The idea of e-commerce first came about in 1979 when Michel Aldrich used a phone line to connect a television (which he’d boosted with the forerunner to Videotex, a bit like a Minitel) to a computer programmed to carry out transactions in real time. Things have certainly come a long way since then. In the run up to Christmas, Amazon sells 300 products per second. And on eBay, you can come across some very strange things indeed... In 2000, a piece of chewing gum that had been previously chewed by Britney Spears was sold on the platform for $14,000. And in 2007, a certain Pablo Peñalver sold his soul for €47.51. There really is something for everyone...!