Internet auction house eBay has removed from sale a set of letters purported to be written by Alan Jones to a man who claims to have had a relationship with the broadcaster.
Marcus Schmit, who claims in Chris Masters’ biography Jonestown to have had a relationship with the 2GB host in 2001, was hoping to cash in by selling the letters.
But after being posted online for two days, eBay removed the letters from sale, saying they were “inappropriate”.
“We looked at the item and made a call that it was inappropriate,” eBay spokesman Daniel Feiler said.
“eBay is well known as a great place to buy and sell practically anything, but that doesn’t mean everything.”
Mr Feiler said he would not go into the specifics of what eBay thought was inappropriate about the listing.
The letters are believed to have had a starting price of $1,200 but had not received any bids when they were pulled this morning.
Mr Schmit said he posted the letters online after a friend suggested it would be a good way to make some money.
He said he came to know Mr Jones by writing to him and classified him as a friend but only knew him for three to four months before he moved away.
“I wanted a career, I hadn’t been to university, I hadn’t even finished high school, I wanted to do something with my life and I thought Alan could offer me an opportunity,” he told ABC radio.
“I didn’t necessarily contact him in regards to offering sex in exchange for a job, he was just, I thought, a valuable contact.
“The relationship started off as one of friendship, we’d be with each other once or twice a week, we’d talk on the phone every day, we’d go for dinner.”
Before being removed, the on-line description is reported to have read: “I can only presume that this auction may cause many conservative, white, middle-upper class, ivory tower owners upset and result in aggressive and abusive messages from fans, supporters and possibly friends of Alan Jones.”
Mr Schmit also wrote he was presenting an “opportunity for those who feel strongly against offering such a letter for auction - an offer to enable me to withdraw this letter from public bid”.
eBay said people do occasionally relist items after they had been pulled down and they would deal with that issue if Mr Schmit relisted it.
Mr Jones declined to comment.
Jones letters pulled from eBay
Wednesday, November 15, 2006 | Labels: Radionews |
Internet auction house eBay has removed from sale a set of letters purported to be written by Alan Jones to a man who claims to have had a relationship with the broadcaster.
Marcus Schmit, who claims in Chris Masters’ biography Jonestown to have had a relationship with the 2GB host in 2001, was hoping to cash in by selling the letters.
But after being posted online for two days, eBay removed the letters from sale, saying they were “inappropriate”.
“We looked at the item and made a call that it was inappropriate,” eBay spokesman Daniel Feiler said.
“eBay is well known as a great place to buy and sell practically anything, but that doesn’t mean everything.”
Mr Feiler said he would not go into the specifics of what eBay thought was inappropriate about the listing.
The letters are believed to have had a starting price of $1,200 but had not received any bids when they were pulled this morning.
Mr Schmit said he posted the letters online after a friend suggested it would be a good way to make some money.
He said he came to know Mr Jones by writing to him and classified him as a friend but only knew him for three to four months before he moved away.
“I wanted a career, I hadn’t been to university, I hadn’t even finished high school, I wanted to do something with my life and I thought Alan could offer me an opportunity,” he told ABC radio.
“I didn’t necessarily contact him in regards to offering sex in exchange for a job, he was just, I thought, a valuable contact.
“The relationship started off as one of friendship, we’d be with each other once or twice a week, we’d talk on the phone every day, we’d go for dinner.”
Before being removed, the on-line description is reported to have read: “I can only presume that this auction may cause many conservative, white, middle-upper class, ivory tower owners upset and result in aggressive and abusive messages from fans, supporters and possibly friends of Alan Jones.”
Mr Schmit also wrote he was presenting an “opportunity for those who feel strongly against offering such a letter for auction - an offer to enable me to withdraw this letter from public bid”.
eBay said people do occasionally relist items after they had been pulled down and they would deal with that issue if Mr Schmit relisted it.
Mr Jones declined to comment.
Marcus Schmit, who claims in Chris Masters’ biography Jonestown to have had a relationship with the 2GB host in 2001, was hoping to cash in by selling the letters.
But after being posted online for two days, eBay removed the letters from sale, saying they were “inappropriate”.
“We looked at the item and made a call that it was inappropriate,” eBay spokesman Daniel Feiler said.
“eBay is well known as a great place to buy and sell practically anything, but that doesn’t mean everything.”
Mr Feiler said he would not go into the specifics of what eBay thought was inappropriate about the listing.
The letters are believed to have had a starting price of $1,200 but had not received any bids when they were pulled this morning.
Mr Schmit said he posted the letters online after a friend suggested it would be a good way to make some money.
He said he came to know Mr Jones by writing to him and classified him as a friend but only knew him for three to four months before he moved away.
“I wanted a career, I hadn’t been to university, I hadn’t even finished high school, I wanted to do something with my life and I thought Alan could offer me an opportunity,” he told ABC radio.
“I didn’t necessarily contact him in regards to offering sex in exchange for a job, he was just, I thought, a valuable contact.
“The relationship started off as one of friendship, we’d be with each other once or twice a week, we’d talk on the phone every day, we’d go for dinner.”
Before being removed, the on-line description is reported to have read: “I can only presume that this auction may cause many conservative, white, middle-upper class, ivory tower owners upset and result in aggressive and abusive messages from fans, supporters and possibly friends of Alan Jones.”
Mr Schmit also wrote he was presenting an “opportunity for those who feel strongly against offering such a letter for auction - an offer to enable me to withdraw this letter from public bid”.
eBay said people do occasionally relist items after they had been pulled down and they would deal with that issue if Mr Schmit relisted it.
Mr Jones declined to comment.
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