Mini-train mayhem: Limited TransLink passes sell out swiftly, hit the secondary market

Almost immediately after TransLink's new light-up SkyTrain replica Compass keychains sold out, they hit the secondary market at a steep mark-up.

Lines stretched through Vancouver's Waterfront Station when a limited run of 5,000 of the quirky new fare payment option went on sale Wednesday morning. By noon, the 3,000 adult passes were sold out. The 2,000 concession mini-trains soon followed suit. TransLink limited purchases to four per person and the cost was a $6 deposit, the same as a regular Compass card.

By early afternoon, ads on Facebook Marketplace were reselling the items for between $20 and $60.

One seller, in a message to CTV News, said the adult passes he was selling for $60 were snapped up immediately.

"I got a message not even a minute after I posted it and I sold it to that person, but I got about 5 interested people while I was speaking to the first buyer," he wrote, adding he waited in line for about an hour and 20 minutes to buy his mini-trains.

His motivation?

"Money I guess? That's probably the most honest and realistic motivator for upcharging on collectibles. I make a living as an online retailer, so it's not really much different from what I do."

Another seller, who sold several of the concession passes for $20 apiece said his plan was to buy one for himself. But after 80 minutes in line, adult passes were sold out. So he scooped up four of the concession ones and posted them online.

He also said responses came in immediately and that he sold all four within an hour.

A spokesperson for TransLink said the launch of the product was met with "overwhelming enthusiasm," but that there are no current plans to produce more.

"(We) may reconsider in the future," an emailed statement said.