YOU can buy anything from a Rolls-Royce to a piece of coal from the Titanic on the Internet these days.

However there are not many people who would be prepared to auction their virginity on-line.

At least, not until David Vardy hit on an unusual money-making scheme.

The 19-year-old Hampshire student put himself up "for sale" on eBay - the Internet buying and selling website.

Yesterday eBay bosses deleted the advert from the site.

David has not given-up in his quest to sell his body on-line. He has now advertised himself on his own website which he runs from his home.

On his eBay advert, he asked women for bids of over £6,000 for the right to be the first to sleep with him with the winner to be announced after bidding closed.

He plans to keep £5,000 if he is successful in his sale and donate the rest to Oxfam.

The multi-media and communications student from St James' Road in Southampton had more than 7,000 "hits" on his advert before eBay pulled the plug - and eight anonymous offers.

He says he is prepared to go through with his money-making scheme - but only if the winner of the bizarre auction is good- looking.

David, a former pupil of Romsey School and Taunton's College in Southampton - currently studying at Bournemouth University - told the Daily Echo he first hit upon the idea of auctioning himself as a joke.

He describes himself as being "very polite" on the website which also lists his interests as entertainment, the media, computers and money.

He said: "I am always coming up with these crazy ideas. I just did the whole thing for fun. It is really kind of tongue in cheek. More of a joke."

He added that people who bid for him would just have to trust that he was a virgin.

He said: "I have been wrapped up in multi-media projects so I have not had time. But I don't want to sound like a geek.

"The ideal situation would be if it was a really nice woman. If she did offer £6,000 then sure, I might as well do it."

Mr Vardy's unusual proposition comes just months after a Bristol University student revealed she was so hard-up she had decided to sell her virginity to the highest bidder to help pay her tuition fees.

About 400 men replied to 18-year-old Rosie Reid's advert on the Internet - offering up to £10,000 to have sex with her.

Her case caused a sensation earlier in the year and outraged her parents. The self-confessed lesbian eventually sold her virginity for £8,400 in February.

At the time, police launched an investigation to see whether Miss Reid was breaking the law. Detectives said it was a "grey area" and could constitute soliciting.

Police from Hampshire's vice squad were unavailable for comment as the Daily Echo went to press. A spokesman for Hampshire police said: "If details are reported to us then the police will look into it."

Mr Vardy, who has never had a serious girlfriend, added: "My parents have no knowledge of it. I think that if they found out they would probably be a bit shocked but realise it was just another one of those silly things I do."

David has had e-mails from women in Australia, Canada and the United States who are willing to take him up on his bizarre offer.

He said: "They could be rich people - or they are pretending to be. I did it just for fun."

Oxfam spokesman Lys Holdoway said the charity would not accept Mr Vardy's donation if he was successful.

She said: "Oxfam's name should not be used for selling sex."