05-09-2006, 07:48 AM
Quote:A Chinese businessman wants to claim back the 2,000-U.S. dollar deposit he put down for a MiG-21 fighter jet he purchased on the Chinese version of internet auction site eBay as he cannot find a way to ship it to China.
Zhang Cheng, a Beijing businessman, won the auction with a bid of 24,730 US dollars and has already paid 2,000 dollars...
A member of eBay's public relations staff said the seller had clearly confined the destination of the plane to the United States and Canada. But Zhang clinched the deal under the user name "20020504maryville", which is registered in the U.S...
full article: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-...585556.htm
Another version of the story :
Quote:HAVING won an online auction of a decommissioned MiG-21 jet fighter on eBay, with a bid at US$35,000, Beijing native Zhang Cheng has however failed to purchase the plane as the US-based Website informed him that the classified fighter planes is considered "contraband," the Morning News reported today.
"It is quite possible that eBay still categorizes the plane as a weapon, even though it is decommissioned and has been in a private collection for years," said Zhang, a military enthusiast with a high grossing income thanks to the booming energy industry in which he works.
The policies of eBay are clearly stated upon registration: it doesn't permit the sale of ordnance (military weaponry, ammunition, and any related parts), even if the item is "unserviceable" or has been "demilitarized,"...
full article: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/art/2006/05...ighter.htm