An Irishwoman has listed her husband for sale on an auction site after he went on an impromptu fishing trip, leaving her alone to mind their two young children during the school holidays.
John McAlister has been described on the site, Trade Me, as being 6’1, 37 years old and a beef farmer.
Wife Linda McAlister explained he has had a number of previous owners, however should remain loyal if kept fed and hydrated.
Linda, who lives with her family in rural Rangitikei, New Zealand, said the fishing trip was “not unusual behaviour” from her husband, who was a “shootin’, and fishin’ sort of fellow”.
However, the trip was inexcusable regarding its timing, considering kids were on school holidays and bed times were “slipping later and later,” she explained to Stuff.
“They are all driving me wild.”
“He was sure he would fetch a pretty penny... he is avidly watching the ad to prove said theory,” Linda added.
To add to Linda’s frustrations, John was flat out at work, leaving her alone to entertain their four and six year old sons, Colt and Ryder, most days.
The McAlisters got married in 2019 in Ireland, Linda’s homeland, though had since moved Down Under.
Linda said the pair had little in common except her heritage - as John was Irish on his father’s side.
Luckily, John’s Irish sense of humour meant that he found the auction hilarious.
He had heard about the auction from his mates, and said he was “just laughing at the whole thing”.
His advice to other husbands considering ditching the kids and the wife during the school holidays?
“Watch themselves,” he said.
While the auction had attracted 12 bids and saw the bidding rise to $100 (around €63) by Tuesday midday, the post was removed by Trade Me a few hours later.
Several would-be buyers were curious about their could-be husband, while another offered to trade him for the one they had.
“Any vices?” asked another watcher.
Linda replied: “Extremely fond of lengthy pasture and or weather conversations; generally of a Friday evening, involving a sturdy focus on hydration.
“Also suffers from socks-on-the-floor-itus, which I have found to be contagious to younger models and unfortunately reoccurring.”
The auction site’s policy and compliance manager James Ryan said it was the first time in recent memory they had seen someone list their spouse for sale.
“While we love seeing Kiwis having fun, ultimately our priority is ensuring all of our members have a great experience onsite,” he said.
The removal of the post was because it breached Trade Me’s terms and conditions.
According to Ryan, Trade Me loved it when their members got creative.
Previous quirky listings included a woman who sold a wedding dress “worn once by mistake” and another who sold a ticket to an Ed Sheeran concert on the condition they took her as a date.
