14 DAY TRIAL // If you are a frequent user of eBay, then you are probably expecting to find all sorts of products available through online auction. With all that, a German couple from Memmingen decided to take online auctions on eBay to a whole new level. So, last week, they posted an advertisement to sell their son, claiming he had become "too loud" to keep around.
After the actions of the two parents were discovered, the seven-month-old baby was taken into institutionalized care in Germany and his parents are now being investigated on claims of possible child trafficking. The starting bid was set at 1 Euro, which prompted the boy's 23-year-old mother, Tanja, to claim that the auction was only a joke, despite the fact that the post ended with bold letters demanding that the baby be picked up in person. It appears that it was one concerned mom who saw the add when browsing the German version of eBay and informed the police about the couple's advertisement.
Tanja stated for the local German Bild newspaper that: "It was only a joke. I just wanted to see if someone would make an offer. They've taken my son and I've got to take psychiatric tests next week." She also added: "I would never give up my beloved Merlin." The advert, entitled "Baby - Pick up in Person Only" offered information about the baby's gender and size. It also stated the parents' reason for selling him.
The post, which has been removed from the online auction site in the meanwhile, got no bidders in the two hours and thirty minutes it was displayed. Renee Beck, a police spokesperson in Krumbach, near Munich, stated that the German police are investigating the two parents on suspicion of child trafficking. The German police was aided in tracking down the two parents by eBay officials.