Man auctioning life says 'idiots' made fake Internet bids

SYDNEY (AFP) — A middle-aged man who put his life up for auction on the Internet said Tuesday "idiots" had made fake bids which pushed up the price of his home, job and lifestyle to unrealistic levels.

Ian Usher, 44, was drinking champagne and celebrating on Sunday night after the seven-day auction of his Australian lifestyle started with a bang, hitting 650,000 dollars (619,265 US).

By the time he awoke on Monday, bidding had reached 1.9 million dollars and then ticked over the two-million-dollar point as he sat watching his computer.

But after initially laughing at his luck, Usher quickly came down to earth when he realised that a registration system for bidding on the eBay auction site had not been activated.

The former carpet store assistant, who is selling his near-new three-bedroom home in Perth in Western Australia as part of his ...