Germany Seizes 'eBay Baby'

Germany has taken a seven-month-old baby from his parents after they tried to sell him on eBay, the BBC reports. The yet-unnamed child was advertised as “nearly-new” and had a starting price of one euro. “It was only a joke,” the child’s mother said. “I just wanted to see if someone would make an offer.”

But German authorities aren’t laughing. They’ve launched a child-trafficking probe and, according to the mother, have forced them into psychiatric tests. The baby was on eBay for 2 hours before the site yanked it and alerted police. “Offering my nearly new baby for sale,” the ad read, “as it has gotten too loud.” (More eBay stories.)