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February 22, 2011

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Choppers sold online for sky-high prices

PRIVATE helicopters were being sold on the country's leading e-commerce platform, Taobao.com, charging 600,000 yuan (US$91,350) to 1.6 million yuan, -according to a Changsha-based newspaper.

Vendors on the platform said they purchased the helicopters directly from American companies and would deliver the products to the buyers' homes in two to three months, according to Changsha Evening News.

Vendors even uploaded a video showing a small helicopter taking off from a courtyard as a way to convince people browsing the website, said the newspaper.

In the video, the helicopter made a huge noise when the engine started; it flew up into the sky a few seconds after the blades started to turn, said the newspaper.

A Taobao official told Shanghai Daily that they had closed down the business of selling private helicopters yesterday, as the practice had violated Taobao's regulations.

Still screenshots of the online private helicopter store have been spread across the Internet, showing that some of the products cost 99,999 yuan, the maximum price that vendors can display. Customers would then negotiate the actual price of the helicopter.

According to Chinese laws, the use of private helicopters must be approved by the country's aviation administration.


 

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