Don’t tell Alan Detrich that e-commerce is the future—his attempt to
sell a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton in a unique online auction has failed
abysmally. Nicknamed “Z Rex”, the fossil is the second most complete T.
rex discovered and the largest male specimen. Detrich, a fossil dealer
based in Kansas, failed to find buyers willing to stump up the $5 million
asking price through conventional channels. So he allowed the fossil to be put
up for auction on the eBay website for a week. More than 600 people visited the
auction site, but all four bids received before the 4 July deadline turned out
to be hoaxes.
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