“With just 116 yuan ($14), Shanghai office worker Han Bin could be the proud owner of a second-hand Volkswagen Passat, if he wins a court battle against the car’s disbelieving seller,” Reuters reports.

Han, 20, put in his ridiculously low bid for the car when it was offered over a leading Chinese auction Web site, EachNet.com.

By the deadline, no one else had bid and a jubilant Han received confirmation from the site that he had been successful.

Yongda Automobile Sales Co, the hapless company that put the vehicle up for auction, tried to block the transaction but Han, took his case to a Shanghai district court, a Yongda executive said.

‘It’s unbelievable. We’re trying to find out how this could have happened,’ said Zhu Baocheng, a Yongda marketing executive.

Whaddya mean, “you’re trying to find out how this could have happened“…? Here’s an idea: only one dude bid on the damn thing.

In fact, the same thing happened to me on eBay once. I was the only person to bid on a 1963 Mad Magazine (Christmas issue, near mint), so I was able practically to steal the thing for three bucks. Three bucks!

The book value is like, close to seven dollars.

Betcha Mrs. Samuel Gerber (of Wheaton, Maryland) is still cursing my name over that coup.

Sucker.

—–