Quirky listings got the views on Trade Me in 2018

A piece of sandpaper, a wedding dress and a condom were tops with visitors to Trade Me in 2018.

The auction website has released its annual compilation of most popular listings, and again it’s been the items with a story behind them that stood out.

Trade Me spokeswoman Millie Silvester said many of the attentiongetting listings were inspired by the news or viral trends.

The year’s most popular listing was a piece of yellow sandpaper titled ‘‘Australian Sports Tape’’ after the Aussie cricket team came under fire for ball tampering in March.

The sandpaper made headlines around the world and attracted 260,000 views before it sold for $58 to a Papatoetoe buyer.

In second place was a Masterton woman’s wedding dress, ‘‘worn once by mistake’’, with 106,000 views.

Silvester said this year searches for reusable items doubled after the plastic bag ban, searches for electric vehicles shot up 42 per cent year-on-year, and after the untimely death of designer Kate Spade, Trade Me saw searches for her work leap 795 per cent.

Silvester said an XL condom listed by Lisa Lewis during the nationwide condom shortage in June took bronze in the most viewed of the year.

An Auckland member named Nicki auctioned off a ticket to Ed Sheeran’s concert in March under the proviso that the winner took her to the show. The listing netted 33,700 views and Nicki ended up finding a date, but it didn’t work out, Silvester said.

Silvester said of the interesting searches made on the website, Trade Me had over 21,500 searches for ‘‘men’s cardigans’’.

Since the introduction of Lime scooters in Auckland, 94 first aid sets have been sold in the city through Trade Me.