Be my guest: 'stupid' invite to wedding put on eBay

It is among the most ingenious - and lucrative - means of getting out of an unwelcome social engagement.

It is among the most ingenious - and lucrative - means of getting out of an unwelcome social engagement.

Yesterday, a guest unwittingly invited to a wedding posted the invitation on the internet auction website eBay. Within hours, the bidding had risen from its £20 starting price to thousands of pounds, eventually attracting more than 1,000 people to the website entry every minute.

The seller, whose identity is not known, but who is based in Aberdeen, claimed to have been "stupidly invited" to the wedding, having not seen the couple who are to be married for more than two years. The entry reads: "It's an invite to me plus one and involves the afternoon reception (a sit-down meal in a four-star restaurant) and evening piss-up (a bus will carry you there, and drag you to the nearest B&B or train station)." The seller claimed that several hundred pounds was great value for money, "even if you have to listen to her dad do karaoke and watch her mum try to get off with the ushers".

The seller was joined by others who also claimed they did not wish to attend. Supposed bidssoared to £10m. EBay said it was likely that the item was attracting hoax bidding, but praised the ingenuity of its customers.