A CHINESE businessman who bought a Czech fighter jet online wants his money back after finding it impossible to have it shipped to China.

Zhang Cheng, a Beijing businessman, bid US$24,730 and paid a US$2,000 deposit for the former Czech air force plane on eBay's Chinese Web site 10 days ago.

But legal experts informed Zhang that the MiG-21, located in Idaho in the United States, was "almost impossible to ship back", the Beijing Times said.

Moreover, the seller had clearly confined the destination of the plane to the United States and Canada, the Beijing Times quoted a member of eBay's public relations staff as saying. But Zhang clinched the deal under the user name "20020504maryville", which is registered in the United States.

The plane, last flown in 1995 and retired from the Czech air force, has been inspected by a museum and found to be in good shape, according to the eBay listing.

Zhang has drawn criticism from some Web surfers who accused him of using the purchase to gain fame. Others, however, said it merely showed the improved living standards of the Chinese.

But the buyer said he was building a collection.

"I like to collect valuable items. I have the buying power and my company has an empty space where I can display the plane," Zhang told the Beijing Times.

Editor: Wing