"If You Give Me 1 Yuan, I'll Praise You"... 'Cyber Begging' Emerges on Chinese Secondhand Platforms

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Recently, a new type of transaction called "cyber begging" has sparked controversy on Chinese secondhand trading platforms.

On December 2, multiple local media outlets, including Jimu News, reported that "some sellers are listing items with nothing for sale at 1 yuan (about 200 KRW)," and explained, "Even if buyers make a payment, they do not receive any goods or services."

Photo for article understanding purposes only, unrelated to the content. Pixels

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According to the reports, sellers engaging in cyber begging consider it either a side hustle or a form of play. One seller wrote on a secondhand trading platform, "If you give me 1 yuan, I will express my gratitude and compliment you." Although employed, this seller claimed to be short on money and posted offerings such as a wake-up call service, delivery coupons, and beverage vouchers. Another seller stated, "If you pay 1 yuan, I can be your gaming partner or someone to chat with."

"Cyber begging" is a meme in China referring to people who obtain something online without doing anything. This includes those genuinely experiencing hardship and seeking help from online users, as well as those pretending to be in difficulty for fun to get something. On the other hand, there are also individuals who exploit users' goodwill to commit fraud. Some sellers leveraging this meme are presenting a variety of transaction offers on secondhand trading platforms.

Content related to "Cyber Beggar" uploaded on the Chinese video platform Bilibili. Bilibili.

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Jimu News reported that this new form of transaction is causing controversy, quoting the platform's customer service center as saying, "Listing items without tangible products is against the rules. We will take action after verification."

He Daoyi, a lawyer at Beijing Jingyin Law Firm, stated that there is currently no law that defines such posts as illegal based solely on their content. He added, "If false information is posted, it could be considered fraud, but explicitly engaging in 'cyber begging' cannot be clearly deemed illegal."

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