Student sells used socks to online fetishists

 

An American university student who sells her used socks online to make extra cash says she is part of an "underwear underworld" catering to people with bizarre fetishes.

Lily Haze, as she is known online, has a website where she sells her smelly socks, shoes and underwear — sometimes after wearing them for several days.
In an interview with ninemsn she said she had no interest in the fetishes herself, but was happy to sell her undergarments to help fund her student lifestyle.
A pair of worn socks sells for $50 and shoes, photos and underwear cost up to $200.
"I'm in college and I don't have time to work full-time and I don't want to eat s---y food and I don't want to live a terrible life so now that I sell my socks and underwear I can go out with my friends and buy organic food," she said.
"It's really awesome".
In order to ensure her socks are smelly enough, she exercises or wears them for days on end and checks their scent before mailing them.
"If I go hiking, I can just sell them like that because, you know, I'm wearing hiking shoes and it's hot outside," Lily said.
"Other than that I have to wear them for three days but I won't wear them more than that because that’s enough."
Ms Haze, who has no interest in feet and can list no fetishes of her own, said she was simply offering a product to willing customers and is yet to encounter any people who have made her uncomfortable.
She estimates she has made around $500 since she set up her online store in February, after a friend told her over lunch about underwear fetishes.
Ms Haze then read a Vice Magazine article about a girl who sold worn underwear, shoes and even jam she had squished between her toes and was stirred into action.
"It really inspired me. I was like 'Oh man, she's making all this money and she's not even doing anything'," she said.
But Ms Haze generally refrains from selling her underwear, a seemingly common item to sell online, unless she is paid the big bucks.
"It’s a lot more work because then [the customers] want pictures of you in your underwear ... And I don't want to take pictures like that for strangers so I just kind of want to stick to the sock thing," she said.
"I would have to charge like $200, $300 and no one charges that much."
She said she also supports herself with a small allowance from her parents, who don't know about her online business. (WARNING: Contains explicit images.)
"I don't think my mum would care because it's just pictures of my feet. I think if anything, she would be worried about my safety," Ms Haze said.
"I just feel like I'm an adult and they don’t need to know. There are just some things that I just wouldn't want to know if I was a parent."
Although her client list so far only includes domestic customers, Ms Haze said she is more than willing to welcome Australians as long as they pay extra for shipping.