Chinese website sells sperm online

Alibaba, the China-based e-commerce firm, has offered its male users up to £525 in exchange for their sperm.

The company partnered with seven sperm banks in China to solicit for sperm donation in a three-day promotional campaign via its daily deals website, Juhuasuan.

The campaign — which ran from 15—17 July — aimed to 'raise awareness of sperm banks in China and make it easier for them to reach potential donors' amid reports of shortages, Alibaba told CNN.

Volunteers had to register online by providing their name, the last six digits of their identity card and an email address to participate in the service. Thereafter, the men had three months to undergo physical health checks and make a sperm donation at one of seven sperm banks. They received payments of 3,000 to 5,000 Yuan (£315—525) per donation.

More than 22,000 men signed up for the offer, with 69 percent of the donors coming from three major cities in China — Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

According to the Financial Times, experts attribute the shortages in Chinese sperm banks to the country's rising infertility — currently at 12.5 percent of the population — as well as strict donor requirements. Cultural reserve about sex has also contributed to the shortages, CNN reports, citing Chinese state media.

Wang Zhiqiang, director of the state sperm bank for Guangxi province, told the Financial Times that the number of donors had 'exceeded all expectations'.

'On average, we get about 300 donors a year, but during the three days of the Juhuasuan event more than 1000 people signed up. Assuming 20 per cent of them will donate, that is 200 new donors,' he said.

Chinese sperm banks have previously solicited for sperm donations via Weibo — China's microblogging site, which is equivalent to Twitter.

The anonymity and added layer of privacy provided by the online service made the campaign a success, said Mr Wang.