A Southland couple say they have never
been better off since failing to sell their farm in an internet
auction stunt.
Allan and Shelley Holland gained worldwide attention when they
put a $1 reserve on their tractor, with an eight hectare farm in the
Catlins tossed in for free, on the auction website TradeMe.
The winning bid of $250,000 by Lower Hutt man Lance Karanga
turned sour when he pulled out after reporting he was unable to
obtain the necessary financing.
The couple have said they would not take legal action against Mr
Karanga and have instead kept their farm listed in the real estate
section of TradeMe, the Southland Times reported.
Mr Holland said the tractor stunt was a one-off and would not be
repeated.
However, he said the aftermath of the auction had been
staggering.
"Since last Monday we've had 5000 emails, because TradeMe sent a
letter by email to all of the watchers."
The couple had also been offered an impressive array of gifts
from complete strangers.
"We could probably live for free for the rest of our lives with
the amount of accommodation that's been offered to us," Mr Holland
said.
They were also offered a free property listing on a real estate
website and airfares to Australia.
Regardless of the disappointment of the failed sale, it was not
all bad, Mr Holland said. "We are still way better off than when we
started."
NZPA