Yesterday afternoon Ian Usher got his first sense of how much his life might be worth.

Bidding on the life that Mr Usher, 44, from Darlington, Co Durham, had built for himself in Western Australia began at midday local time on eBay, the online auction site. There was a starting price of one Australian dollar for his three-bedroom house in Perth, his car, his motorbike, his adventure sports equipment, his circle of friends and his job in a rug shop.

Mr Usher told The Times: “It is a fairly brutal process, but I was more excited about it than nervous.”

By 3pm the bidding had passed Aus$400,000 (£190,000). A few hours later nearly 100 bidders had entered the race and the price had reached Aus$1.8million.

The Briton announced the sale in March, having decided that he could no longer live in the house after his wife left him last year. It was built as their dream home, but everything inside - the bespoke rugs, the hot tub - reminded him of her.

Mr Usher wanted a fresh start and decided on a single everything-must-go job lot: a “Life For Sale” on eBay.

The owner of the rug shop where he worked agreed to hire for two weeks whoever bought his belongings, with the prospect of a permanent position. Mr Usher's friends agreed to befriend the lucky buyer on a similar trial basis.

Bidders were notified that the “item location” was the Perth suburb of Wellard and that the seller “will arrange for local pickup only (no postage)”.

Mr Usher said: “So far about 50 per cent of the bidders have been Australian. One guy from the UK had just moved over and was looking to buy somewhere. He thought mine would be an easy place to move to.”

The winning bidder will step into Mr Usher's shoes - a pair of blue Converse trainers, some black leather work shoes, all Size 8, and a collection of flip-flops. The wardrobe includes a lot of orange Day-Glo shirts from the time Mr Usher worked in a goldmine, and jeans, mostly with a 32-inch waist, though there are a number of pairs sized 34in from a brief period when he put on weight. There is a fleece and a sailing jacket that he borrowed from his brother and forgot to return.

The buyer will inherit musical tastes revolving around Eighties rock and Nineties indie music and all six series of The Sopranos on DVD, which Mr Usher is now hurrying to finish watching.

Among the buyer's potential friends will be: Melanie, an outgoing French web designer with children; Em, Mr Usher's “movie buddie” with whom he once shared a house; Ryan, a surfer in his early twenties; and Andy and Karen, a “nice married couple” from England.

The buyer will also automatically gain 15 minutes of fame. “They are going to be thrust into the limelight,” he said. “There has been worldwide media attention.”

People have written to Mr Usher from all over the world, to tell him he is mad or to sympathise. “There has been a lot of interest in where I will go afterwards,” he said. “It amazes me. Who cared a few months ago?”

The sale ends next Sunday, after which Mr Usher will use the proceeds to travel the world.