I <3 eBay

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Apr 25, 2004 | 10:00 PM

Angel Of Death

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I Chose to No Longer Post

Joined: Dec 2002

Posts: 6,267

I <3 eBay

Early Wednesday morning, the online auctioneer had a listing for the U.S. spy plane — which is currently the subject of high-level talks between the United States and China — at the heart of a trans-Pacific controversy.
While it may be an obvious prank, eBay, which is usually quick to pull the plug on phony auctions, didn't catch on until about 10:30 ET this morning.

Using the seller name of "chingchongwo," Tampa, Fla.-based "MJ Morning Show" staffers began the auction at about 8 a.m. ET Wednesday. The listing includes a photo of the spy plane and a description in broken English saying all the sensitive information had been removed and the electronics smashed.

"This is USA spy plane that was in collision with my country Chinese jet fighter," the description reads. "I part of the Chinese Military and have complete control over plane."

Bidding starts at $1 million, with the winner "responsible for picking up plane." Although it took almost 24 hours for the first bidder to come forward, it later became fast and furious — the highest bid reached $100 million by 8 a.m. ET today.

"Although this was a gag, in a few years, I venture it will not be far from the truth," said Alexander Rusich, who placed the first bid. "Furthermore, the posting and subsequent bid on eBay exemplified just how difficult it is to police the Internet."

The spy plane itself — the real one — remains on a runway at a Chinese military facility on Hainan Island. The United States wants China to return the plane, which is valued at $80 million.

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