However, a week after he auctioned the virginities of a young woman and man online, he could be facing sex trafficking charges.
Brazilian student Catarina Migliorini attracted 15 bids, with a Japanese man securing her first time with a winning £487,000 offer. The 20-year-old is due to be “delivered” to her buyer – known only as Natsu – on board a plane between Australia and the US, to avoid prostitution laws.
Aussie student Alex Stepanov, 21, attracted £1870 from a woman in Brazil. The process, how they feel before and after sex, and how the money changes them will form a documentary called Virgins Wanted.
However, taking offence at the sale of Migliorini, Brazil’s attorney general, Joao Pedro de Saboia Bandeira de Mello Filho, has ordered an “urgent” investigation, claiming the auction amounted to “people trafficking”.
In a letter to Brazil’s foreign minister, he said Sisley should be stopped from “executing the crime” and called on authorities in Australia, where Migliorini lives, to revoke her visa and deport her back to Brazil for “the exercise of prostitution”.
Sisley, 30, from Melbourne, said it was up to viewers to judge on whether the auction was exploitation, saying he wanted them to witness the transformation of the lives of Stepanov and Migliorini.
“People always ask how are people going to change after having sex,” he said.
“But it’s not about that. It’s about the before and after; how they’re going to change with all this attention and how they’re going to change with the money they get from the auction. I want to see where they invest it and how long it’s going to last.”
Sisley said Stepanov was upset about getting only a fraction of Catarina’s price for his virginity. “It’s interesting from a sociological point of view to compare what virginity is worth for a girl and what it’s worth for a guy,” he said.
“It’s something we expected. We never thought he was going to reach anywhere near the amount she did.”
Sisley has received hundreds of emails from people protesting against the auction, mainly family groups.
“I don’t disagree with them, that the film appears to present sex as a commodity, but I’ll let the film speak for itself,” he said.
“The cast have made their own decisions.”
Migliorini doesn’t yet know when she will have sex with the winning bidder, but said the auction was a good thing.
“First I talk with the guy,” she said in broken English.
But she added she was delighted with the amount of money she’ll get. “Good, yes, I’m very happy, yes.”
Sisley’s four-person team have been filming for three-and-a-half years – starting by putting up posters declaring “virgins wanted” across Melbourne and Australia – and they hope to release either a film or a TV series next year.
Virginity isn’t the only unusual thing going under the hammer – here, we look at other questionable, random and odd things being sold and sought online.
Roy Norris’ fingernails, United States
‘Tool Box Killer’ Roy Norris went on a killing spree in 1979 with Lawrence Bittaker, kidnapping, raping, torturing and murdering five young women over five months in California.
A few years ago, Norris, 64, who will be eligible for parole in 2019, reportedly sold his fingernail cuttings on eBay, securing US$9.99 (£6.20).
Norris sent the ‘winner‘ – Andy Kahn, head of the Mayor’s Crime Victims Office in Houston, who bought them in a bid to stop killers benefiting from ‘murderabilia’ – the shavings attached to a Christmas card, with a note.
Wanted: A midget, South Africa
A jilted lover wanted to seek revenge on the woman who dumped him, so placed an unusual advert on Gumtree.
Known only as Brett, the man wrote: “I was recently dumped and require the services of a midget to go and kick my ex-girlfriend in the shins whilst she is at work.
All you need to do is go into the shop, kick her once (not too hard) in the shin, and leave. I’ll supply all the details needed if you are hired.”
After being accused of discrimination, Brett told South Africa’s Star newspaper: “Midget revenge is the only form of revenge that works these days.”
The ad was removed after 8000 views.
An imaginary friend, United Kingdom
What do you do with an imaginary friend you’ve outgrown? Sell him on eBay. That’s what thewildandcrazyoli did in 2010, with 31 bids and the winner forking out £1900.
The listing read: “My imaginary friend Jon Malipieman is getting too old for me now. I am 27 and I feel I am growing out of him. He is very friendly.
Along with him, I will send you what he likes and dislikes, his favourite things to do and his personal self portrait.” It was posted with a photo of a wall.
A good time, Australia
A group of four, up-for-a-laugh blokes from Australia who reckoned they could show someone a good time, put a weekend of fun up for auction on eBay.
The men guaranteed “beer, snacks, good conversation, and a hell of a lot of laughs” would be included in the raucous two-day extravaganza, which was sold for AU$1300 (£838) in 2007.
Dante Knoxx’s soul, United Kingdom
Struggling musician Dante Knoxx was desperate to raise extra cash, so put his soul on eBay. The 24-year-old wanted to kick-start his career, offering the ‘used’ item for a starting price of £25,000 or a ‘buy it now’ price of £700,000 in 2008.
However, the online auction site pulled the listing, as it bars the sale of intangible items. Knoxx should have paid a visit to demonical.com, where you can bid for the souls of high-profile figures or auction your own.
Man who sold his world: Expat gets new life
The ultimate prize to have been up for grabs in an online auction has to be Ian Usher’s life. Four years ago, the Englishman, who was living in Perth, decided to sell everything he owned on eBay after his wife left him.
Usher’s house, possessions, his job and even an introduction to his friends were all listed. However, despite it being picked up by media worldwide, it turned out that none of the bidders – one of which had offered £1m – had the means to pay.
Despite his very public failure, Usher, 48, continued with his plan, selling his world through the usual channels, raking in £193,000.
He left Australia with just a rucksack on his back, completing 100 experiences in 100 weeks – such as skydiving and swimming with whales. He also added to the list riding on a husky-pulled sled, where he met his current girlfriend, Moe.
Today, he owns a two-acre island off Panama, which he bought for £30,000.
Photos: Virgins Wanted; Gumtree; Getty
