Collectors desperate to get their hands on Commonwealth Games memorabilia are willing to spend up to $560 for $1 coins, while others are in a frenzy to get their hands on a plush toy.
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eBay has dozens of listings for 20cm plush toys of official 2018 mascot Borobi the koala - which retailed at $25 - including one with 49 bids which reached $202.50 with 10 hours to go.
One seller optimistically listed a Borobi toy at a "buy it now" price of $280, while bidding for a life-sized Borobi toy has soared to $400.
The toy version of the mascot sold out in stores and online mid-last week, with 100,000 of the bright blue koalas being sold, raking in millions in revenue.
People are also offloading commemorative $1 coins, with bidding on a complete day one-to-11 set reaching $560.
Queensland University of Technology retail academic Gary Mortimer said FOMO, or a "fear of missing out", could drive people to snap up products when there was a limited run.
"People know the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games are only going to be held there once, it's very unlikely to be held on the Gold Coast again," he said.
"So there's big demand, not just in Australia, but internationally as well.
"Anything in limited supply, there's more value in it."
But Dr Mortimer warned others thinking of listing their Borobi toys for sale would be unlikely to achieve the same high prices.
"It's usually the first person to sell their volunteer shirt or the first person to sell their Borobi plush toy will get the big prices," he said.
"The more product availability, the price will actually fall.
"Other people will be somewhat disappointed if they think they'll get $200 for a plush toy - they'll only get $50."
Dr Mortimer said Borobi was well-marketed in the lead-up to the Games.
"In news crosses he was usually standing at the back somewhere," he said.
"He was very strategically placed throughout sponsorship and in media coverage and that created some hype."
Dr Mortimer said there was a lot of nostalgia wrapped up in an event like the Commonwealth Games.
"People have been pulling out their 1982 Commonwealth Games Brisbane memorabilia recently," he said.
Borobi was such an ever-present figure on the Gold Coast, that future king Prince Charles even posed for a photo alongside one of his statues.
Borobi, a blue surfing koala, was chosen out of more than 4000 entries in a design competition.
His backstory includes being unable to climb trees, so giving surfing a try, with his dip in the ocean turning his fur blue.
In 2016, it was revealed the soft toy versions of the mascot were made in China.
