First Town Ever Sold on eBay Is Heading Back to the Market

Bridgeville, CA, made history in 2002 as the first town to ever be sold on eBay, and soon, it will be up for grabs again.

The Northern California locale—positioned along the Van Duzen River, 45 miles southeast of Eureka and 26 miles east of Fortuna, with an estimated population of just 25—is an 80-acre property surrounded by beautiful redwood trees.

It’s been quite a journey to find an ideal owner for Bridgeville.

When Bridgeville was initially listed on eBay by its former owner, Elizabeth Lapple, the minimum bid was set at $775,000. The monthlong bidding war—which garnered 250 bids—saw the price soar to $1,777,877.

The winner backed out upon learning how much work the town needed, and SF Gate reported “a dozen more deals” similarly fell through.

Two years later, in 2004, an Orange County, CA, financial adviser named Bruce Krall purchased Bridgeville for $700,000. At the time, the deal included 10 houses, four cabins, a post office, a cemetery, and a few additional structures.

Krall reportedly had plans to transform the town into a health spa, but he listed it on eBay once again in 2006, upon the realization he could no longer afford to make restorations.

The next owner was Daniel LaPaille, a 25-year-old entertainment manager from Los Angeles who acquired the town for $1.25 million in 2006. LaPaille had plans to reinvigorate Bridgeville, turning it into a self-sufficient, off-grid destination.

He died by suicide months after the purchase.

Now, LaPaille's family owns the property, but they're looking to offload it to a buyer who can see at least some version of his vision through to completion.

“It was all about community for him,” Cindy LaPaille, Daniel’s mother and the current owner of Bridgeville, tells Realtor.com®.

“I would like to see somebody who is really wanting to see the community flourish,” she continues. The ideal buyer would be able to live in the town, which is not possible for her as a Southern California resident, she adds.

Currently, Bridgeville’s rural community is small but mighty.

The community uses the town’s school as a meeting space—which allows them to be “really active,” but it limits the kinds of meetings that can be held.

“There are a lot of great people out here. They all love community, they all love nature. They probably wouldn’t live out here if they didn’t,” the elder LaPaille adds.

Pear, plum, and apple trees, along with blackberry bushes, can be found throughout the town, as well as a variety of wild animals.

“We have two resident bears, lots of deer, wild turkey ... if you’re sitting out here, you can always just look across and see something. ... We have it all,” LaPaille details. “I’m told we have a bobcat. But that I haven’t seen.”

LaPaille says the family received plenty of suggestions on what to do with Bridgeville over the years—mostly encouragement to “make [it] an AirBnb” destination to attract nature enthusiasts.

“We kind of held out a few times trying to fulfill his dream. It’s an interesting process here,” she says.

Bridgeville has been on and off the market since 2014. The asking price has not since surpassed the near-$1.8 million bid from 2002, peaking at $1.5 million in 2023. Most recently, it was listed in March 2025 for $1.2 million.

Later this September, Bridgeville will be listed by agent Derek Baca of Madrone Realty, who has a handful of recommendations, too.

It is not yet confirmed which structures will be included in the listing, or what the asking price will be.

Noting that he’s received inquiries about the property’s zoning from potential buyers interested in a wide range of endeavors from adding cabins to creating an RV park, Baca confirms that, “yes, you can absolutely do all those things.”

“Humboldt County is very open to economic growth,” he says. “So even if it’s not zoned properly, you can go through planning and building to actually have it rezoned and reclassified to suit your needs.”

Although Daniel LaPaille’s original vision was to support an off-grid community, there is currently public power.

“It is a place that if somebody had the money to develop and turn into something, I think it would flourish 12 months out of the year,” Baca continues.

He also points out that Bridgeville’s unique location—between Highway 5 and Highway 101—qualifies it as “a good middle ground” for a stopover. A gas station, a food truck, or even a solar-powered electric vehicle charging station could be very impactful for travelers passing through.

Kellie Speed contributed to this report.