Man sells face space on eBay

An Auburn man has offered to sell advertising space on his face for $1 million - and, for a brief moment, it looked like someone leapt for the opportunity.But his listing on eBay appears to have been the victim of a hoax.Dominic Sparks' offer to be permanently tattooed with a company logo or Web site was purchased by an Australian bidder two days after it was posted for sale through the online auction house. But after about 24 hours of hearing nothing from the bidder, he received an e-mail message from the supposed buyer, who claimed to know nothing about the transaction.Sparks' wife, Kathryn, had put the item on the Web late Saturday night, with a minimum bid of $500,000 and a Buy it Now price of $1 million. There were no bids during the first 48 hours. Then, at about 11 p.m. Monday, lightning struck."We had been checking on it about every hour," Kathryn said. "All of a sudden we heard 'you've got mail.'"Their first reaction upon learning from the eBay message that they had a buyer was disbelief and hopefulness, although they were skeptical. The Sparks, both 27, have fallen on hard times since Dominic was injured a year ago - when, they say, he slipped on a anchor bolt while lifting a pallet in a warehouse job. According to Kathryn Sparks, he is now disabled and won't be able work again.Their efforts to get workers' compensation and insurance benefits have been unsuccessful and they are now pursuing legal action, they say. The family, which includes two children - a daughter, Gianna, 2, and a son, Nicholas, 8 months - subsists on welfare assistance and food stamps and recently turned to selling belongings on eBay to make ends meet."We've depleted our entire savings and sold furniture," Kathryn Sparks said Tuesday. "My wedding ring is in the pawn shop."A brief description of their financial straits accompanies their eBay listing.The winning bidder, who goes by the online name of teralize187, has been registered with the auction site only since Feb. 4, and this was their first purchase.Kathryn Sparks had forwarded an invoice and contact instructions shortly after the sale. And although somewhat prepared for disappointment, the buyer's response Tuesday night took her by surprise."Who are you may I ask?" the e-mail says. "I haven't bid on anything on eBay. If this a real e-mail please reply to me and explain what's going on. Thanks."The Sparks said they plan to discuss the matter with eBay today and are planning legal action.The couple was featured on Fox 40 TV news Monday and since then has seen a trickle of interest from several companies, including a call from Hustler magazine. They are not discounting any offers and have re-posted the forehead item on eBay.They say they are very flexible about the advertising message - as long as it is not racist - and neither is a stranger to body art. Kathryn Sparks has 13 tattoos including a rendering on her back of '50s pinup girl Betty Page, a heart with her husband's name on her chest, a Celtic cross and clover on her legs.Dominic Sparks' arms are tattooed with flames, fish and Samurai swords. He has a skull tattoo on the back of his head and a dragon on his leg.Their only stipulation is that tattoo artist Benny Miller at Skin Flix in Santa Clarita do the work."He's the only person I trust to tattoo me or my husband," Kathryn Sparks said. "We've been going to him for four years."This is not the first time sellers have used eBay to auction parts of their body as promotional sites. The Sparks say they got the idea from a woman in South Carolina who sold space on her stomach for $8,000. In January, Andrew Fischer of Omaha, Neb., received $37,375 to tattoo a SnoreStop logo on his forehead.Although tattoos are becoming more popular, George Karren of Auburn Tattoo Company on Lincoln Way said he doesn't recommend face tattoos."As a working professional, I steer people away from getting a tattoo on their face," he said. "Society's views will change, but for right now, in general I would imagine that with a huge facial tattoo it would be hard to find a job."In downtown Auburn Tuesday, construction contractor Bill Stephenson said a facial tattoo wasn't something he would consider."I think it is a publicity stunt," he said. "I know lots of people who've found other means of supporting their families."The Sparks don't want to count the money yet, but it's hard not to do a little planning."We owe my mother-in-law a lot of money and the first check I wrote would be to her," Kathryn Sparks said. "Then I'd buy the house I'm in because I love it."Dominic Sparks isn't embracing the idea of face art, but sees it as an act of desperation."I think it's a sad day when someone needs to put his face on television or on the Internet to sell himself to feed his kids," he said. "But it is what we have to do."The Journal's Gloria Young can be reached at gloriay@goldcountrymedia.com.