KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
They say that E-Bay is a great way to sell almost anything. But it wasn’t the ticket for Kodiak Island lodge owners who listed their business for sale recently.
KMXT’s Maggie Wall was cruising E-Bay one night and found the lodge in Larsen Bay for sale. She has this report:
The lodge owners got just one bid. And that bid was way below the minimum asking price.
The Kodiak Lodge, located in Larsen Bay, was advertised on E-Bay earlier this summer as a turn-key lodge built in 2004 with an established customer base. The property includes 3 separate buildings and three fully-equipped fishing boats. It boasts 300 feet of water front with fresh and saltwater fishing for salmon, halibut and bottom fish.
Asking price for the complete set-up was $1.1 million. Unfortunately, the only bidder bid just under $500,000-or less than half the "Buy it Now" price.
If you’re not familiar with E-Bay activities, here’s a quick once over. A seller can list their item any number of ways. Probably the most common-and the one you hear most about in the news-is the auction. Just throw the item out there, hype it up and see what happens. Many times hot items-or weird ones like toast in the shape of Elvis-can exceed even the seller’s expectations.
Another option in many situations is the "Buy it Now" button, which was used in the case of the Kodiak Island Lodge. It’s basically a way of saying if you want to buy it outright, here’s the price.
In addition it’s common with big ticket items, like the million-dollar lodge-or one of a kind treasures-that the item carries what’s called a reserve price or a minimum sales price.
In the case of the Kodiak Lodge. Apparently, the owners set a reserve price that was in excess of the $500,000 bid. So they are free to reject the offer and try some other means of selling the lodge.
The Kodiak Lodge website lists 2010 packages-including 4 nights of deluxe accommodations and gourmet meals-for $3,700.
It’s owned by the Maschmedt family. The website says the faimly has been in the lodging business for 30 years. The website features photos of Bob Senior, Don, and hosts Bob Junior and Janet.
Calls to the lodge for more information were not returned..
Apparently E-Bay is not the place to sell Alaska lodges right now. Another auction-this one featuring a lake-front lodge on Wolverine Road in Palmer-ended on Sunday with no bidders. That lodge was going for $650,000.
I’m Maggie Wall.
