Meet Gregg and Brittiny Peters. They’ve had a pretty terrible year. Two of their children were diagnosed with costly medical disorders, and as the bills began to mount, they decided to start over by selling all their worldly possessions on eBay. Enter Donnia and Keith Blair, who upon learning of the Peters’ plight, bid $20,000 and won the auction. Here’s the catch: the Blair’s are willing to pay, but they don’t want to take any of the Peters’ things. This has apparently infuriated the Peters.

The Peters spent Friday morning trying to persuade the Fort Worth family to accept their belongings, which include a 2000 Chevrolet Tahoe. They even tried to retract the couple’s bid.

“They are apparently not willing to take our stuff,” Brittiny Peters said. “They’re purchasing them to give them back to us.”

Now they aren’t sure what their next step is.

They are also trying to figure out what to do with money raised on the Web site, http://www.everythingweown.org. They didn’t ask for the money and their efforts to return donations have upset some people, Brittiny Peters said.

The Peters are perfectly willing to stick by the bargain. But the Blairs — who wouldn’t give details on how they can afford to give away $20,000 — won’t budge.

“We’ve really been blessed the last few years and we saw an opportunity to help,” Donnia Blair said.

The items were worth about $40,000, so the Peters can take solace in knowing they got a pretty rotten deal. Why won’t they take the money? They say that they were trying to “start over, not take a handout,” which is noble and all, but not exactly the model of good manners or consumerism.

Other than giving the money to you, what, dear commenters, would you have the Peters’ do?

EBay top bidder: Take our money, keep your stuff [The San Francisco Chronicle]
(Photo: Mr. Kimberly)

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