Student Attempts to Get eBay Bidders to Pay for College Tuition

Published 29 August 08 01:29 PM | Student Loan Girl

Zack Ketz, a University of Virginia studio art major, is not the first to use an eBay auction as a ploy for free tuition. Oklahoma Wesleyan University found a bidder to pay $18,669.99 for one year of tuition and room, and board — valued at $23,000 — on the site last year.

However, Ketz’s effort was not as successful. His auction’s final bid only reached $152.50, not quite enough to cover his $22,000 tuition bill, according to an article on Newsadvance.com (“Ebay Auction to Pay UVA. Student’s Tuition Falls Short,” Aug. 15, 2008).

And unlike the Wesleyan auction where the winning bidder received something of value, namely a discount on college tuition, the take- home for Ketz’s bidder, a friend of his dad, was less clear. Ketz’s idea was to have eBay customers fight over the privilege to pay off his tuition bill in exchange for his commitment to advocate for the winner’s philanthropy.

Ketz, who lives paycheck to paycheck by repairing wheelchairs full- time, was desperate for money to pay for school, but says he neglected to apply for scholarships and grants to cover his tuition. He claims that he didn’t want to give in to the system, saying “Why don’t I at least make an effort to do something different?”

Not everyone thought his plan was such a great idea. One individual who wrote Ketz suggested that he get a “real job.” Then there was the Website “College on the Record” that listed Ketz’s auction number one on their list of “Top 5 College Scams.”

The winning bidder, Tom Beacham, however, thought that the eBay strategy was brilliant. “It was ingenious on his part,” he said. “I think it adds a little comical side to [paying for college].”