British fans who attended the Paris Olympics are selling the merchandise online – for a hefty premium.
Sellers on resale sites eBay and Vinted are selling Olympic memorabilia in the hope of making some money before the outcry dies down.
Merchandise such as cuddly mascots, branded mugs and printed shopping bags are being sold for as much as five times the original price, and in one case for as much as 25 times the original price. English tourists are selling their personal items to those back home who are also keen to get a piece of the pie.
The famous red plush mascot of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, currently available at the official Olympic online store for between £7 and £27 with ‘a code’ has been spotted on Vinted for a whopping £51.10.
Meanwhile, a small 15cm version, which retails for £7.70 in the Olympic store, is being sold by a private seller on eBay for four times the price: £29.99.
The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics are off to a great start, but now fans are taking to eBay and Vinted to sell Olympic memorabilia (Pictured: The official online store for the Olympics is selling the Paris 2024 mascot – the Phryges – for between £7 and £27)
The plush mascot is selling for a whopping £51.10 on Vinted
A small version is being sold by a private eBay seller for four times the price at £29.99
The playful, The triangular red mascots are called The Phryges and are the official statuettes representing the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the French capital this year.
They are inspired by the conical hats – known as liberty caps – that were widely worn during the French Revolution in the 18th century.
The Phryges, which come with big eyes, a smile, a tricolour ribbon and trainers, were chosen by the organisers as an ‘allegory of freedom’. The mascots have become hugely popular – hence their remarkable resale value.
While the multi-sport company is selling mugs with the mascot’s face on them for £5.40, and mugs with the word ‘France’ for just £4.50, a seller on Vinted has sold a souvenir mug for double the amount.
The tall purple cup, which is being touted as the official recyclable cup for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, was purchased during the Olympics and ‘used once’. It retails for £11.20.
The text is in French and English and features an image of the enthusiastic mascot celebrating in a blue party blazer.
According to the seller, the item is in very good condition and is available for collection directly from Inverurie, Scotland.
Also on Vinted, a seller in Belfast managed to sell a multi-coloured Paris 2024 shopper and keyring for £26.95.
A selection of Paris 2024 Olympic pins currently cost between £4 and £5 with ‘a code’
A similar ‘used’ Olympic pin is selling on eBay for almost £100
Also on Vinted, a seller in Belfast managed to sell a multi-coloured Paris 2024 shopper and keyring for £26.95. Meanwhile, the Olympic store’s offering can be bought for £9.80.
The off-white bag, which comes ‘new with tags’, is considerably cheaper than the Olympic store’s current price of £9.80, less than half the price.
Perhaps most shocking is the selection of Paris 2024 Olympic badges, which currently cost between £4 and £5 with ‘a code’ but are selling for almost £100 on eBay.
The cream-coloured pin is accompanied by the Paris 2024 flag and features the Olympic rings and the famous flame.
But while the brand new item is selling for less than a fiver in the Olympics merchandise store, a ‘used’ version is currently priced at £97.60 in Japan. That’s including a 10 percent discount.
Meanwhile, one of the most valuable Olympic torches, used to light the ceremonial flame, went up for auction last month, with bidding starting at a whopping $151,250 or £118,739.
The multi-sport company is selling mugs with the mascot’s face on them for £5.40, and mugs with the word ‘France’ on them for just £4.50.
A tall purple cup, bought at the Olympics and ‘used once’, is selling for £11.20
The auction for the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics torch was created on June 18 by RR Auction, describing it as “one of the rarest” ever made.
The design was inspired by Ralph Lavers’ work on the Olympic torches used in 1948 and 1956. Only 23 examples exist.
As of late July, nine bids have been received on the extremely rare Olympic torch since RR Auction posted the ad on its website. The piece is now worth more than $500,000.
According to the Walt Disney Family Museum, The Walt Disney Company legend, designed by John Hench, decided to make the Olympic Winter Torch smaller than other torches in the past.
The silver aluminum torch is 48 cm long and was first lit in Morgedal, Norway.
RR Auction reported that the torch has cutouts around the bowl for three Olympic rings with the text: ‘VIII Olympic Winter Games’.
Also beneath the bowl are the words “Olympia to Squaw Valley,” symbolizing the torch’s originally planned route from Greece to California.
Potential buyers should note, however, that “the burner shows some minor damage to the bowl and handle,” RR Auction notes in the description.