The highest bidder in the Tana Umaga handbag TradeMe auction last night pulled his winning $22,800 bid just as the auction closed.The bidder, known as "dealnz" and listed as "Damion from Featherston" throughout the auction changed his details to "Bob from Palmerston North" after the auction closed at 7pm. At 6.56pm he sent a "remove my bid please" message.
TradeMe was last night trying to contact the mysterious bidder, but confirmed Christchurch receptionist Nichole Davis would get at least $22,750 for the infamous handbag - the amount of the second-highest and genuine bid, from Sue of Wanganui.
"It's insane, it's absolutely insane," said Davis when she learnt of her windfall last night.
The handbag, used by former All Black captain Tana Umaga to whack Hurricanes teammate Chris Masoe on the head last Sunday morning, prompted a flood of genuine and clearly false bids on the popular auction site.
"It's hit $100 million more than once," said Davis, 22, of the crazy bids to buy the $50 Roxy bag and her Nokia cellphone that was broken in the incident, which reduced Masoe to tears.
The auction received 194 bids and just over one million page views by 7pm. The unprecedented interest brought the site down. Davis received comments from London, Texas and the Australian Outback.
She has no idea what she will spend the money on, and is not sure if any of it will go towards her $10,000 student loan. But she was stunned at the amount she may reap from being in the right place at the right time.
Masoe was fined $3000 after the incident, which occurred after he punched a patron at the Jolly Poacher bar following last Saturday night's Super 14 final between the Crusaders and the Hurricanes. Umaga intervened and tried to calm Masoe down by hitting him on the head with the bag.
Victoria University psychology lecturer Marc Wilson said people's desire to buy the bag were undoubtedly varied but probably included allowing the owner to live vicariously through the rugby star.
"By having the bag to hold and rub and take to bed with you, you are able to live some of that out."
The fact that macho Umaga's weapon of choice was a ladies' purse also upped the oddity and interest, he said. Victoria University media studies lecturer Tony Schirato said selling items associated with sports stars was an overseas phenomenon catching on in New Zealand, but people were usually interested in more conventional items.
5 comments:
most i ever paid for a purse was $3 at a used shit store..it was new and a name brand...i would rip out my lungs before i would ever pay that kind of money for a purse..even if i had that kind of money...stupid women...
Woman and handbags are daft full stop ( sorry Debbie) But anyone pays more than they have in cash in their purse for a handbag needs their head examining... as for 25,000 call in the men in white coats right away !!!
Well the story is stupid, $25,000, ya moron, for a purse?
Handbags are great! Shoes just double the fun! JS! lets go SHOP!!!! (Dom give us your credit cards!)
~~~> hands over ALL my credit cards ... you two planning on one shoe each then ?
im sorry debbie, ill go with you and hold the packages..but i was not born with the shopping gene...would rather have a kidney removed...
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