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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Business
Zahra Khaliq

eBay bans listings for Queen’s lying-in-state wristbands after prices hit £70,000

eBay has removed a number of listings for wristbands needed to queue to see the Queen lying-in-state in London.

Some used wristbands were attracting bids as high as £70,000 before they were taken down, but it’s not yet known whether the bids were genuine, the Guardian has reported.

The wristbands allow members of the public to leave the queue to grab some food and drink, visit the loo and then rejoin.

But despite queuing to pay their respects to the Queen, some people have decided to cash in on them.

Sellers have taken to the auction site to offer the paper coloured bands as memorabilia to mark mourners' place in the queue.

Follow our live updates of the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II here

The listings have been taken down as they go against eBays policy (Ebay)

The bands are listed as non-transferable and do not guarantee buyers entry into the estimated 13-hour queue to file past the Queen's coffin in Westminster Hall.

A spokesperson for eBay has said: "These items are against our policies and we are removing them."

Users were able to see a small number of wristbands on the site under the header "new listing" on Sunday morning, but could no longer access any links to an active auction or buy-it-now page.

According to eBay's policy, tickets to past events such as concerts or sports fixtures are to be sold as memorabilia.

However, the sale of tickets to events that are free to the public may be prohibited.

The policy also says tickets for events that haven’t yet taken place, such as concerts, festivals, sports or theatre, cannot be listed on the site.

eBay has seen a surge in the number of remembrance items being listed since the Queen’s passing, including commemorative mugs and coins.

But those buying wristband memorabilia on the site are being warned not to travel to join the queue to "avoid disappointment".

The wristbands allow mourners to leave the queue, grab some food and drink, visit the loo and then rejoin (Getty Images)

The wristbands were issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to help manage the large crowds expecting to catch a glimpse of the Queen’s coffin.

The DCMS website explains the process for queueing, saying the bands act as “a record of when you joined the queue” with each band displaying a different number and colour for each day.

The Queen’s lying-in-state at the Palace of Westminster opened to the public on Wednesday.

But viewing will officially close on Monday at 06:30 BST, just over four hours before the late monarch's state funeral is expected to take place at Westminster Abbey.

According to Government officials, the last few mourners in the queue will be expected to wait roughly 13 hours to file past the Queen’s coffin.

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