TypoHound Blog

I’m a huge fan of quality beer. Macro brews such as Coors Light or Corona are snubbed in favor of Hacker-Pschorr, Leffe Blonde and Unibroue Maudite. There are much more hardcore fans than I on BeerAdvocate, however I was completely unaware just how deep the well is.

A museum quality sealed and intact bottle of Samuel Allsopp’s Arctic Ale from around 1850 (England) currently fetches 500k no problem on eBay. Could this be the holy grail of beer?

Shopping on eBay is supposed to be about bargain hunting. Some are just much better at it than others. A few summers ago, a collector (and budding investor) from Tulsa, Oklahoma ended up making the ultimate beer purchase.

He won the auction for a bottle of Allsopp’s Arctic Ale in which the seller made a typo in his auction and spelt it “Allsops.” The auction ended with very little interest and only 2 bids for the bottle that was obviously worth so much more than the winning bid of $304.

To add insult to injury, the winning bidder turned around and listed the bottle again on eBay, but this time with the name spelled correctly, and got a whopping 157 bidders and a sale price of $503,300.

That sure shows the power of typos.

Bought by collectordan for $304 (”Allsops” misspelling).

Sold by collectordan for $503,300 (Corrected spelling).

How did he find the original auction?

He might have been among the small percentage of eBayers that browse for items as most use the search function. It’s hard to say how he came across the original auction since competing bidders that knew how much it is worth missed it. Most likely this is a case of good timing and good luck.

Ready to search for typo auctions for yourself?

By far, the most efficient way to find typos on eBay is with an online app like TypoHound.

Collectible items have the most promise for using this method to bag bargains. Sports trading cards, rare coins, antiques and vintage guitars are just a few examples.

Search for typos on eBay now!

The thought of going to the local fortuneteller or tarot card expert brings up some clichéd imagery. Of course, there is the long strings of beads hanging down from the arch entrance. Behind that, the hollywood standard is a woman with black hair. Mysterious blue eyes? That too.

Chloé St-Amour of Montéal, Canada fits this description pretty well. The difference is she will give you a tarot reading online that you can buy on eBay.

I am Chloé Saint-Amour and I have been practicing clairvoyance with the Tarot for more than 35 years. Ever since I was a child I have been impregnated by the mystery and the science of the Tarot.

I PROPOSE YOU TODAY A PSYCHIC READING OF QUALITY AND TRUTH, WHICH ALLOWS YOU TO TAKE THE GOOD DECISIONS IN YOUR LIFE AS YOUR FUTURE.

So how do you get your reading? Apparently by e-mail. Prepare to be astonished.

Do you have a web site, business, logo, company name etc. that you are just dying to promote?

Banner ads just don’t seem effective as they used to be. Does anyone pay attention to billboards, even in rush hour traffic?

This dude has the answer! He has the new advertising medium you have been dying to sink your marketing dollars into… his buttocks.

Here is a sample of his hilarious blurb, however, be sure to read the whole thing on eBay. It is better to see the real auction for yourself.

I will get a real permanent tattoo of your advertisement, website, tattoo design, logo, company name, or whatever you may think of immediately after the auction closes.

Now a little about me… I’m 18 going on 19 years old. Next week I will be moving to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, which is home to thousands of college students. There are two colleges in downtown Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan University and Mid-Michigan Community College. Another college, Ferris State University, is less than 30 minutes away. I have a passion for music, and love hanging out with people.

Okay, great, he loves tattoos. The part that baffles me is how he thinks his butt is such a great advertising opportunity. Unless he hangs out with his college buddies in the buff, only a few lucky ladies will get to see your ad buy.

Happy bidding!

Bizarre and stupid eBay auctions are an endless source of amusement.

One that sticks out in my mind as a classic is the man that sold his ex-wife’s wedding dress on eBay. Doesn’t sound that bad? Well, this man posted tasteless photos with him wearing the dress. The description spoke of how she took the ring but left the dress and he didn’t need a “$1200 shower curtain.”

Today we will look at a really outlandish auction I spotted on a great site for finding such things.

Here we have a nicely detailed Mexican swine flu pig with a runny nose, removable Mexican sombrero, blanket and removable mask. I wish my snot looked this toxic and uber-green.

The seller tries to close the deal with: “Now you can have your very own Mexican swine flu pig!” See, they know this is what I always wanted, a dirty animal with an infectious disease in my home. It’s almost criminal that there isn’t one bid on this pink little guy.

“PAYPAL ONLY”