Dodgy bids exorcised in NZ ghost auction
12:23 AEST Tue Mar 9 2010
New Zealand auction website TradeMe has rolled back the price of "two captured ghosts" which sold on Monday night for $NZ5000 ($A3,850), after several last minute bids were removed.
The auction was won by a Christchurch man, whom Trademe has confirmed was legitimate bidder, after a flurry of bids boosted the price from $NZ1840 ($A1,418) to $NZ5000 ($A3,850) in the final eight minutes.
On Tuesday morning a user named Joe158, who had been one of the final two bidders, was removed from the site.
Trademe spokesman Paul Ford said the final price would be rolled back to the highest genuine bid which had been confirmed at $2830.
"The legitimacy of the buyer was never in doubt, we just wanted to make sure the final price paid was fair, and not ramped up by unscrupulous bidders."
He said earlier it was "disappointing" when "last minute attention seekers" sought to spoil high profile auctions.
The "ghosts" were being sold by Christchurch woman Avie Woodbury who said they had been captured from her house and stored in glass vials.
Ms Woodbury said the spirits - an old man named Les Graham, who lived in the house during the 1920s, and a powerful and disruptive "little girl", who turned up following an experiment with a ouija board - have been kept asleep by putting them in holy water which "dulls the spirits energy".
All proceeds of the auction were to be donated to the SPCA, once the exorcist's fees had been paid.
Mr Ford said Trademe's normal success fee had been refunded to the seller as the money was going to charity.
