Samsung Olympic phones popping up for resale

Athletes from South Korea, North Korea and China take a selfie with a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition phone after the table tennis mixed doubles medal matches in Paris on July 30. (Joint Press Corps)

The Olympic Edition of Samsung Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 is appearing on online secondhand marketplaces, according to the French news outlet Le Parisien on Tuesday.

Samsung, the official sponsor of the ongoing Paris Olympics has distributed nearly 17,000 phones to athletes and their teams.

According to the report, dozens of the phones are being sold as new and sealed on platforms like eBay and Leboncoin. Some listings even include the original welcome note and tote bag that came with the phone.

Prices on the sites range from 1,160 euros to 2,300 euros ($1,200 to $2,510). This exceeds the 1,199-euro retail price of a similar yellow 512GB Galaxy Z Flip6 model without the special Paris Olympic engraving, according to the French media.

Samsung is aware of the phones appearing on resale sites and has reported the issue to the International Olympic Committee, according to industry sources. However, the company plans to take no further action, acknowledging that athletes are allowed to dispose of their gifts.

“This can be a small source of income for an athlete from a country with limited resources,” a Samsung official said.

The marketing campaign has already been a success in France, with the first-ever podium selfie featuring a Samsung phone capturing global attention.

For example, the photo of North and South Korean table tennis players posing with the special edition phone made headlines last week.

Samsung will remotely deactivate only those devices confirmed to have been stolen from Olympic delegations.

From left: Silver medalist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil, gold medalist Simone Biles of the US, and bronze medalist Jade Carey of the US take a selfie with a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition phone during the victory ceremony of the women's vault of artistic gymnastics at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on Saturday. (Joint Press Corps)

By Song Seung-hyun(ssh@heraldcorp.com)