All That Glitters Is Not Gold

The latest viral sensation on the world wide web has lost some of its sparkle.
ShipYourEnemiesGlitter.com (yes, this is what we’ve come to) is up for auction on Flippa with a current bidding price of $61,000.
When I first heard about a “Glitter thing” on the internet, I tried to ignore it as best I could. At best, it was the name of a new Sean Parker startup. At worst… Well, it’s this.
ShipYourEnemiesGlitter.com does just that. You can ship glitter to some poor soul who will open up an envelope, entirely unsuspecting that his or her day is about to be literally glitter-bombed, and get irreversibly dumped on.
The website, created by Australian SEO whiz kid Mathew Carpenter, went instantly viral and hit 2.5 million views in four days. And it’s not just the product. It’s a pretty funny website. Check out the FAQ.

Carpenter’s little project (which saw 2,200 orders in a few hours) couldn’t stand up under the weight of demand. He had to take down the order form and is now working, alone, to fulfill the backlog of orders. In other words, Glitter bombs could arrive at your doorstep months from now. Remember that.
Meanwhile, Carpenter told TechCrunch that he’s “thrilled” his little side project went viral. Makes sense. At $10/pop, he’s made $22,000 in sales, plus whatever he makes from the site sale. Glitter and envelopes only cost so much.
In case you’re wondering what it might look like to be “glittered,” this gives you a pretty good idea: