(31 July 2012) Bob Shop is no stranger to unusual, notable and sometimes even a little controversial auctions and items for sale. A browse through the South African online marketplace shows several current and recent out-of-the-ordinary listings.

Tea for Two with Tutu raffle ticket sale, open until 16 August, is organised by Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship. There are only 320 tickets available, each going for R2000 for a chance to win a once in a life time experience: a meeting with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu in Cape Town. Thanks to sponsorship of several companies, the winner and his or her partner will enjoy an all-inclusive package consisting of transport, overnight accommodation and spending money.

All proceeds from the Bob Shop raffle sale will go directly to providing practical business training to 320 budding entrepreneurs from disadvantaged communities at the Branson Centre in Johannesburg. "As a result of this being a fund-raiser, we are waiving our standard selling commission for this non-profit organisation", says Bob Shop CEO Jaco Jonker.

Vineyard Experience for Two auction, open until 7 August, also has a charity component. On auction are five exclusive weekend Vineyard Experience packages for two. The starting bid is R5950, and everything earned over that amount will go to the Vineyard Hotel's registered charity, Our Kids of the Cape Fund.

The SARugby.com for sale listing in the Bob Shop Classifieds section attracted considerable attention in the social networking sphere as soon as it opened on 26 July. And no wonder: this is one of the top South African rugby websites, with 100,000 visits a month. That is probably why this internet business found a buyer so quickly. As is usual with Classifieds, the sale was concluded directly between the buyer and the seller, and the listing was closed. The seller, who was ready to consider proposals upwards of R67,000, says that he is more than happy with a much higher offer he received, though he and the buyer prefer not to disclose the actual amount.

At the time of writing this, a business described as a well-known promotional company was still available, with the starting bid of R350,000. The seller puts the market value at R800,000 and specifies that the business can be run from a one bedroom flat or garage, with considerable profit margins.

Last but not least, one Bob Shop seller is selling his bobshop business with the price tag of only R7,500. True, anyone who has something to sell can do it on Bob Shop free of charge. However, this offer includes not only stock (mainly electronic gadgets), but also training, trading connections and, most importantly, good reputation acquired on Bob Shop. In reply to questions posed online by prospective buyers, the (apparently) youthful seller explains that he started selling on Bob Shop during school, making a net profit of over R70,000 over a period of two and a half years, and that now, in his final year of varsity, he finds the work load is too much to handle.

"These listings illustrate how flexible the Bob Shop platform is. It can accommodate practically every situation that calls for some form of trading", says Bob Shop CEO Jaco Jonker. "At any given time, more than one million products and services are listed for sale on the site, with thousands of sellers bringing to buyers both products of mass consumption and unique items."