An anime fan got a bit carried away on Monday, when he bid nearly 1.5 billion US dollars for a figurine of one his favorite characters on Chinese online marketplace Taobao. /Taobao screenshot

Video streaming website Bilibili, popular for anime, was auctioning off some merchandise including one figurine that caught the eye of a Taobao user with the screen name “San**Jun.” However, after the auction finished, it proved to be a farce. The buyer admitted that he could not afford the price. /Taobao screenshot

Under Taobao rules, phoney buyers like “San**Jun” have to pay 5 percent of the bid price as a fine. But Bilibili said it would also reserve the right to appeal. /Taobao screenshot

Chinese netizens have come up with many jokes satirizing this incident. “Even Jack Ma would have been stunned by this price, because it’s the same as he paid for his Boeing 787 Dreamliner,” wrote one. /Taobao screenshot