Opportunities missed! Maybe next time...

BusinessForSale.com recently compiled a list of the 10 Most Memorable Businesses for sale on their site since 2000. A very interesting list. Looks like I missed out on some real winners! If only I had had that kind of cash and the URL to this site!

Here are some of my favorites:

“Hawaii Prison Ship: Fancied a life on the ocean wave? And it means life! In 2000 a Russian ship was converted into a floating prison, moored in Hawaii and advertised for US$1.75m. It was unclear as to whether inmates were included in the sale price.”

“Chinese Toll Road: A Chinese toll road appeared for US$28 million in 2002. The road was 100Km long and the toll charges were between US$3 - US$5 per car. With China expecting to have 140 million automobiles plying its roads by 2020 there seemed plenty of opportunity to recoup the initial investment.”

“Thailand Crocodile Farm: This appeared in 2005 for US$450,000. Located 100km north of Bangkok, the farm was used as a breeding centre for crocodiles and a zoo. In addition to breeding over 2,000 crocodiles a year, there were ostriches, bears and monkeys included in the sale.”

“Quintessential British Pier: In 2005, Lowestoft's historic Claremont Pier appeared for sale for GBP2.8m. No historical icon is complete without its resident ghost and the successful purchaser of the Claremont Pier also acquired their own spirit - in the form a woman in a long fur coat and hat.”

Looks like I missed out on these real winners. I could have really gone for that prison ship. Maybe next time. Maybe I can talk my wife into Thailand Crocodile Farm. I have no idea what I would do with it or how to run it, for that matter. But think about it, I could brag about owning over 2000 crocodiles. How many people can say that?