Boeing 747s offered for public auction in China By News from Elsewhere...

...as found by BBC Monitoring Published duration 21 September 2017

image copyright TAOBAO.COM image caption It's not clear whether the buyer has to collect

Ever wanted to own your own private jet? That may now be possible, given that a number are now up for auction in China, it's reported.

Three Boeing 747s have landed on the auction arm of Taobao , China's leading eBay-like service.

The planes have been in storage in the cities of Shanghai and Shenzhen since 2013, after their owner, Jade Cargo International, filed for bankruptcy in September that year.

They were seized by a court in the southern city of Shenzhen, but had never found buyers despite being offered previously in six offline auctions.

According to the Yangcheng Evening Post , this is the first time that the courts have offered a Boeing aircraft to the public for online auction.

Sadly, you'll need deep pockets to afford one of these jets - opening bids for the planes range from 122 to 135 million yuan ($18.5-20.4m; £13.7m-15.1m).

Taobao directs potential buyers to make a security deposit for the planes before 20 October, and bids formally close on 20 November.

Reporting by Kerry Allen