Sydney - An Australian carpet salesman so fed up with his life he put it up for auction on eBay found out when the hammer fell Sunday it was worth a lot less than even he imagined. Ian Usher's self-styled "life-lot" went for 399,300 Australian dollars (375,000 US dollars) - around three-quarters of what the British-born divorcee expected.
Keen to make a fresh start in life after a failed marriage, Usher offered all the trappings of his previous existence. His three-bedroom Perth house, car, motorcycle, jet-ski and skydiving gear went in one lot along with the promise of a circle of friends and a two-week trial for his old job in a carpet warehouse.
"I'm still not sure whether this is inspired madness, complete foolishness or just some sort of midlife crisis," Usher said on his website.
The top bid was a few dollars shy of the amount a local estate agent had estimated the saleable items were worth, suggesting that a midlife crisis was in play rather than a piece of inspired madness.
Usher had hoped that worldwide interest in the auction would drive up the price in the final frenzied minutes of bidding - a hope that pointed to complete foolishness.
When the deal is settled, Usher said he would leave the east coast city "with my wallet in one pocket and my passport in the other and get on the train with no idea where I am going or what the future holds for me - it's more about moving on to the next phase of my life and doing something exciting."
Usher, who split from wife Laura last year after five years of marriage, said he intends to stay in Australia after travelling for "a couple of months or a couple of years."
