Bad memories The website that helps people sell unwanted gifts from exes

Don’t get mad, get selling, that’s the message from an American entrepreneur who is calling on scorned Irish lovers to flog the mementos that remind them of their exes. 

Bella Acton, who launched the website NeverLikedItAnyway.com in 2012 after a shock breakup, is urging Irish people to cash in on the trend which encourages members to divulge the details of their breakup when selling on once-loved goods online.

“Irish people have such a great sense of humour, I'd love to see some of the funniest, weirdest and strangest items they've received from an ex listed for sale - and of course, the stories too. We use Paypal so as long as you have a Paypal account, you can sell something from any part of Ireland.”

Dubbed as the eBay for breakups, the online selling site welcomes everything from the morose, unworn wedding dresses and flashy engagement rings to weird and wonderful items that include, blenders and BB guns.

For bargain hunters, the pre-loved items come at a virtual steal, with every item reduced to a 'break-up' price.

From jilted brides to unlucky-in-love users, the online forum is also the perfect place for heartbroken members to vent their frustration.

Posting a picture and description of an unworn wedding dress, one user writes, "My what would have been wedding dress.. I hate looking at it now. We broke up a month before the wedding because he was trying to turn me into his mother.

"After we broke up he said he was only with me cause he wanted to 'make me a better person and change me'.... I felt so lied to and hurt.... I gave him back the ring and now I'm left with all the wedding crap."

With dozens of wedding dresses for sale, other users have all too similar stories, “After I was married, I had this dress put in a preservation box with the hopes that maybe one day my daughter, granddaughter, or great-granddaughter would want to wear it.

"That it would be some glorious symbol of the love between myself and their father/grandfather/great-grandfather. A love that they would only hope to aspire to. Sounded pretty romantic ... But then he cheated on me. With multiple women. So much for that idea."

If you’re not interested in the bridal section, there is another category entitled ‘weird stuff’ that might be of more interest.

One woman listed a love poem for sale.

“Valentine’s Day he presented to me a shit chocolate rose and a terribly written poem he had printed at Staples, I tried to read it and pretended I was touched by it."

Hoping to rid herself of her ex's gifts, another user posts: “Selling the book of Secrets by Osho which my ex gave me obviously to impress me with how enlightened he was. The only thing that isn't a secret is that he is a lying, cheating scumbag.”

Most amusing however, is a bottle of ketchup that is up for grabs.

“Honestly, ketchup is the most disgusting thing on this planet and well I liken my recent relationship to ketchup. We were lovable as individuals but together couldn't be worse. I won't ramble about all of our disputes and arguments but I'm purging everything of his from my house - including these disgusting bottles of ketchup that he left behind.

"I'm sorry to all of you ketchup lovers out there - I swear I'm not hating. I just don't like the stuff and now that he's gone, it's perfectly reasonable to assume his stuff should also go."

Determined to put a positive spin on every breakup, the website also insists you include details on your personal “bounce back plan,” with the money you make from your online sales.

One woman writes: "My Bounce Back Plan Is…. I can't feed my kids Swarovski crystals so I'm hoping to sell it and put the money toward groceries."

The inspiration for site came when founder, Bella, was cruelly kicked to the curb.

“My boyfriend broke up with me five days before Christmas. We were meant to go back to London to have Christmas with his family, and suddenly I had these plane tickets that I no longer wanted.

“I started thinking about all these other things I had that I didn’t want any more – they were all perfectly nice – but I knew I wouldn’t want them anymore. I mean, who would want to wear jewellery around my neck from your ex?

“I started joking about a site that would let you offload your breakup baggage – I wanted to make it playful and positive and warm.”

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Online Editors