One man’s trash is another man’s treasure—just ask any BTS fan on marketplace app Carousell, where empty McDonald’s soda cups and paper bags decorated with the K-pop band’s logo will set you back more than purchasing a meal itself.
Since the popular band debuted their collaboration with McDonald’s in Hong Kong earlier this month, dozens of listings have popped up online selling the sought after memorabilia.
“All new, never used, no oil stains, no crinkles on the bag,” a description for a HK$150 (US$19) set including a cup, nine-piece Chicken McNuggets box and paper bag reads.
Another set that includes two dipping sauces is being sold for HK$260 (US$33).
Purple towels, a limited-time gift, were going for as much as HK$100 (US$13).
A partnership between McDonald’s and the K-pop group, the BTS meals debuted in the city’s fast food outlets on June 3.
The HK$39 (US$5) set includes nine pieces of chicken nuggets accompanied by two Korean-inspired dipping sauces, cajun and sweet chili, flavors said to have been handpicked by the K-pop superstars BTS themselves. The meal also comes with medium-size fries and a soft drink.
Dozens of listings of the BTS meal packaging—purple, a nod to the fandom’s color— have appeared on Carousell and Facebook Marketplace in the past two weeks. It’s unclear, however, how much online demand there is for the items. None of the Carousell items have been labeled sold at the time of writing, and there are no reports of the BTS meals selling out at McDonald’s.
The BTS and McDonald’s collaboration is making its way around the world, hitting fast food outlets in almost 50 countries—from the United States to Ukraine to Singapore—since late May.
In Indonesia, overwhelming demand for the BTS meal forced crowded McDonald’s branches to shut down amid social distancing restrictions.
The BTS partnership follows McDonald’s recent collaboration with Cantopop artist Keung To. In March, the fast food chain promoted the rising star as the face of the iconic Big Mac for the “Keung B Meal,” the “B” standing for the new addition of bacon to the burger.
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