Until September 18th, dinner with the once-VP-candidate is up for grabs via auction, with bidding set to begin at a generous $25,000. As of this blog post, the auction has only been up for a few hours, and so no bids have been submitted (or if they have, they haven’t passed Palin’s screening process), but we hope interest soars: all proceeds benefit Ride 2 Recovery, a charity aimed at helping wounded soldiers.

Now this is obviously a swell gesture on Palin’s part, but we can’t help but wonder: What about the Terapeak Election index? If this auction takes off, can you even imagine what it’ll do to Palin’s “Average Price” metric? Poor Joe Biden’s had enough trouble competing with eBay wunderkind Obama… Next thing you know, John McCain will be selling his old baseball cards!

But seriously, like we said, we wish Palin all the best. Just as we let Miley off the hook when she didn’t respond to our Tweet, we’re willing to forget Palin’s apparent nearsightnedness…

And in 30 days, the Terapeak Election index will rise again!

(Though, yes, its current relevance remains to be seen.)

The products range from “Miley’s Closet” items like dresses and tank tops worn in published magazine shoots, to signed and personalized movie posters and photos, to the grandaddy prize of all — a chance to be Cyrus’ “Roadie for a Day,” which includes a backstage meet and greet, as well as a “personalized Miley fan kit.” We’re not sure what we’d say to the star if given the chance (possibly, “Why didn’t you respond when we tweeted you about our last Hannah Montana blog?”), but it’s good to know that all proceeds from the auctions go to the Pappy Cyrus Family Foundation.

In terms of helping other eBay sellers, this is a case where a lot of bidders will end up losing out when these auctions close in a few days, and there’s a decent chance other Miley/Hannah-related sellers will pick up sales because of it. We’ll be monitoring the situation, and we’re curious to see the fall-out!

Good on ya, Miley! (Even if you don’t respond.)

For those who don’t know (there might still be a few?), the film is based on a Disney Channel sitcom of the same name, starring Billy Ray’s kid Miley Cyrus in the title role, currently in the midst of its third full season.

So how has Hannah’s Hollywood debut helped her eBay sales? Well, the show’s memorabilia has always sold remarkably well — as far back as its inception in March 2006 — and so far it doesn’t appear the film has affected a whole lot. Check out this 30-day Total Sold Listings trend for “Hannah Montana” (which covers a whopping 39,000+ listings):

Pretty steady, wouldn’t you say? Of course it is still early…

Now compare that with a similar 30-day trend for the film Hannah knocked out of the #1 slot — Fast and Furious. (Seriously, how funny is that abbreviated title? No, scratch that, how funny is that entire franchise?)

A bit more dramatic, yes. (And action-packed! And freakin’ Paul Walker!)

It’ll be interesting to see in the coming days if Disney improves on the sales of one of its most popular brands, or if the mania surrounding Hannah Montana has already reached its ceiling…