We get it. From pocket-sized flamethrowers to Boeing jets, Taobao really does have everything.
A recent tweet from China Law Translate revealed yet another startling find on China's sketchiest e-commerce site: interrogation chairs.
As in, you know, what police use to restrain suspects during questioning. The uncomfortable seat shown in the Twitter post includes a detachable bar at roughly chest height as well as a cage-like device to constrain the sitter's legs.
As the caption on the post read,
"Judicial reforms don't always move as fast as we want, but who can deny the progress of being able to buy these interrogation chairs in 3 different colors on Taobao at such reasonable prices."
One user replied with a photo of a 'multipurpose,' slightly sleeker chair going for as low as RMB2,399. The screenshot shows a monthly sales figure of 32 chairs.
According to SCMP, 'dozens' of Taobao shops were found selling similar seats after China Law Translate's tweet went up on January 1. Prices ranged from RMB500 to 3,000.
An employee of one seller based in Guangxi province told SCMP that their chairs were meant for police or court use, but that they did not carry out ID checks or other forms of verification on buyers. He also commented, "If you’re worried about it, we won’t include the detailed description – that it’s an interrogation chair – on the packaging."
In the end, the metal seats proved too hard a sell for Taobao. As of this afternoon, the search terms '犯人凳子' (criminal stool) and '审讯椅' (interrogation chair) no longer brought up results on the site. The shop selling the chair in CLT's original tweet, 广龙安防科技店, also doesn't have any products listed on its page anymore.
Small steps, right?
READ MORE: Guangdong Woman Busted for Fake License Plate from Taobao
[Images via Twitter]
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