Man buys fighter jet, wants refund

BEIJING - A Chinese businessman who bought a Russian fighter jet online wants his money back after finding it could not be shipped to China, state media reported.

Zhang Cheng, a Beijing businessman, bid $24,730 and paid a $2,000 deposit for the former Czech air force plane on Chinese-based eBay, Xinhua news agency said.

But legal experts informed Zhang that the MiG-21, located in Idaho in the United States, was "almost impossible to ship back," Xinhua said, quoting the Beijing Times.

Moreover, the seller had clearly confined the destination of the plane to the United States and Canada, Xinhua quoted a member of eBay's public relations staff as saying.

Chinese Web surfers have accused Zhang of trying to gain fame, but others suggest it merely shows the improved living standards of the Chinese, Xinhua said.

The buyer, however, said he was building a collection.

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

- REUTERS