Bidding for a human kidney reportedly topped $5.7 million on the online auction service eBay before eBay put a halt to the auction on September 2.
It is a felony under federal law to sell human organs, and eBay has said that the company believes the offer of a functioning kidney was a hoax. The kidney had been posted for auction for a full week before it was removed from the site by eBay, which relies in part on users to let it know about the posting of illegal items. Four similar listings were reportedly posted soon after the first one.
"While we suspect the listings of kidneys were pranks, we do not want to leave anything to chance. Once notified, eBay immediately discontinued the auctions, notified the sellers and all bidders, and is currently working with law enforcement authorities to pursue this matter," eBay said in a statement.
The New York Times said on September 3 that "bioethicists were not very concerned" about the posting because actually carrying out a transplant would require the cooperation of "a real-world hospital and corporeal surgeons."
The person who posted the first offer indicated that the buyer would pay all the costs of the transplant and that only one kidney was for sale "as I need the other one to live." Bidding started at $25,000.
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