When premedicine freshman Steve Swancoat couldn't find love on campus, he turned to eBay.
On Tuesday, Swancoat, a long-time eBay user, placed himself in the dating market through the Internet.
"It was kind of like for laughs and giggles," Swancoat said. "I thought, why not have some fun and auction off a date with my sexy self?"
Swancoat had a friend snap a few poses of him with a digital camera and within five minutes, he was up on eBay and waiting for the first bidder. As of 6 p.m. Sunday, more than 380 people had accessed his auction by typing in the keywords "Michigan State Date."
Swancoat initially started the bid for a date with him at $20, but changed it after several people told him it was too high.
"I lowered my self-esteem and lowered it down to $3," Swancoat said.
Swancoat said he isn't worried the winner will be a stalker, but just to be on the safe side, he set a few conditions of the auction. The first one is that the winner must travel to East Lansing for the date and set a time that would best accommodate Swancoat's class schedule. The bidder also must be a female between the ages of 18 and 45.
He also received an e-mail concerning payment details, but Swancoat said the winner can pay him cash when they meet for their date.
One bidder matched the $3 price, but the bidder's previous auctions for a car and bike parts might suggest the bid was placed as a joke.
"I'm hoping it was some girl using her dad's account or something," Swancoat said.
Swancoat said he isn't worried about eBay and the legality of auctioning himself over the net.
Most of Swancoat's family and friends initially laughed at the idea, but have come around and shown their support - his mother even advised him to correct a few spelling errors on his biography.
"When I heard from a girl that I know that he did it, I was not surprised at all," preveterinary freshman Jessica Bradford said. "I just thought, yeah, that's Steve."
The final catch is that whoever wins a date with Swancoat not only has to pay for the auction, but for half of the date.
"I'm not going to take a trip to Mexico or anything," Swancoat said. "They pay their own way."
Swancoat said he is hopeful the winner will be a normal girl who shares his same sense of humor.
"But I don't know what kind of normal, down-to-earth girl would bid on eBay," Swancoat said.
If someone does bid and fits all of the set requirements of the auction, Swancoat said he will commit to a date.
"It's funny to make a joke out of it, but if someone bids, I would have to follow through," Swancoat said. "I don't want any negative feedback on my perfect eBay record just because I didn't go on a $3 date."
But until Swancoat's eBay auction ends at noon on Tuesday, all he and his friends can do is wait for the highest bidder.
"I'm hoping Steve honestly finds the girl of his dreams," premedicine sophomore Jay Schnabel said. "I can see that happening - crazy stuff like that happens sometimes."
