Folding smartphones stamped Paris 2024 with strong resale potential already exploited. A good dozen limited edition Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6s have been on sale for a few days on eBay. These models with gold finishes were distributed exclusively to the 17,000 athletes and para-athletes of these Olympics as well as their teams. Objective: use them every day in the Olympic village and promote them. A successful product placement or “activation”, as we say in marketing jargon, for the largest seller of smartphones in France.
For this, Samsung offered them en masse and these brand new devices include an Orange eSIM card, a virtual public transport card but also credit to consume at will in the official supplier's drinks dispensers. Several sellers of these high-end devices have clearly decided not to take advantage of this welcome gift. On merchant sites like Ebay or Boncoin, they sell them new and always sealed and sometimes even with the welcome note and the tote bag in which they received them and the words “to be collected near the Olympic village”. They also praise the exclusivity and rarity of this model.
Bidding starts at 1,160 euros and goes up to 2,300 euros. The cousin of this model, in yellow but without the Paris 2024 Olympic stamp, is sold new from 1,199 euros by the Korean manufacturer. Samsung clearly identified the problem and, according to our information, reported it to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the organizers. It was agreed that the athletes could dispose of their gifts as they wished. Only devices sold after having been stolen from the Olympic delegations will be deactivated remotely after consultation with the police. “This can represent a small source of income for an athlete from a country without much means,” says an internal source.
The marketing operation is in any case already successful, including, for the first time, a selfie on the podium which highlights a high-tech device like never before at the Olympics. Much better than any commercial.
