Dante banned from selling soul on eBay

A musician fed up with his life was today barred from selling his soul to the highest bidder.

Dante Knoxx, 24, offered the "used" item for a starting bid of £25,000.50 or a buy it now price of £700,000 on the internet auction site eBay.

But eBay pulled the listing today with about two hours to go and no bids because it breached one of the firm's policies.

"You cannot sell anything that is not physical," said Mr Knoxx.

"That includes ghosts, souls and spirits which is funny.

"I have been refunded but I had 200 people watching it, I'm really disappointed by that.

"I had lots of emails asking if I was serious and religious groups telling me I couldn't do that, others wanted to talk about my soul.

"I had a lot of interest but no actual bidders which is a real shame."

The Arts Institute graduate decided to try to sell his soul after a lack of creative jobs in his home town of Bournemouth, Dorset.

"I'm a highly creative person, but creativity is not without its drawbacks," he said in the listing.

"Unfortunately where I live there are hardly any jobs to keep a creative person like myself employed in anything other than boring, mundane office jobs."

Mr Knoxx was planning to use the money to get his experimental music group, Paradigm, which he created with his friend Zakk Altair, up and running.

He quit his "shoddy job" as a laptop repair technician and said: "I leave it to you, the denizens of Earth, to purchase my actual soul and in return allow me to acquire some tasty capital."

The auction included a legal contract entitling the new soul's owner to a percentage of Mr Knoxx's income for the rest of his life, with a guaranteed minimum of £1,000 per year.

Another clause entitled the owner to 10% of any intellectual works of Paradigm.

He also pledged to write a full account of the soul's life within three years and the owner of his soul would also be entitled to 10% of his estate in his will.

Other clauses in the contract included sending the owner an annual report of his soul, and a birthday card on Mr Knoxx's birthday, as well as a promise to plant three trees a year.

A final clause also stated Mr Knoxx could buy back his soul for £100,000,000.