EBayers Cash in on Anna Nicole’s Death

EBay entrepreneurs wasted no time in attempting to cash in on Anna Nicole Smith’s unexpected death last week.

As of Friday morning, there were more than 2,900 Smith-related items posted on the auction Web site, a dramatic rise from the fewer than 200 posted before word of her death came out.

Items up for bid included signed photos, magazines featuring of the voluptuous former Playboy Playmate, hundreds of Anna Nicole Smith bobble head dolls, and even a pair autographed panties.

Smith reportedly died just after 2 p.m. on Thursday. At 2:17, someone had posted an Anna Nicole Smith tribute ribbon. At 2:37 another seller posted a memorial pocket mirror. At 2:56, an entrepreneur posted an auction for Anna Nicole Smith memorial T-shirts touting them as a “tribute to the Marilyn Monroe of our times.”

In an unusual twist, one would-be entrepreneur attempted to turn his dislike of villain Agent Smith from the movie The Matrix into a business opportunity by placing the Web address DingDongSmithIsDead.com up for bid.

“Snatch it up before the lawyers get involved!” said sales copy on the auction page. “Or, if you hated Agent Smith as much as I did, you can dedicate a site to him!”

Domain-name squatters also came out in force. One eBay seller was asking $6.5 million for six domain names, including AnnaNicoleSmithTribute.com and AnnaNicoleSmithCollection.com. However, the seller was careful not to scare off any would-be bidders.

“Don’t be turned off by the ‘buy it now’ price,” said copy on the auction page. “We are seeking offers.”

Another squatter attempted to cash in on the mystery surrounding Smith’s sudden death by asking $250,000 for AnnaNicoleSmithConspiracy.com.

Also, the limited number of .com names failed to stop at least one sellers who posted an auction with a ‘buy it now’ price of $1 million for AnnaNicoleSmith.bz.

Among the less pricey domains, BestAnnaNicoleSmith.com was up for bid with a $25,000 ‘buy it now’ price and TheStoryOfAnnaNicoleSmith.com featured a ‘buy it now’ price of $3,500.

“This is a real tragedy. If I could write, it would be a great story,” said sales copy on the auction page for TheStoryOfAnnaNicoleSmith.com. “I’m sure one day there will be a movie about her. The story of Anna Nicole Smith……………..thestoryofannanicolesmith.com.”

Meanwhile, LifeOfAnnaNicholeSmith.com with Nicole spelled incorrectly was up for bid with a ‘buy it now’ price of $2,500.