Items from Kobe Bryant‘s celebration of life have been removed from eBay for violating the company’s police after they appeared on the reselling site at exorbitant pricepoints. According to TMZ Sports, eBay is actively working to remove listings claiming to be selling memorabilia from the event, as the company has a policy that prohibits sellers from profiting off of “human tragedy or suffering.”
An email reportedly sent to one seller read, “Please note, due to sudden and tragic passing of Kobe Bryant – eBay has made the decision to prohibit the sale of merchandise, images and mugs relating to their passing. We do not allow listings that attempt to profit from human tragedy or suffering.”
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Items listed from the memorial include programs, shirts, pins, tickets and more. The items honor both Kobe and Gianna and include programs with their photo and t-shirts with their basketball numbers, 2 and 24, respectively, as well as an infinity sign.
Other pieces of Bryant memorabilia including autographs, jerseys, photos and more are still available for bidding as they would not violate eBay’s policy. After the athlete’s death, the prices of many of those items has increased and is selling from two to 20 times the original price. It is advised that fans purchase only merchandise that has been authenticated from reputable sellers in order to avoid fake items.
In contrast, some dealers have said that they are currently abstaining from selling Bryant memorabilia in order to avoid profiting from his death by capitalizing on fans’ emotions.
The celebration of life to honor Bryant and his daughter Gianna was held on Monday, Feb. 24 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The event included performances by Beyoncรฉ, Alicia Keys and Christina Aguilera as well as speeches by Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Jimmy Kimmel, WNBA star Diana Taurasi, college basketball player Sabrina Ionescu, University of Connecticut women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma and Lakers’ vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka. Bryant’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, also delivered a eulogy for her husband and daughter.
“They were so easy to love,” Vanessa said. “Everyone naturally gravitated towards them. They were funny, happy, silly, and they loved life. They were so full of joy and adventure. God knew they couldn’t be on this Earth without each other. He had to bring them home to have them together.”
The memorial concluded with a screening of Bryant’s Oscar-winning short film, “Dear Basketball.”
Photo Credit: Getty / Frederic J. Brown
