eBay flooded with London 2012 Olympic torches for sale

PanARMENIAN.Net - Internet auction site eBay has been flooded with London 2012 Olympic torches for sale, after one appeared to have been sold for over £150,000.

According to The Telegraph, torch bearers, many of whom have not even completely their leg of the relay yet, appear keen to cash in on their roles, seeking to sell their keepsakes to the highest bidder.

Dozens of the distinctive gold torches have already been posted online, with bids currently reaching more than £100,000.

One is reported to have been sold by Sarah Milner Simonds, from Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset, to raise £153,300 for a community allotment. Her success appears to have inspired others to place their torches online.

The torches, which cost £495 but can be bought by bearers for a discounted £215, were intended as a nostalgic keep-sake for runners.

Many of the runners had been given their torches for free by sponsoring companies, with some showing up for sale online within hours of the flame’s arrival in Britain.

In total, 8,000 bearers will carry the traditional sign of the Olympic spirit across the country, each carrying in around 300m to reach 1,019 cities, towns and villages.

The decision of some torchbearers to sell their souvenir has already attracted criticism from some, who claim they are cashing in on the sought-after position.

One has already reported to have been sold for £153,300, with another currently attracting a top bid of £100,099.99.

A third has attracted seven bids reaching a total of £53,100 so far, with dozens of others fetching over £1,000.