Chinese Men Attempt To Sell Their Kidneys For iPhone 6s

Over the last eight years, Apple Inc. has created a hugely loyal fan base for its iPhones and iPads to such an extent that people were willing to queue up outside an Apple Store even before the new iPhone 6s was launched.

However, two Chinese men have taken this obsession with Apple to another level by attempting to sell their kidneys in order to purchase one of the new iPhones.

As reported by the China Daily based on local media reports, two young men in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, contacted "an illegal agent to sell their kidneys."

The report states that one of the men, surnamed Wu, could not afford an iPhone 6s, which retails at 5,288 RMB in China. That amount converts to $830, meaning there is a $180 premium on the latest iPhone compared to the price in the U.S.

According to the report, Wu's friend Huang suggested they sell a kidney each in order to afford the new iPhone, which is more than the average monthly wage was in China in 2014.

The men contacted an illegal agent online, who asked them to take part in medical examinations at a hospital in Nanjing, but on Sept. 12 when the tests were scheduled to take place, the agent did not appear. The report says that after the no-show by the agent, Wu reconsidered the move and told his friend to stop the plan.

Huang, however, didn't listen. Wu called the police, but before they arrived, Huang ran away and has not been contacted since.

Going to extremes to fund the purchase of Apple's smartphones and tablets is nothing new in China. In 2012, five men were arrested after a teenager sold his kidney to buy an iPhone and an iPad. In 2013, a couple was charged with attempting to sell three of their newborn children to fund the purchase of the iPhone 5. Last year a man tried to rent out his girlfriend in order to fund the purchase of the iPhone 6.