Aldi’s sell-out Kevin the Carrot toys being sold on eBay for up to £1,000 hours after going on sale
SHOPPERS have been left "disappointed" and "disgusted" after Aldi's sold out Kevin the Carrot toys have been listed on eBay for hundreds of pounds.
Fans were caught queuing outside stores from 6:30am this morning in a last ditch attempt to get their hands on the festive merchandise.
Fights erupted in some stores as customers battled the crowds to get hold of the limited stock, while others left empty handed.
The toys had gone on sale online earlier this week but within hours listings had appeared on eBay by sellers hoping to make a sweet buck.
The same thing happened today, with small versions of Kevin the Carrot appearing on the site with a "buy it now" price of £1,000, despite originally costing £3.99.
A Russell Sprout plush - the bad guy in the retailer's Christmas advert - has also been listed with an £899 price tag.
A giant Kevin the Carrot costs £19.99 from Aldi but someone is trying to flog it online for a huge £250, while a Russell Sprout and Tiny Tom plush are being sold for £200 as a pair.
Shopper Ronit Bowman said that she thought it was "disgusting" that some customers would buy the toys purely to sell them on for inflated prices.
"Thought I’d look on eBay during my lunch," she wrote on Twitter, "absolutely disgusting how many on sale and the price.
"Felt for the woman who had hers taken out of her basket as she turned away!"
"@AldiUK yet again this year you’ve let so many down with lack of giant Kevin the carrot & crew," one person wrote on Twitter.
"I refuse to pay the hyped up prices on eBay for my nephew."
Natasha wrote: "Yet again... people queuing, buying and then selling on these Kevin the carrot characters for extortionate prices on eBay.
"What about the people who actually wanted these for themselves or their kids? Many disappointed people out there again today."
Aldi had limited the number that each customer could purchase online to just two but it didn't stop shops from selling out.
One shopper said: "I would like to complain about Kevin the carrot and friends in store.
"I have missed out on getting any due to people taking loads and filling up their trolleys. I thought it was restricted to two each per customer.
"I was there at 8am when the store opened. Not happy."
The toys are Specialbuys which means that once they've sold out they won't be being restocked.
Prices start from £1.99 for Kevin-themed merchandise, with plush toys ranging in price from £3.99 to £49.99 for an inflatable snow globe (online only).
Aldi has already sold out online and many customers have said that their local stores have run out too.
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Earlier today Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi said: "Our colleagues opened the doors at 8am this morning and were met with an unprecedented number of customers looking to get their hands on Kevin the Carrot toys and his other friends, including Russell Sprout.
"We know our Kevin the Carrot soft toys and merchandise are incredibly popular with our customers and this year we increased the amount on offer."