Meet the Woman Who Tried to Marry Off Her Niece on eBay


Today, online dating services help filter exactly what people are looking for in a significant other. Other times, people take even less traditional routes to secure companionship.

In an attempt to find the perfect suitor for her niece, auction agent Diane Hayes placed an eBay ad offering her niece’s hand in marriage for $9.99. Only the subject of the ad, 21-year-old Emilie Rogers, was unaware.

According to the ad, which has since been removed from eBay, Hayes was concerned that Rogers was a little too fond of boys with tattoos.

“Your choice to ‘tattoo or not to tattoo’ is a good indicator of your internal thought process,” Hayes wrote in the ad. “If, for instance, on an act of impulse you selected an Insane Clown Posse tattoo and had it boldly emblazoned on your forearm, please do not apply.”

Hayes sought a man for Rogers under very specific qualifications: 24 to 28 years old, good hygiene, safe driving record, strictly heterosexual, sans Justin Bieber haircut, no piercings, minimum four-year degree, Democrat, dedicated to making the world a better place.

“Both Emilie and I live in Nebraska, where good men are as scarce as trees,” Hayes told Mashable.

Assuming an interested suitor met Hayes’ goals, he would begin an initial screening with her via email before being passed to Rogers.

Once Rogers and her parents found out about the ad, Hayes says that they were surprised, but found her intentions funny. “You don’t survive in our family without a sense of humor,” explains Hayes.

The ad gained attention Mashable highlighted it among other odd items for sale on eBay, whereupon the ecommerce site removed it for violating policies. Hayes received an email that congratulated her “1,000+ positive feedback selling history” and warned her to never try that type of sale again.

SEE ALSO: 10 Weirdest Things for Sale on eBay

However, before the ad was taken down, Hayes received some interesting emails, “including a very funny, well-written one from a guy who included photos of himself tattooed from top to bottom,” says Hayes.

Though the ad borderlines human trafficking, Hayes claims her intentions were safe and legal. As an auction agent for Proxibid, she’s been involved in thousands of online auctions that bring buyers together in the marketplace.

“I envisioned it much like bidding on a lunch with Warren Buffet, but with a lot more security involved and more clothing,” jokes Hayes.

Although the bid started at $9.99, Hayes never intended to make a profit — proceeds would’ve been directed to Habitat for Humanity. Her main goal was to open a dialogue between Rogers and her friends about “boys of no substance.”

As for Hayes, she’s been living with her boyfriend, a lawyer, for 10 years.

“Neither of us know each other well enough to tie the knot, but we’ve made a pact to do so, should one of us fall terminally ill,” says Hayes. “We are romantics in the sense that we hate the paperwork involved with dying intestate.”

We hope for her boyfriend’s sake, he doesn’t have tattoos.

Views: 0

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply

Powered by WordPress | Designed by: Premium WordPress Themes | Thanks to Themes Gallery, Bromoney and Wordpress Themes