A number of items are up for bids

on eBay.
By Terry Karkos
Staff Writer

BETHEL – More than 1,000 people have viewed a 17-foot aluminum canoe being auctioned this week to raise money for the Mahoosuc Land Trust.

But only 12 bids have been placed for the Grumman craft with keel since directors put that and 46 other items up for bid on eBay, a worldwide Internet marketplace.

Trust President Landon Fake said their Autumn Auction on eBay is a first for the private, nonprofit land conservation organization that serves communities surrounding the Mahoosuc Mountains in western Maine.

“We noticed that other organizations have auctions on eBay and thought that people who could not afford to give us money could donate things to us instead,” Fake said Thursday evening.

Money raised by the auction will be used to offset annual operating expenses. Fake said people who couldn’t afford to donate money but wanted to help the trust, “have been very generous.”

By Thursday night, bidding for the canoe, which started at $100, was up to $280 with a day and a half left in its auction.

Other items attracting bidders include:

• A glass bowl with a frosted lion on the lid, which was up to $86 and 11 bids after starting at $15.

• A Gregory Nova internal frame backpack, which was up to $100 and seven bids after beginning at $30.

• A Canon Sure Shot camera, which was up to $15.50 after seven bids.

• A Compaq A1000 printer, scanner, fax machine, which was up to $31 after six bids.

• Eight place settings of Hutschenreuther Bavarian China that had one bid of $150.

• An antique oak table with leaded glass and six chairs that was up to $250 after two bids.

Among the other items, some of which have yet to attract bids, are a weekend cottage rental in Newry, a three-day and two-night stay for two people at The Bethel Inn, a Black Mountain of Maine season ski pass, an Androscoggin River float trip with a Maine Guide, puzzles, jewelry, antique school desks, books, quilts and clothing.

But Fake wasn’t dismayed by the low number of bids so far, because people typically wait until the last few minutes of Ebay auctions to post bids, hoping to win the item.

While the experience has been “amazing,” Fake said trust members conducting the auction didn’t realize how much work would go into it.

“It’s labor intensive, but I think all of us would say it’s not been a huge boost to us, but it’s certainly helped out. It got a lot of people involved who could not afford to give money,” he added.

The endeavor has also been a learning experience. Executive Director Jim Mitchell, whose phone number is listed as the seller’s contact, has been receiving 20 to 30 e-mails a day from people inquiring about several items.

“Overall, reaction has been good, but some of the minimums are too high. Those items haven’t gotten any interest, but there are a lot of people who wait and bid in the last final minutes,” Fake said.

And, if all 47 items are auctioned off, trust members will have to package each item for shipping, including the 17-foot canoe.

To reach the trust’s auction on eBay, visit the Web site at www.megalink.net/~mlt/ and click the Autumn Auction box.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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