And finally… lucky number

A Chinese mobile phone number ending with five eights has sold for 2.25 million yuan (£250,000) in an online auction.

And finally... lucky number

The number eight sounds similar to the Mandarin word for prosperity, and buyers are willing to pay a premium to service providers for it.

The mobile number was put up for auction on Saturday by a Beijing court as part of a forced sale of the debt-ridden owner’s assets, The Times reports. 



The buyer has remained anonymous, however the Beijing Youth Daily, said that he would have to pay all outstanding bills to purchase the number.

The price is significantly higher than two previous court-ordered auctions of mobile numbers also ending with five eights: the first sold for £23,000 in the eastern province of Shandong in January last year, and the second for £23,500 in the southern region of Guangxi in May.

The Shandong buyer, named only as Mr Li, told reporters that he was collecting such numbers as a hobby, but was annoyed by strangers who kept calling them for luck.

In January, a phone number ending with eight sevens — also an auspicious number — sold for £430,000.

Share icon
Share this article: