Irish woman lists husband for sale on auction site

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An Irish woman has listed her husband for “sale” on an auction site after he left her at home with the kids to go on a fishing trip.

Linda McAlister, who lives in New Zealand along with her husband John and their two kids, said John would remain “loyal provided he’s fed and watered”.

According to her advert which was listed on New Zealand eBay-style site, TradeMe, McAlister said John is 6 foot 1, 37 years old, a “shootin’ and fishin’ sort of fellow” and is a beef farmer.

McAlister wrote that John could be “anxious in new environments but is particularly good at self soothing”. She added: “Sale is final, no returns or exchanges”.

The pair got married in Ireland in 2019 and have two boys, 4-year-old Colt and 6-year-old Ryder.

Now living in Rangitīkei, McAlister decided to put John up for auction after he went on a fishing trip during the school holidays.

During this time the kids’ bedtimes were “slipping later and later”, McAlister told Stuff, which was driving her “wild”.

In the advert, she wrote that her husband was “well handled” and had a “number of previous owners”. John was also described as “hard to catch” but “travels well”.

McAlister added that her husband was “avidly” watching the advert as he was “sure he would fetch a pretty penny”.

The auction reached NZD$100 (£49) before it was taken down by TradeMe for breaching the site’s terms and conditions.

TradeMe’s policy and compliance manager James Ryan said it was the first time in recent memory that the auction site 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 told Stuff.