A 13-year-old computer whiz is in “big trouble” after placing a whopping $2.8 million in bids on the eBay auction site – and snaring a historic bedroom suite and two antique cars he can’t pay for.
Officials of eBay, the Internet’s top auctioneer, say the sales are invalid because Andrew Tyler of Haddonfield, N.J., is a minor.
But Aubrey Garrett, who listed the bedroom suite with eBay, says the sale went through and he was charged $5,000 in commission.
“Somebody owes me $400,000,” fumed Garrett, who is thinking of suing the Internet auctioneer.
A chastened Andrew told The Post last night, “I’m not supposed to talk about it because my parents will get mad at me. I’m in big trouble.”
His parents have stripped him of his Internet access.
The tempest on a keyboard began Aug. 4 when Andrew tried to sell his best friend, identified only as Carsten, as a slave, warning that “he’s an ugly b—h and he smells” but assuring buyers that “he will work very well.”
Bidding started at $1. There were no takers.
“His slave didn’t sell so he became a Diamond Jim buyer for eBay,” Garrett said.
In the next three weeks, Andrew bid on 13 items – including $1.2 million for a medical center in Jacksonville, Fla., (his father is a doctor), $500,000 for a Van Gogh painting, $120,000 for Issue No. 1 of the Superman comic book and $35,000 for a Viking ship replica.
Eight of the bids failed, but five succeeded, including $23,000 for a 1955 Ford convertible, $24,500 for a 1971 Corvette convertible and the 140-year-old bedroom suite, which belonged to John A. MacDonald, Canada’s first prime minister.
Garrett, who owns Internet Auction House in Kingston, Ontario, became suspicious when he didn’t get paid and contacted eBay, based in San Jose, Calif.
EBay discovered that Andrew is 13 and as a minor, barred from bidding. The firm labeled him a “deadbeat bidder,” and canceled the sales and the contract the boy was using.
But Garrett says his sale went through.
So he called the Tyler family. Andrew’s mother, Ingrid, was flabbergasted.
“I said he bought a $400,000 bedroom suite and she said, ‘I’m hyperventilating,” Garrett said.
She also said the family is not “rolling in bucks.”
Garrett also spoke to Andrew, who told him, “I spend a lot of time alone.”
“You put a kid alone on the Internet and this is going to happen,” the antiques dealer said.
EBay spokeswoman Jennifer Chu said Andrew’s parents have an account and the boy used their password.
But Garrett said he determined the account is listed in Andrew’s name.
EBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove said that even if that was true, he couldn’t confirm it because the information is confidential.
“I think I’ll have to sue eBay,” Garrett said. “That’s the only way my clients will release me from liability. I’m going to do what my clients want.”
Andrew looked very dejected as he trudged up to his house last night, reading a book.
Across the street, his 80-year-old neighbor, Mary McMahon, said, “To me, the Internet is the work of the devil. It’s more trouble than good.”