Wetsuit raises cash for Japan quake victims

A used wetsuit sold by a Cornwall man on auction website eBay has raised more than £8,500 for victims of the Japanese earthquake after the comedy advert for the “urine-free” garment went “viral” on the internet.

The seller, Daniel Morgan from Truro, was bombarded with offers from manufacturers to add thousands of pounds’ worth of items to the sale as the advert spread through social media networks Facebook and Twitter.

The winner of the auctio walked away with extras including two surfboards, a wetsuit, surfing boots and gloves, a surf magazine subscription, a car roof-rack for a surfboard, a skateboard, a photography session, books, surfing lessons, sunglasses, skincare products, DVDs and concert tickets.

The advert caught people’s attention because of the way it described the suit. Mr Morgan even had to set up a website specifically to deal with the more than 2,000 queries he had about the sale.

Mr Morgan wrote: “I bought this wetsuit brand new last year and have worn it a fair bit. When I say ‘fair’ I reckon about 20 times, but then probably more like 30. A fair few times anyway.

The haul was sold for £8,999, with 95 per cent of the money going to victims of the earthquake that rocked northern Japan and created a powerful tsunami that devastated coastal communities.