A man claiming to be the winning bidder of the longest-serving Washington State Ferry on eBay said the owner of the ferry decided to sell the vessel to someone else.
The Evergreen State ferry went up for auction on eBay on January 21. Nathan Altman said he submitted the winning bid of $205,100 to purchase the 310-foot-long, 87-car ferry.
Altman told KING 5 the auction was not legally binding as part of the eBay motor vehicle program, and therefore the owner decided to sell the vessel to someone else.
According to eBay, when you win an auction in most product categories, you’re agreeing to complete the purchase. However, bids for motor vehicles and real estate are considered non-binding.
Altman said he wanted to turn the ferry into a floating art studio.
“We were bummed,” said Altman after learning the ferry would not be his.
In 2018, Florida entrepreneur Greg Jones bought the Evergreen State ferry from the state for $300,000. He had plans to turn it into a cargo ferry in the Caribbean and then wanted to make it a floating restaurant and shopping center in Florida.
Jones said the ferry, stored at the Port of Olympia since he bought it, runs great and is sea-worthy, but decided to move onto other ventures and put the vessel on eBay.
Jones said he hoped putting the ferry on eBay would attract a buyer who would preserve the vessel.
KING 5 reached out to Jones for comment but has not heard back.
