This is not the Spice Girls

Whether it’s water from a cup that Elvis Presley once drank out of, a piece of toast with the face of the Virgin Mary burnt into it or an empty jar claiming to contain the ghost of some man’s friend, there’s just about nothing you can’t buy on eBay. Or perhaps more accurately, there’s just about nothing that some idiot somewhere won’t spend their money on.

The latest bizarre item bought at the world’s largest online auction is a set of six sticks resembling the Spice Girls.

A user who goes by the moniker Whackychop sold the set of twigs – which they retrieved from De Beauvoir Square in Hackney, London – for £62… plus £3.20 postage and packaging. Worryingly, the tree parts actually received 27 bids, all thanks to this seller’s unique way of marketing his foraged goods.

Whackychop, or Babak Ganjei to use his real name, likened the bits of bark to the Spice Girls, stating that each had its own unique personality and appearance. Indeed, the description also claimed the sticks were “travel-sized” and “premium” because of the fact they come from such a coveted area of the city, making them the perfect for any parent looking to impress their young daughter.

It is unclear whether it is the sticks’ outlandish characters or angelic singing quality that reminded Whackychop of the purveyors of ‘girl power’, but you must admire his East End entrepreneurial spirit in being able to flog the twigs for more than a speckled hen a piece.