Internet auction website eBay last week withdrew an unusual secondhand sale item, the country of Belgium, which had attracted an offer of 10 million euros (NT$460,442,000).
"Belgium, a kingdom in three parts" was posted on the Belgian eBay site as offering "plenty of choice" despite the caveat that it comes with "300 billion of National Debt."
Offered in three parts - Flanders, Brussels and Wallonia - the accompanying blurb said the kingdom "can be bought as a whole (not recommended)."
The vendor also included as added extras "the king and his court (costs not included)."
Peter Burin, a spokesman for eBay, said the site could not host the sale of anything virtual or "unrealistic," the Belga news agency reported.
The 'vendor' was named as a former journalist, Gerrit Six. Offering his lot at an initial price of one euro, he saw 26 subsequent bids culminating in the 10 million euro offer on Sep. 17 before the auction was halted.
The spoof sale was offered while Belgium finds itself mired in a political crisis which has led to discussion over the country's future as a federal state.
Sep. 18 marked 100 days since the country's general election with no sign of a coalition government being formed by the political parties in Dutch-speaking Flanders and French-speaking Wallonia.
According to the eBay spokesman, it wasn't the first time Belgium had been put up for sale.
"But the last time it wasn't a Belgian who made the announcement and it wasn't as well done or as amusing," Burin said. (AFP)
eBay拍賣網上週取消一筆特殊的二手商品交易，這項被拍賣的商品「比利時」原已競標到一千萬歐元（約合新台幣四億六千零四十四萬兩千元）。
「比利時，三部分的王國」這項拍賣商品被刊登在比利時eBay網站上。儘管該商品附帶「三千億國家債務」，賣家提供了「多種選擇」供買方挑選。
這項拍賣商品包括三部份：法蘭德斯、布魯塞爾和瓦洛尼亞。拍賣網頁上的產品說明敘述「能一併購買（但不建議）」。
賣家還附贈「國王和他的王宮（開銷另計）」。
《比利時通訊社》報導，eBay發言人彼得．布勞恩表示，該網站不接受刊登任何虛擬或「不真實的」商品。
這位「賣家」是退休記者葛瑞特．席克斯。此商品起標價一歐元，他看著二十六位買家相繼競標，競標價格最後高達一千萬歐元。這筆標價出現於九月十七日，隨後這項商品即被下架。
這項揶揄的拍賣商品刊登時，比利時正好陷入一場政治危機，比國成為聯邦政府的前景引發各界議論。
九月十八日正值比利時大選屆滿百日，迄今仍無徵象顯示荷語區的法蘭德斯和法語區的瓦洛尼亞的政黨有意組成聯合政府。
eBay發言人表示，這不是第一次有人把比國放上拍賣網競標。
「但上次的賣家不是比利時人，且交易情況也沒有這次來得好、來得有趣好玩，」布萊恩說。（法新社／翻譯：袁星塵）
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