Ian Usher Explained

Ian Usher
Birth Date:1963 7, df=y
Birth Place:Durham, England
Nationality:English
Known For:Selling his life on eBay, writing

Ian Usher (born 25 July 1963) is an English traveller, author and public speaker. He is best known for his 2008 "life for sale" listing on eBay[1] following divorce from his wife, Laura.[2]

Early life

Usher grew up in Barnard Castle, Co Durham, England and attended the Barnard Castle School.

Following school, he lived on a kibbutz in Israel and travelled through Europe. He gained a BEd teaching degree in Outdoor Education at Liverpool Polytechnic in 1985.[3] [4]

Career

He worked with British Rail as a Youth Leadership and Teamwork Counselor before opening Scarborough Jet Skiing on England's north east coast with his partner, Bruce Jones.

In 2001 he moved to Australia where he worked in sales, marketing and management.

In 2008, after the break up of his marriage, Usher listed his "life for sale" on eBay. He gained world-wide notoriety.[5] [6] The final price was $309,292.[7]

His stated goal for the eBay auction was a "fresh start," so, following the sale, he travelled across the world in pursuit of a series of 100 goals, scheduled to be done in 100 weeks. His two-year "bucket list" ended in New York City in the crown of the Statue of Liberty on 4 July 2010.[8] [9]

Books

He wrote two books, 2008's A Life Sold[10] and 2013's Paradise Delayed.[11] In A Life Sold, he documented two years of travel. The movie rights were purchased by Walt Disney Pictures, which commissioned a project called Life for Sale.[12] It was scheduled to be produced by Andrew Panay.[13]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bidding begins on 'entire life'. BBC News UK. 22 June 2008.
  2. Web site: Divorced Man Sells His Life on eBay. ABC TV News – Good Morning America. ABC TV News. 20 March 2008.
  3. Web site: Ian Usher – Author Biography. Amazon.com. November 2008.
  4. Web site: The man who sold his life buys his own Caribbean island and falls in love again. The Mirror (UK). Agency Staff. 11 April 2012.
  5. Web site: Bidding begins on 'entire life' . BBC News. 22 June 2008.
  6. [Wikinews:Man auctions his life on eBay, is disappointed at sale price]
  7. Web site: 10 Most Expensive Items Ever Sold On eBay: Top Spot Bought For $168M in 2024 . FinancesOnline.
  8. Web site: Cheese Rolling as a Goal. CNN. 26 May 2009.
  9. Web site: Man with a lot of goals visits Big Island. Hawaii 24/7. Karin Stanton. 18 January 2009.
    Web site: One Year On: The man who sold his life. https://web.archive.org/web/20140306101942/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/style/fashion/trends/article147996.ece. dead. 6 March 2014. The Sunday Times (UK). Josie Ensor. 8 February 2009.
    Web site: Cheese Rolling as a Goal. CNN. 26 May 2009.
    Web site: Ian Usher is achieving 100 ambiitions after wife Laura left him but he's still heart broken. The Daily Telegraph (AU). 10 May 2010.
    Web site: What's on Ian Usher's Bucket List?. Cheapflights Blog. Brett Ackroyd. 16 April 2012.
  10. Book: A Life Sold – What ever happened to that guy who sold his whole life on eBay?. 4 November 2008. 978-0980865301. Usher. Ian.
  11. Book: Paradise Delayed - The Pitfalls and Pleasures (Mainly the Pitfalls) of Caribbean Island Life in the Beautiful Archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama. 7 April 2013. 978-0980865318. Usher. Ian.
  12. News: Life on eBay: Divorced Ian Usher Bounces Back As Disney Buys Rights To Make His Story A Movie. HuffPost. Felicity Morse. 11 April 2011.
  13. Web site: Disney Pays Seven Figures For Scott Rosenberg Pitch. Deadline.com. Mike Fleming Jr. 18 June 2012. Rosenberg recently did a rewrite for Disney's Life For Sale, which Andrew Panay is producing..

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