Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Martin Shkreli Trying To Sell Rare Wu-Tang Clan Album On eBay
By
Ben Yakas
Published Sep 6, 2017
Modified Sep 6, 2017
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Sep 6, 2017
Modified Sep 6, 2017
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Cartoonish villain from an '80s movie Martin Shkreli has been biding his time since he was convicted in his securities fraud trial last month, doing Shkreli-esque things like buying websites associated with the names of journalists critical of him and offering a reward for a strand of Hillary Clinton's hair. Since he apparently has nothing better to do, he has also decided to auction off his one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin.
In the eBay listing for the album, Shkreli contends that he isn't trying to make money off the album (he claims he will donate half the sale to charity), but rather wants to "see if the world values music nearly as much as I have." He also warned that he might cancel the sale or even "break this album in frustration" at any point, so I wouldn't hold your breath about it being released into the world. As of 11:20 a.m. this morning, the highest bid is hovering just around $100K.
Here's his full listing:
This is the one and only Wu-Tang album.
I decided to purchase this album as a gift to the Wu-Tang Clan for their tremendous musical output. Instead I received scorn from at least one of their (least-intelligent) members, and the world at large failed to see my purpose of putting a serious value behind music. I will be curious to see if the world values music nearly as much as I have. I have donated to many rock bands and rappers over the years to ensure they can continue to produce their art when few others would.
At any time I may cancel this sale and I may even break this album in frustration. I will donate half of the sale proceeds to medical research. I am not selling to raise cash--my companies and I have record amounts of cash on hand. I hope someone with a bigger heart for music can be found for this one-of-a-kind piece and makes it available for the world to hear.
Upon sale, I will represent & warranty any copies of the music I have will be destroyed. I have not carefully listened to the album, which is a double CD. There is also a finely crafted booklet which you can read about elsewhere. I will pay legal expenses for the buyer up to $25,000 to ensure the final purchase details are mutually agreeable.
Shkreli purchased the album for $2 million in 2015. The album also came with a clause stating that he cannot play it commercially for 88 years, though he is allowed to play it at parties (and he has been nonchalant about streaming bits of it on his livestream). He was later sued by a New York artist who claims that the artwork included with the album was taken, used, and sold without permission. He also drew the ire of Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah, who called him a "fake-ass super-villain."
The Post tried to get in touch with Shkreli about the bid, which went about as well as you'd imagine: "Reached by phone Tuesday night, Shkreli refused to say where he would donate the money or what he would do with the remaining cash. Instead he unleashed a string of expletives and then requested to engage in a lewd act with a reporter."
Shkreli is facing up to 20 years in prison, which means there would only be about 66 years left after that during which the album couldn't be sold commercially.
Tagged
ebay
martin shkreli
notorious dweebs
Once Upon a Time in Shaolin
wu-tang clan
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
Spoiler alert: It's still 26.2 miles.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 2:36 p.m. ET
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .