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Olympic flame carriers cash in by listing their torches on eBay for up to £150,000

It was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime honour granted to the great and the good in Britain.

And the 8,000-mile Olympic torch relay across the UK has been cheered on by thousands since it set off just days ago after arriving in the country accompanied by David Beckham.

But the privilege of taking part in the Olympic torch relay for this summer's games is also providing an opportunity for participants to cash in - with eBay auction bids for the prized torches already reaching up to £150,000.

A number of the torches - which are given to bearers in the relay for a discount price of £295 - have already been put up for sale on the internet auction site.

One seller, whose listing has reached a price of £111,000, has not even completed their leg of the relay yet, with the eBay user promising to post the torch 'as soon as the run is completed and the funds have cleared'.

Andrew Bell, 32 - who completed his relay leg in Marazion, Cornwall - was one of those to put his torch up for sale on eBay, saying he hoped the auction would provide some much needed income for his family.

Mr Bell told the Sun newspaper: 'I understand some people may find the idea of selling an Olympic torch offensive but we could genuinely use the money.
'Without giving you a sob story, we've a lovely baby boy and my wife has just gone back to work after maternity leave.'

Mr Bell, who has since taken down the listing of his torch, added: 'Also, the torch is nearly a metre long, and looks weird on the mantlepiece.'

Although the astronomically-high prices of many of the auctions suggests the sales have been targeted by hoax bidders, Olympic organisers have refused to condemn those people planning on selling their torches.

A spokeswoman for London 2012 said: 'The majority of people will want to keep their torch, but ultimately it's their property and for them to decide what to do with it.

'We hope the torches and uniforms find good homes.'

Although some runners have tried to cash in on taking part in the relay, the excitement of other torch bearers seems to be enough on its own.

Daily Mail

Ebay

Do you think it's morally wrong or do you say good luck to 'em?

Don't think you can get too 'moral' about it really, it's just a torch.

It's a bit ungrateful perhaps but what can you do, if you're gonna make a huge amount of cash, then why not?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrluvaluva (Post 5146758)

Mmm..... I think if they are sold with proceeds going to charities: then that's acceptable.

Other than that - nah, this doesn't sit well with me. The guy from Cornwall states his wife is working: without checking: I bet he works also: sure it's his to do with what he wants, but it's pretty shallow imo.

It is meant to be an honour.

I don't see a problem with it personally, especially as they were charged £295 for the honour of keeping one. If they were given them as a souvenier of their experience, then I might feel a bit different. If people want to pay thousands of pounds for one, that's up to them really.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrluvaluva (Post 5146848)

I don't it as a problem either tbh: I just think it's shallow.

As I said, it's theirs to do what they want with. I'm sure there are plenty of people who would have loved the honour - but didn't have the £295 to take part in purchasing.

What would i prefer having some orniment sat in my house gathering dust or getting a life changing ammount of money?

Erm i would choose the second option lol.

Have any of these torches being sold - actually passed hands and money paid up?

Not bovvered ..... :bored:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pyramid* (Post 5146905)

Have any of these torches being sold - actually passed hands and money paid up?

We don't get to see that information, but I saw a report about this story on the news before. This has got 50+ bids currently with just over 2 hours to go and the bid stands at just over £21,000 currently. I cannot see them all being hoax bids.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrluvaluva (Post 5146971)

Oh I agree, ... but it would be interesting to find out if and when monies actually change hands.

I do agree that the chances of all 61 (and counting) bidders being hoaxes is pretty much nil !

I just think it is wrong so many torches were produced, it takes the whole "bringing the torch to London" aspect away when so many people have torches. You are basically owning "a" torch rather then "the" torch which is a different thing altogether.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry! (Post 5147007)

Exactly.

If Billie Mitchell can carry one then it aint special.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harry! (Post 5147007)

Yep...... pretty much sums it up Harry. The torch bearer was meant to be an honour and a priviledge - now it's just a commercial gimmick.

Sad.

Meh if people are prepared to pay that much money for a torch then I can't blame them for selling it

It's just a torch at the end of the day...

I would almost definitely sell it tbh if I had the chance. I would rather a huge lump of cash than an old torch sitting round my house for years :laugh:

Surely it'd be a great thing to keep so you can tell stories to the grandchildren while they're not playing Hyperreality 3000 on their Whizzboxes in 2060 odd, but each to their own I guess

Times are hard, I don't blame them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pyramid* (Post 5146983)

Oh I agree, ... but it would be interesting to find out if and when monies actually change hands.

I do agree that the chances of all 61 (and counting) bidders being hoaxes is pretty much nil !

The bids are getting quite ridiculous now at over £120,000...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chewy (Post 5147101)

Surely it'd be a great thing to keep so you can tell stories to the grandchildren while they're not playing Hyperreality 3000 on their Whizzboxes in 2060 odd, but each to their own I guess

Meh, you could take photos. I'd do the same if I had one!

I'd love to be rich enuf to collect olympic torches. I'm a huge olympics fan and i think it would be a really interesting thing to collect.

It's the flame that's important, not the torch.

Having said that, sadly, and in my opinion, there should be some kind of contract that says if you have the honour of carrying a torch and then sell it, all proceeds must go to charity.

If I had a torch and someone offered to give my £150k for it I'd sell it lol

I don't see where the notion of charity has come into the Olympic games. Sponsorship and government funding are far more bigger sums being thrown around in light of the organisation, and when Cadbury's are the official sponsors I'm not entirely surprised to see people being slightly less-than-noble when there're idiots out there willing to pay £150k for a bit of metal that was once on fire.

I'd definitely do the same, and I don't think I'd care about what it does to the 'spirit' of the games. The Olympics are about sport. **** the cultural Olympiad. Watch a documentary or two if you want that.

However, the fact they cost £295 in the first place makes me question that Cornish man's lack of financial hardship.

I thinking that, if you consider it as "just a piece of metal" and have no qualms about selling it to the highest bidder, perhaps you're not the ideal person to have been chosen to carry it in the first place.