Ultralight airplane or glider seat, $2.
I guess the first point here is that when you find something unusual, you should pay careful attention. The second point is that if it goes in an airplane, it's probably expensive. Your job is to connect the points, and in this case it's not hard to do. Really unusual item, one possible application. Who in the world would possibly want a seat that weighs only three pounds? Hmmm...
The first thing I noticed about this seat was the metal frame over a canvas seat, so I picked it up. That's when I noticed the really unusual thing about it - the entire seat weighs only three pounds, which is about the same weight as a T-shirt and a pair of jeans! And not only is this chair extremely light, it's also extremely strong, obviously capable of handling lots of weight.
The only possible application I could think this seat would have, where extreme strength and light weight were top priority, is in some sort of aviation application, specifically in an aircraft of extremely light weight and probably low - or no - power. Now, who out there on eBay would be interested in this seat?
When I think of aircraft that strive to conserve weight in every possible area, the first thing that comes to mind is a glider, which has no motor and depends entirely on updrafts to keep it in the air. I'd say this incredibly light seat would be right at home in a glider.
As you may already be aware, there's an entire class of aircraft known as 'ultralights,' which are very small, light aircraft powered by engines as small as 20 horsepower. Ultralight aircraft are often sold as kits and are actually built by their owners. Paragliders are an example of an untralight aircraft that would be a possible recipient for this seat. Many ultralight aircraft are so radical that they're actually classified as experimental aircraft. So, although ultralights come in all different shapes and configurations, the one factor common they all share is the need to save weight. They don't call them 'ultralight' for nothing!
After this seat sold on eBay, I asked the buyer if he knew what it was originally intended for, and what he was going to use it for. He told me that although he didn't know its original application, he was going to install it into the ultralight aircraft that he's currently building in his garage!
Whenever you encounter something unusual, stop and think about just why it's unusual, and try to figure out how that characteristic could benefit your eBay buyers. That unusual feature may just be what brings your eBay buyers running. And since so many things related to aircraft go for big dollars on eBay, I was pretty sure that my two buck investment was safe with this purchase.
This ultralight seat ended up selling on eBay for $105.
