As marketing stunts go, it doesn’t really get any better. The generously bearded British indie-dance DJ and producer Andrew Weatherall put his  trademark facial hair up for sale on eBay, and fans soon started a genuine bidding war, which saw price surge up to  £55,655 ($85,083) last Friday.

The description on the eBay page declared, “Not only is this a chance to own the beard, but it is also expected to have a steady revenue stream from appearances worldwide. Obviously this is not going to be a stake in the artist, however the agent for the artist has insisted they are keeping the ‘beard’ on the books for events.”

But the experiment was cut short and the beard withdrawn. According to eBay, “This listing was ended by the seller because the item was lost or broken.”

A real shame really. But it looks like the auction might fallen foul of eBay’s regulations. Their human remains and body parts policy states, “We don’t allow humans, the human body, or any human body parts or products to be listed on eBay, with two exceptions. Sellers can list items containing human scalp hair, and skulls and skeletons intended for medical use.”

It could also be that rules and regulations have nothing to do with it, and Weatherall changed his mind about parting with his prized bristles.