#1 This Thing For Sale On Craigslist. The Description Makes It Even More Confusing
The concept of selling human teeth online might initially come across as bizarre and a bit creepy. But it turns out there could sometimes be something more sinister at play.
According to experts, there is a big black market for human teeth. These can reportedly sell for up to $10 each, and often end up in the hands of dental students who are required to have teeth specimens as part of their studies.
The Tooth Bank is a non-profit organization made up of dentists, dental students and volunteers. They are working together to raise awareness about, and bring an end to, the illegal trade of human teeth around the globe. The NPO also helps by providing dental students with ethically sourced teeth.
The Tooth Bank revealed in 2020 that some dental students buy illegal human teeth because they have no other choice.
"Students order from these shady companies, not because they are looking for a cheaper alternative, but because there is no alternative," reads a press release, adding that the dealers and syndicates source teeth through the most heinous, unethical methods imaginable.
"These methods include grave robbing, theft, and exploitation of the most impoverished and vulnerable communities in the world."
The Tooth Bank claims that India and China are popular sources of blackmarket bones and teeth. Dealers advertise the teeth online, and many end up in the United States.
The NPO has called on dentists to donate extracted teeth to students, in order to curb the illegal trade. "Currently, dentists in the U.S. dispose of extracted teeth in biohazard bins," noted the organization.
"Instead of throwing away extracted teeth, dentists can order a tooth donation kit at no cost and drop them in a jar. The Tooth Bank also includes a return shipping label so dentists can send them back once filled as a tax-deductible donation."
Many times, creepy online ads aren't sinister. Just weird. In 2022, an exotic dancer named Rebekka Blue made headlines for raking in a fortune selling things like burps in a jar, toenail clippings, used tissues and dirty bath water. Blue claims to make between $5,000 and $10,000 on "average" a month from her bizarre business venture.
"If you see me throwing something in the trash, then there's a red flag, because I'm usually keeping it in my bag to sell later," Blue told Wales Online. "Even if we go to the salon to get our toes done, I'm asking to keep the flip flops and the toenail dividers and trying to get my client to pay for everybody's pedicures. It's an upselling challenge."
Blue revealed that the oddest thing she ever sold was IUD (intrauterine device). Her doctor had thrown it in the trash after removing it. She took it out, bagged it and kept it for a prospective buyer, who she knew would eventually bite.
"I had a client who bought strange things like my stuffed animals and my panty-liners and some off-the-wall things and thought, 'maybe he could use this as a trophy?' He offered me four figures to have something that was inside my body for almost five years, which was godly to him," said Blue, adding that it was hands down one of the highlights of her career.
#20 My Fiancée Sent This To Me And I Couldn’t Help But Feel It Belonged Here
