HR manager sells her royal wedding gift bag for £21K on eBay

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding guests have already begun to flog their commemorative goodie bags on eBay [Photo: eBay]
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding guests have already begun to flog their commemorative goodie bags on eBay [Photo: eBay]

In another attempt to modernise their wedding and make the British public feel more included in their special day, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle invited over 1,200 non-VIPs to their wedding.

All 1,200 people were ‘Community Champions ‘: people who were innovative leaders in their fields, do-gooders and people making a difference.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle thought they deserved to be praised and therefore gave them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch, first hand, the royal wedding from just outside St.George’s chapel in Windsor.

This meant they got to spend all morning watching celebrities like the Beckham’s , Elton John and the stars of Suits walk into the chapel, and were the first people to see the royal couple’s first kiss , as well as the beginning of the procession.

In another showering of generosity, these guests were also gifted complimentary bags, and one of these bags has been bid off for over £21,000.

Royal wedding guests wasted no time in photographing their merchandise to sell on eBay [Photo: eBay]
Royal wedding guests wasted no time in photographing their merchandise to sell on eBay [Photo: eBay]

31-year old Claire Oliver, is Head of HR at engineering company, Troup Bywaters, decided she didn’t want to keep the bag so posted it on the auctioneering site.

Claire was invited to the royal wedding because her place of work is heavily involved in offering apprenticeships to get more people into work – something that Prince Harry is really passionate about.

On the day of the wedding, she posted on her Twitter: “I got to watch the royal wedding right outside Windsor Castle in this amazing setting. Such an amazing day #Golden ticket #Royal connections.”

The tweet was accompanied by a video of Claire spinning around in the gardens of Windsor castle.

But in a move that has divided opinion, Claire took a picture of her complimentary royal wedding bag and immediately uploaded it to eBay.

Claire sold her bag for £21,400 on eBay, though it's not known if the bidder has honoured their bid yet. [Photo: eBay]
Claire sold her bag for £21,400 on eBay, though it’s not known if the bidder has honoured their bid yet. [Photo: eBay]

The canvas tote bag was inscribed with the royal couple’s initiations. When Claire posted on eBay, she included a picture of it’s contents which included: a souvenir wedding order of service, a printed welcome letter from Meghan and Harry, a bottle of Windsor Castle water, a giant chocolate coin, a tin of shortbread and a voucher for 20 per cent off in the castle shop.

The wholesale price of the bag is probably no more than £50, but Claire is set to earn £21,4000 from it.

It’s not yet known if the payment has actually gone through, but eBay’s term and condition’s stipulate that a bid or purchase on eBay is considered a contract and you’re obliged to purchase the item.

However, they say that if you change you mind or cannot buy the item you have to contact the seller directly.

If the seller does not agree and you do not pay, the unpaid item is recorded on your account and it may result in suspension or limited access to eBay.

Claire wasn’t the only ‘community champion’ to take advantage of their privileged position. Other people have posted their bags on eBay and some have reached over £30K.

Like Claire, most sellers are unwilling to comment, but one seller did say they were going to donate the money to charity, even though they’d ‘forgotten’ to mention this in the description on eBay.

Others weren’t so generous. One seller who was hoping to cash in on the international market said: ‘I’m happy to send the gift bag internationally if your happy to cover the postage’.

Considering these people really did have the ‘golden ticket’ and had the best seats in the house for the royal wedding, is this act of greed completely unprecedented, or is making money off the royal wedding fair game?

Leave your opinions in the comment section.


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