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Providing a well-researched collation of remarkable and peculiar items for sale on eBay, Tae In Ahn’s Instagram account @ebaybae showcases everything from jewelry and furniture to random objects that don’t neatly fit into a category. Ahn works as a collections specialist at The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she designs custom storage mounts and boxes for the permanent collections.


Her eye for design is apparent on her Instagram page, which features a wide assortment of posts ranging from the absurd to the rare and valuable. The one theme tying all the posts together is that the listings are consistently eye-catching.


Since 2015, Ahn has curated a unique collection of eBay’s many strange items for sale. One amusing post was a listing entitled “2020 Presidential Vote,” where the seller asked for $25,000 and promised to “openly support candidate of your choice.” One more recent post was a “vintage” clear lucite toilet seat full of blades, nails and tacks, selling for $249. There is also a post about an offer for a live albino king snake, going for $30 or the best offer.


Celebrating the often odd nature of the online marketplace, Ahn highlights not only her most eccentric finds but nods to current affairs with posts including a listing dedicated to “Authentic FYRE Festival Merchandise,” captioned with #fyrefraud. Followers are also regularly exposed to posts sharing covetable archive and vintage finds from labels including Christian Dior, Margiela, Chanel and Gucci, among others.


The account can be perceived as a comment on society’s addiction to online shopping and consumerism, a lighthearted satire of the ridiculous things that people often attempt to sell on eBay, or a bit of both. Either way, a scroll through @ebaybae’s feed proves to be a great source of inspiration, as well as a good laugh.



Words by Sara Frazier | Feature image: Chanel Supermarket Runway Candy Necklace (via @ebaybae)

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