An online buyer has bid 9 million yuan (US$1.1 million) for a cell phone number on EachNet.com, China's largest e-business Website.

A deal for the number 135 8585 8585, which has a similar pronunciation in Chinese to "let me be rich be rich be rich be rich," was finally done after 70 bids since it was offered online on March 27.

An account with the ID number "saihikaru" won the bidding at 9,000,201 yuan after bids started at 100 yuan on Sunday.

"We have checked our records and confirmed the deal," said Tang Lei, PR manager at EachNet, adding that it is the highest phone number price on the Website.

The seller, calling himself "arasda," runs a shoe store on EachNet.

He claims to be a cell phone number collector rather than a professional seller.

Neither the seller nor the buyer was available for comment Monday, but EachNet said both were from Shanghai.

EachNet says prices for cell phone numbers auctioned on its site have risen in recent years. Numbers related to birthdays or lucky numbers have sold from 100 yuan to 100,000 yuan.

Sellers pay a 0.25 percent commission to the Website -- about 22,500-yuan in this case.

The Website has no control over the actual price paid.

"The possibility cannot be ruled out that purchasers will break the deal and negotiate another price offline," Tang said.

(Shanghai Daily April 13, 2004)