Chinese Man Buys eBay Fighter Jet

BEIJING -- A Chinese businessman has bought a MiG-21f plane from a U.S. seller on the online auction website eBay for $24,730 and plans to use it to decorate an empty space at his offices, a newspaper reported Sunday.

The Beijing News newspaper identified the Chinese buyer as Zhang Cheng.

"I like to collect valuable items. I have the buying power and my company has an empty space where I can display the plane," the newspaper quoted Zhang as saying.

The eBay website for the transaction shows the plane is currently located in Lewiston, Idaho. It said the fighter jet, last flown in 1995, has been inspected by a museum and found to be in excellent condition.

The seller was only identified by the username "inkgirle."

The Beijing News quoted Zhang as saying he learned from the seller's son by telephone that the fighter jet was retired by the Czech military.

It wasn't immediately clear if the fighter jet can be imported into China. Zhang said he is waiting for government authorities to get back to him, The Beijing News reported.

An operator at China's customs department said no one was available for comment.

"There is the precedent of a Chinese company buying a retired aircraft carrier, but I don't know if this jet plane is a banned item," Zhang reportedly said.

Zhang was apparently referring to the Soviet-built Minsk aircraft carrier that a Chinese company bought and converted into a floating theme park in the southern city of Shenzhen. The company went bankrupt and recently put the ship up for sale.

The report gave no indication where in China Zhang was located.

EBay's government relations department didn't immediately respond to a reporter's e-mail seeking comment.

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MIGleader said:

Associated Press 04:45 AM Apr, 30, 2006



its just amazing the kind of things you can buy on ebay today. I should really buy a military vehicle.

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SteelBird said:

Would you please search for me if there is any retired ballistic missile. I like the one that can strike any point on earth. I'd to use it to decorate an empty well in front of my house

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FriedRiceNSpice said:

Im not sure if it would fit in your well, buddy. And it might cost you a bit extra if you want a warhead with your missile.

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SteelBird said:

Well, well... I'm not sure if there is any retired warhead, 'coz I'm sure an operational warhead will be banned for import in my country. Extra cost is acceptable as long as it is a nuclear one.

That's all joking... But do you think chinese government will approve retired military import by civilian? several chinese guys did import retired carriers before and they got approved 'coz the government also want to gain something from those carriers, especially the Varyag (Varyag is not retired, it is unfinished). But a retired jet? I don't think they will be happy for that, 'coz it is useless and a waste of money. If they would be happy for that I think they would rather ask the guy to buy their own retired J-7s. that would sound more pratical and save money for the government.

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netspider said:

I think there should be problems for import. Because it has neven happened before, China Custom may don't know what to do in this case. I remember there was a story on Wired magazine, a rich man from US tried to import two MIG-29s, it took him two years and a huge amount of money to eventually import them with all engines, radars and weapons removed.

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Chinese businessman trying to cancel MiG fighter eBay deal



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.

The plane, retired from the Czech airforce, is now in Lewiston, Idaho, in the United States. Last flown in 1995, the jet has been inspected by a museum and found to be in good shape, according to the eBay advert.

But Zhang has consulted with legal experts and has found "it is almost impossible to ship it back," reports the Beijing Times.

Zhang has attributed criticism for the purchase with some netizens accusing him of using the purchase to gain fame. Others, however, have said it merely shows the improved living standards of the Chinese.

"I like to collect valuable items. I have the buying power and my company has an empty space where I can display the plane," Zhang told the Beijing Times.

The purchase was purely for collection purposes, he added.

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.

Chinese-based eBay's website said that the number of its registered users has reached 6.9 million and its commodity list has hit more than 10 million items.

eBay in China is a joint venture between EachNet and eBay, which began in March 2002.

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