EXISTENTIAL work of art or ridiculous joke?

An Australian-based seller has listed a single word written on a scrap of paper on eBay with bidding reaching more than $40,000.

“I am selling the word “The”. Handwritten with blue ballpoint pen, on a torn piece of Reflex A4 paper, this versatile word can be used in literally thousands of sentences,” reads the ad, posted by user Sweatyman under the nonfiction books category.

The 2014 published note is listed in “very good condition” and has racked up bids of $40,066.66 well ahead of Thursday’s closing date.

media_camera Bidding has reached more than $40,000 for the piece of paper.

The seller says the word can be used in multiple situations such as “The dogs have escaped again” and “What’s The time?”

“Looks great sitting on a MacBook Pro, and emits a mysterious beauty when leaning against sea shells. It’s the quintessential addition to any pot plant. And if your piano needs decorating, this word is likely to create a poor-to-mediocre vibe for onlookers, when they see it placed on your instrument,” the listing reads.

media_camera A suggested use for the prize possession.

The seller sweatyman is yet to respond to requests for comment, while a spokeswoman for eBay said the listing appears to be genuine.

“We understand that this seems to be an out of the ordinary listing, however the listing appears to be legitimate. We have a wide variety of products for sale across eBay and as with every listing on site there are criteria that need to be met. However, despite the fun listing and unless the seller becomes the next Banksy, the chances are that this bidder most probably doesn’t intend to pay that type of money.”

“Therefore in a case such as this we review and evaluate the seller and the proposed buyer to see whether the buyer intends to pay the money. If the highest bidder is not genuine the seller can then generate a ‘second chance listing’”

In case you’re wondering, postage is free.

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Originally published as Ridiculous eBay listing selling for $40,000