Online shopping is hugely popular. You can click on what you want while you're in your pajamas in your house. You don't have to brave lines, pushy salespeople, or crowded dressing rooms. Your items are delivered directly to your door. It's the ultimate in convenience. However, buying things online can also be a tricky proposition. It's difficult to tell whether the item you're ordering will be the item that actually arrives on your doorstep. Hackers and data scrapers can steal your personal information and wreak havoc on your bank accounts and other personal services. Passing large amounts of money to an unseen entity can be nerve-wracking. While it is more convenient, it does have its pitfalls. For some people, these potential issues don't matter. Instead, they are keen on getting something that they want, and if the only way to get it is online – so be it – no matter what the cost. Here are 10 of the most expensive items ever purchased online, and just how much money people forked over without ever making real contact with the dealer.
11. "Shoeless" Joe's Baseball Bat
Price: $577,610
"Shoeless" Joe Jackson, also known as Joseph Jefferson Jackson, played Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics, the Cleveland Naps, and the Chicago White Sox over the course of a 12-year career. He is considered to be one of the best outfielders of all time. His career was marred by scandal and he was banned from play in 1920. He still holds the record for 3rd highest career batting average in MLB history. In 2001, a baseball bat that he used for play between 1908 and 1920, was auctioned off on eBay for $577,610.
10. Ferrari Enzo
Price: $1 Million
Only 400 Enzo Ferrari's were ever made, so the cars were sold for $1 million each. A 12-cylinder mid-engine berlinetta supercar, the Enzo Ferrari was named after Enzo Anselmo Ferrari, the founder of Scuderia Ferrari Grand Prix Motor Racing and Ferrari, and the man considered to be the first true racecar driver. Designed by Japanese car designer, Ken Okuyama, all 349 cars in the original limited production run were sold before the vehicle was even officially unveiled. 50 more were manufactured due to intense customer interest. One more Enzo was built and donated to the Vatican in 2004. One of the cars went on to be sold on eBay in 2002 for $1 million. It holds the record for the most expensive online sale in Europe.
9. Bridgeville, California
Price: $1.25 Million
Yes, you read that correctly. There is an entire town on this list. Bridgeville, California, a small town in Northern California, has roughly 30 residents and not much else. Situated on 83 acres, the town sports eight houses, a cafe, a post office, and a lot of trees. The town has changed hands three times, all via eBay, with Daniel Thomas La Paille being the most recent buyer. La Paille subsequently died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound just a few months after purchasing the town. Bridgeville is currently still on the market.
8. Atlas F Missile Base
Price: $2.1 Million
In 2002, the US Government decided to get rid of some excess Cold War-era real estate. Namely, the Atlas F missile base, a missile base in upstate New York in Adirondack Park. Massive and built to handle nuclear attack, someone in the Federal Government decided the best way to get rid of it would be to put it up on eBay. It sold for $2.1 million to an anonymous buyer who never really revealed their plans for it.
7. Lunch with Warren Buffett
Price: $2.6 Million
Nebraska-born business magnate and philanthropist, Warren Buffett, has been ranked as the world's richest person on more than one occasion. He is considered one of the most influential people ever. When he talks, high powered executives and politicians from around the world, stop and listen. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, is the parent company of such brands as Dairy Queen, Geico, Heinz, Mars, Inc., and Fruit of the Loom. Each year, he auctions off a "power lunch" online. All proceeds go to the charity, Glide Memorial Church, an organization dedicated to feeding the hungry. To date, his "power lunch" auction has raised $9 million.
6. T206 Honus Wagner Baseball Card
Price: $2.8 Million
Honus Wagner is considered to be one of the best baseball players ever. In 1909, the American Tobacco Company began distributing a baseball card with his picture on it as part of their T206 series. However, Wagner refused to allow them to print more after the initial run. Only 40 were ever released to the public, making them extremely rare and extremely valuable. One of the cards sold for $2.8 million on eBay.
5. Action Comics #1
Price: $3.2 million
In August 2014, one of the highest quality copies of Action Comics #1 went up for sale on eBay. In case you're wondering what makes this particular comic book so desirable and valuable, it happens to be the first appearance of a brand new character named Superman. The original comic was released in April 1938 and today there are only 50-100 in known existence. Over a 10 day period this August, bidding quickly jumped to $1 million, to $2 million, to $2.3 million. With four minutes to go in the auction, the price jumped from $2.4 million to a final winning bid of $3,207,852. This shattered the previous record for the most expensive comic book ever sold before at auction.
4. Shang Dynasty Vase
Price: $3.3 Million
Antiques can fetch massive amounts of money, but rarely are the super ticket items sold online. Verifying the age of a piece often requires a team of appraisers and experts all standing in the same room. About the only people who can get away with the online auction of antiques are dealers with major reputations, like Christie's or Sotheby's.
The Shang Dynasty was the ruling power over the Yellow River Valley from approximately 1600 B.C. to 1046 B.C. Though thousands of artifacts have been collected from this time period, the bronze work is especially prized, and is considered to be of the highest quality. Christie's auctioned off a Shang Dynasty vase in 2010 via online auction. A rare, bronze wine vessel, the price eventually rose to a whopping $3.3 million.
3. Gulfstream II
Price: $4.9 Million
The Gulfstream II is a twin engine business jet that seats up to 14. It's the ultimate luxury jet for the wealthy businessperson and a handful of their closest friends. In 2001, airline company, Tyler Jet, sold one of the planes, via eBay, to an African charter flight company. At the time, it was the most expensive sale ever made via eBay.
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2. Edward Hopper's "October on Cape Cod"
Price: $9.6 Million
Whether you realize it or not, you have probably seen an Edward Hopper painting at some point in your life. One of America's most respected realist painters, prints of Hopper's work can be found just about everywhere. His originals, however, are harder to come by, and fetch large amounts at auction. In 2012, Christie's held a private online auction for Hopper's oil painting, "October on Cape Cod". Painted in 1946, it is considered to be one of his greatest works. It went on to be purchased by an anonymous collector for $9.6 million.
1. A Giga Yacht
Price: $140 Million
Frank Mulder of Mulder Design designed an impressive luxury yacht that spanned 405 feet and featured a helicopter pad, 10 suites with panoramic views, a salon, a private movie theater, a gym, an office, and eight additional cabins for guests. Completed in 2005, he put the Giga Yacht up on eBay. It went on to fetch the largest sum ever for an item purchased online – $140 million. The buyer chose to remain anonymous.
