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LIVE TREE WITH IMAGE OF VIRGIN MARY
(VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE)You
are bidding on what just might be a modern-day miracle: a
live tree bearing what thousands of people believe is an image of
the Virgin Mary (la Virgen de Guadalupe) on its trunk. The tree,
located in the front yard of a private home in South Dallas, stands
about 50 feet tall and is about two feet in diameter. The image,
which appears to be of the robed and hooded Virgin clasping her
hands in prayer, is slightly over four feet tall.
Since the image of the Virgin first
appeared in November 2005, the image and the overwhelming response
of the Catholic and Christian community have received worldwide
media attention, including coverage on
WFAA-TV News 8 (local ABC affiliate), KXAS-TV NBC 5 News, KDFW-TV
FOX 4 News, Univision and Telemundo, as well as in the
Dallas Observer (feature article), the Dallas Morning News,
the Fort Worth Star Telegram, Al Dia (Dallas
Spanish-language daily newspaper), Diario la Estrella (Fort
Worth Spanish-language daily newspaper),
El Extra (Spanish-language newspaper), and Ultima Hora (Madrid,
Spain newspaper). (You can find a link to some of the prior
news coverage at the end of this description.)
Thousands of believers have come to
view the image of the Virgin and to pray at the tree. The first
visitors came mainly from Dallas’ Mexican Catholic community, but
after the story spread around the United States and then to Central
America, hundreds more people have made the pilgrimage to the front
yard of the small South Dallas home where the tree is growing. An
impromptu shrine quickly sprang up around the base of the tree, with
candles, rosary beads, bottles of holy water, and other offerings.
The ill, the crippled and the hopeless have all come to the
tree—from as far away as Mexico City and Korea—praying for a cure,
or for a personal miracle.
Unfortunately, the constant stream of
believers has worn the once lush front yard down to bare dirt, and
has trampled the family’s private life as well. On one night in
December, there were nearly 500 people in the yard around the tree,
including a mariachi band. Dozens of people still come to the tree
every Sunday morning, while many also visit on their way to and from
work each day. Believers have even camped in the family’s yard
overnight so they could be near the tree and perhaps witness
something miraculous.
The owners of the tree originally had
no intention of selling it, believing that they should share their
blessing with the community. However, with no end in sight to the
flow of uninvited guests some three months after the image of the
Virgin was revealed, the owners have made the difficult decision to
sell this majestic tree so as to reclaim their privacy. They hope
that the purchaser will treat the tree and its image of the Virgin
with due respect, and will make the tree available for viewing by
the public in its new home.
The starting bid for this auction is
$5,000, and there is no reserve. This amount was determined based on
the owners’ estimated cost to return their front lawn to the
condition it was in before the image of the Virgin appeared on the
tree.
For additional
information about this auction, including prior
television and newspaper coverage, additional photographs of
the tree, and more, please visit:
http://www.iSoldItDallas.com/tree |
Please be sure you read and
understand all of the terms of the auction on this page before
bidding.
ISI Number: 101660001306
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iSold It is a
"clicks and mortar" chain of eBay drop off stores that helps individuals,
businesses, and fundraising organizations sell their items on eBay.
Selling on eBay is easy with iSold It! at
iSold it, we:
-
Professionally photograph each item
-
Design a listing with descriptive copy points
-
Post the item for sale on eBay
-
Process payment from the winning bidder
-
Pack and ship the item to the buyer
After the item sells, we send you a check!
This iSold It Store is located at:
4941 Belt Line Road
Dallas, TX 75254
Store Phone: 972-991-EBAY (3229)
 I am a Trading Assistant - I can sell items for you!
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iSOLD IT IS NOT THE OWNER OR SELLER
OF THESE GOODS, BUT MERELY A BAILEE ACTING ON BEHALF OF THE SELLER TO
FACILITATE THE SALE OF THE GOODS BY HOLDING THE GOODS UNTIL SUCH TIME AS A SALE
IS COMPLETED.
iSold It has used its best efforts to inspect the item(s) for sale and create
descriptions and furnish photographs that fairly and adequately depict the
type, condition and image of the goods at the time of sale. iSold It makes no
express or implied warranties or representations regarding the condition or
suitability of the goods and to the extent allowed by law, specifically
disclaims any express or implied warranties, including but not limited to any
warranty of merchantability or fitness for purpose.
All text and images in this auction are copyright iSold It.
All rights reserved.
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All
bidders must be pre-approved.
To
request approval, please use the
"Ask seller a question" form. Please include the following in your request:
- Your name
- Your email address
- The city and state or country
where you are located
- A daytime telephone number
To ensure the privacy of all bidders,
including the winner, this is a private auction; the bidders'
identities will not be disclosed.
Serious bidders only! Please
do not bid if you are not able to pay for the winning bid amount
and removal of the tree (see the Terms of Sale below).
Non-paying bidders will be reported to eBay.
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This item is sold under the following
terms:
- Payment must be made in full
within seven days of the close of the auction. The
winning bidder must contact us within 24 hours after the close
of the auction to discuss payment arrangements.
- The buyer must remove the tree
within two weeks of the close of auction.
- Removal of the tree is at the
buyer's expense.
- The buyer may remove the tree
either intact (for re-planting), or in pieces, at the buyer's
option. The buyer is responsible for arranging the
necessary removal services. We can suggest a company that
specializes in large tree moving if requested.
- The cost to move the tree
intact--including removal, transportation to a new location, and
re-planting--could be in the $10,000 to $50,000 range, depending
on the destination's distance from Dallas.
- The cost to remove the tree in
pieces would be about $2,000. If the tree is removed in
pieces, the entire tree (including the stump) must be removed
from the property, and the area must be filled to a grade level with the rest of
the lawn.
- The owner must be advised at
least 24 hours before removal of the tree begins.
Because of the widespread exposure
this auction is likely to receive, we recommend that the winning
bidder hire private security to protect the tree after the auction
ends. Neither iSold It nor the owner of the tree will be
liable for any loss or damage to the tree by third parties or from
natural causes after the auction ends.
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Payment in full must be made within
seven days of the close of the auction.
If we do not receive your payment within this time period, the
sale will be cancelled and a Non-Paying Bidder notice will be filed
with eBay.
Payment may be made only by
cashier’s check drawn on a United States bank, or (preferably) by a
bank-to-bank wire transfer in US funds. We cannot
accept PayPal or credit cards for this auction due to the
anticipated sale amount.
If your eBay account is registered in
the State of Texas, or the tree is to be delivered in the State
of Texas, 8.25% state and local sales tax will be added on your
purchase.
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This tree is sold AS IS. The buyer is solely responsible for
the tree after purchase. There is no right to a return or
refund.
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Is this a joke or a hoax?
No, it is not. The owners of the tree and thousands of
other believers take this image very seriously. Although the
owners do hope that bidders will recognize and preserve the value of
this unique item, their primary interest is in having the tree
removed so that their lives can get back to normal.
Will you end the auction early?
No, we do not end auctions early. All our auctions go for the full duration.
Is there a Buy It Now price?
No.
Is there a reserve price on this
auction?
No, there is no reserve.
Can you send me additional photos of the tree?
Unfortunately, due to the high volume of items we receive each day, we cannot
provide additional photos of this item. You can, however,
find additional photographs by following the link in the green box
at the end of the description.
Can I inspect the tree in person
if I'm in the Dallas area?
Yes. After you are approved as a bidder, we can give you
the location of the tree, and you are welcome to inspect it in
person.
Thanks again for your interest in an auction from iSold
It.
If after reading the above you
still need help or have questions, please use the
Ask
seller a
question form.
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This seller, isoldit.tx0166, prefers PayPal.