Entire town that sold on eBay is up for grabs again

More than two decades after Bridgeville made history as the first town ever sold on eBay, it is once again looking for a new owner.

The tiny Northern California town has a population of just 25 people, who live across the sprawling 32-hectare (80-acre) property surrounded by redwood forests.

Bridgeville first made headlines in 2002, when then-owners Joe and Elizabeth Lapple turned to the online marketplace after struggling to find a buyer.

Bidding started at just US$5,000 ($6,925) before almost 250 bids sent the final offer to US$1,777,877 ($2,462,604), which is more than double the US$775,000 ($1,073,481) asking price.

The deal ultimately fell through when the winning bidder discovered how much work Bridgeville needed.

Two years later, financial adviser Bruce Krall bought the town for US$700,000 ($969,596), securing him 10 houses, four cabins, a post office, a cemetery and several other buildings.

Krall hoped to transform Bridgeville into a health retreat, but the cost of restoring the town proved too much and it was back on eBay by 2006.

Its next owner, Los Angeles entertainment manager Daniel LaPaille, paid US$1.25 million ($1,731,421). He had ambitious plans to revive Bridgeville as a self-sufficient, off-grid community.

LaPaille died months after buying the property. His family still owns Bridgeville today and is now preparing to put the town back on the market later this month.

“It was all about community for him,” Cindy LaPaille, Daniel’s mother and Bridgeville’s current owner, told Realtor.

“I would like to see somebody who is really wanting to see the community flourish. There are a lot of great people out here. They all love community, they all love nature.”

Bridgeville has been offered for sale several times since 2014, most recently hitting the market for US$1.2 million ($1,662,164) in March 2025.

Its latest asking price is yet to be revealed, with agent Derek Baca of Madrone Realty expected to launch the new campaign later this month.

Exactly what a buyer will get is also still being finalised, although Bridgeville’s size offers plenty of opportunities.

Baca said prospective buyers had already floated ideas ranging from additional cabins and an RV park to a petrol station, a food truck or solar-powered electric vehicle charging station.