Bids for student's virginity hit $6.7m

FOR SALE: Natalie Dylan is selling her virginity online.

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Tough economic times call for tough action and an innovative Californian university student who is selling her virginity online says bids have hit US$3.7 million (NZ$6.7 million).

Natalie Dylan, a 22-year-old Masters student, said she came up with the idea after her sister paid for her own degree by working as a prostitute for three weeks, according to London's Telegraph.

Dylan said she has had bids from 10,000 men through the website of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch, a legal brothel in the US state of Nevada.

"I get some men who are obviously looking for a girlfriend but I try and make it clear that this is a one-night-only offer," she told the Telegraph.

"It's shocking that men will pay so much for someone's virginity, which isn't even prized so highly anymore."

Natalie has a degree in Women's Studies and is studying for a masters degree in Family and Marriage Therapy.

And for all the New Zealand copy cats bound to emerge, Trade Me's Michael O'Donnell says the site will not allow the auctioning of virginity.

"It's a service not a good. We only allow the auctioning of goods."

O'Donnell says Trade Me periodically sees copycat locals of high profile, boundary pushing overseas auctions and they take the listings down.