BERLIN - A BABY boy removed from his parents' custody after they offered to sell him on eBay for just a euro (SS$2.15) is back at home, a prosecutor said on Thursday.

'The child has been returned to his parents,' prosecutor Johannes Kreuzpointer said.

The parents maintained that the posting was just a joke gone awry and investigators agreed, dropping their probe into possible child trafficking. The 23-year-old mother and 24-year-old-father were not identified.

'Offering my nearly new baby for sale, as it has gotten too loud. It is a male baby, nearly 28 inches (70 cm) long and can be used either in a baby carrier or a stroller,' read the original ad that ran on May 24.

No bids were received in the two hours and 30 minutes the ad was online before it was taken down. -- AP