Zhang Cheng, a businessman in Beijing, is demanding his money back from a man who posted a MiG-21 for sale on eBay. Zhang bought the fighter jet, previously in the Czech Air Force but now located somewhere in Idaho, for $24,730. Which frankly seems like a bargain. Twenty-five grand won't even buy you a decent Camry, I don't think, and the Camry doesn't come with afterburner OR heat-seeking missiles.
Although Zhang's was the winning bid, the seller has refused to ship it to him because the seller claimed he had restricted the destination to the U.S. and Canada. "Legal experts" have apparently informed Zhang that the plane would be "almost impossible to ship back," although it's not clear to me whether that means it would be hard to ship it "back" to China from the U.S. or that Zhang would be unable to return it if it turned out to be a lemon.
Some have accused Zhang of just trying to pull a publicity stunt, but he says he is a collector. "I have the buying power and my company has an empty space where I can display the plane," he said. I'm envious -- that "empty space" problem is the only reason I don't go out and get my own fighter, and it wouldn't be any lame old MiG-21, either -- nothing less than a -25 -- but there just isn't room in our lobby.
Link: My Way News
