When Surrey resident Stu Van Ness advertised a rock in his yard for sale for $1 million, he was surprised at the massive interest.
He posted the ad on Facebook Marketplace twice: once just as a rock and then again as a rock possibly containing diamonds or an alien egg.
He figured the rock had been there about a million years, so he figured $1 a year was a fair price.
Van Ness does want to get rid of the rock — but only to build a shed in the space the rock occupies.
“I don’t believe in aliens,” the industrial mechanic said. “I’m just a guy who wants to get rid of his rock.”
The two Facebook postings netted 5,000 hits and about 250 inquiries about the rock.
“That’s kinda out of hand,” he said.
“I’m not some kind of whack job,” he said. “I’m just having fun with people on the internet.”
That fun, though, became a bit much and he deleted the ads.
“Just too many people bothering me with far too much stupidity,” Van Ness told Glacier Media.
It was when he threw in the alien reference that, “all the weirdos came out of the woodwork.”
Then came the guy who stonewalled on the $1-million price tag and low-balled at $900,000.
Van Ness figures that by Marketplace’s rules, the offer is legally binding.
“That’s a legal contract and he owes me that money,” Van Ness laughed.
Other offers included people willing to trade their wives for the rock or land in Florida.
“Other people said they were from other planets,” he said.
