkle is surrounded by a dark circle of late night scrolling.

Ruby’s eBayed.

May I present to you the 10 weirdest things I have found on eBay!

TEN: In tenth position and starting our list we have a Kilo Of Live Worms!

This one was actually told to me by another comic, and it’s a beautiful reminder that the world is vast, interesting and surprising - and so is eBay baby. Most people think eBay is just for cars, tech or clothes. But it is also for the fishing boys or revenge girlies for only £35.

NINE: Coming in at number 9, we’ve got Prison Art!

So this trend started with Charles Bronson, and there are a lot of Charles Bronsons on eBay. If you search you can find people who are passing their time with a creative pursuit. eBay is a site for anyone to become a seller. I do prefer the prison art compared to the boom of Covid art that appeared on the site. Lockdown did something to the amateur artists, some of those were criminal...

EIGHT: Number 8! Any time you find Someone's given up on their ADHD fixations.

Roller blades (barely worn), complete podcast recording equipment (still with boxes), Magic The Gathering cards (an unearthly amount). Let someone else do all the research, buy all the items, get the dopamine hit they needed, and now you buy it at half the price. As a ADHD lady myself, I’ve been in both boats. I’ve also bought them and am now struggling with storage.

SEVEN: Do I hear a 7? It’s a Bundle of 120 TV Remotes!

I don’t know if your parents are anything like mine. They make it look like you need a computer science PHD to turn the TV on, and one of them does have one! Now imagine that every time I come over, I add a remote control to the pile and watch the chaos unfold. Chef's kiss. They’d call me the remote bandit.

SIX: Nearly half way at 6! A bundle of wine bottle corks?

You know how people get anxious about putting too many wine bottles in the recycling and having the neighbours judging? Why not put it on eBay for the global marketplace instead? What started as a good time, turned into a hangover, turned into a business prospect for the crafting.

FIVE: 5 GOLD RINGS… or 2 brothers selling off their sister's hair clips

I can not confirm if this is indeed 2 brothers selling off their sisters hair clips. But the photos scream sibling shenanigans.

FOUR: Last stretch, 4 is a Swing Chair … using a Beetlejuice DVD for scale

There is an old internet meme of using non traditional measuring items to provide scale. My personal favorite: Banana for scale. You can’t tell me they didn't know what they were doing when they used a Beetlejuice DVD to provide a scale for a black and white striped swing chair. That’s visual merchandising at its finest.

THREE: 3rd place goes to a Hannibal Lecter meat tenderiser

TWO: Runner up and second place is a Vintage electroshock therapy set.

… the starting bid was 99p. Do you have any idea how tempted I was?! How freaky deaky but hilarious it would be as a lady in therapy to buy a DIY electroshock therapy set! The only reason I didn’t was because of the potential ghosts.

ONE: And first place…

…

for the weirdest thing… I have ever found on eBay is…

…

I’m so sorry to do this to you, but first place is reserved for all the auctions I talk about in my show. If you want to know you are going to have to come see my show, eBae, to find out xx

Ruby Carr: eBae runs at Underbelly (Wee Coo) from Jul 31-Aug 26th (except 12th), 7:20pm. Tickets here

Read more about Edinburgh Fringe 2024:

Features