One man auctions off his entire life to start fresh

Selling your old junk on eBay and starting fresh isn't exactly a new idea, but selling everything? 44-year-old Ian Usher, of Perth, Australia, decided to do just that earlier this year after he made a "shocking and awful discovery" about his wife. And that was that. Heartbroken, Usher decided to get rid of it all, his new house, car, motorcycle, jet ski, furnishings, and more. The auction, which ends on June 29th, even includes a tryout at Usher's job and, somehow, his friends. When it's all done, Usher says he'll hand over the keys and walk out the door with just his passport and the clothes on his back, then hop on the next flight that has a free seat, starting over wherever he lands.

Those hoping to instantly purchase a life of glamor and wonder may be a little disappointed by what Usher is offering. The house is a 1,500-square foot, typical suburban setup, and the job is as an assistant in a rug shop. (There is also an "internet business" that has earned Usher at least $47, per his disclosure.) On the other hand, you can watch movies without getting out of the spa, so that's nice. But then again, there's also the not-so-tiny issue that Perth will probably run out of water in the next seven years.

The details on the auction can be found at alife4sale.com, which is so crushed with traffic that it is slow to load and frequently offline altogether. You can see the online action at good-old eBay here. Bidders must register in advance; Usher is obviously hoping the auction tops $420,000 (Australian), which is the estimated value of the house alone.

Of course, cash from the sale may be just the beginning for Usher, who's seen a crush of publicity in recent weeks and has women begging him to move to their part of the world. Naturally, Hollywood is sniffing around his story, too. Who wouldn't want to watch a movie about an eBay auction?

Come back on June 29 to check out how well Usher did in his quest!

LINK: A Life 4 Sale

UPDATE: The auction ended with a final bid of just $399,300, well below the value of the house alone. I guess it's one of those stories that made for a great tale but not quite the same when it comes to forking over real cash. Looks like that movie will most likely be on hold now...