Some used wristbands were attracting bids of up to £70,000 before being scrapped. An eBay spokesperson said: “These items are against our policies and we are removing them from our site.” Our event ticket policy prohibits the sale of most tickets, including those for events that are free to the public. The Queen’s chaise longue at the Palace of Westminster opened to the public at 5pm on Wednesday, and 48 hours later around a dozen people had listed their colored and numbered paper strips for sale on online markets. People joining the queue which winds around central London to see the coffin are given paper wristbands to mark their place. This allows mourners to leave the queue for a short time to use the toilet or get refreshments and then return to their spot. The wristbands, which do not guarantee entry and are strictly non-transferable, have been issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to help manage the huge numbers of people wanting to see the Queen inside. condition. The bands have different numbers and colors each day. The DCMS website explains the queuing process, saying that the band is “a record of when you entered the queue”. One seller’s gold wristband was listed with the description “Queen Elizabeth II Lying In State Gold Queue Wristband. Used – see photos from the day! Friday 16th September, 11 hour queue, same day as David Beckham (he was about an hour ahead of us). Joined the queue before 6am.” An orange bracelet, bearing the royal coat of arms and the abbreviation LISQ (located on the tail of the state), was priced at £1,000 after nine bids. The seller described it as “brand new” and “never been used”. A similar set, starting at £550, won 22 viewers in the first 24 hours of being live. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Several sellers include bundles of commemorative newspapers with their bands, and many have included photos of themselves wearing the wristband on their tails to prove their authenticity. An eBay member listed his orange band with a note that: “I originally listed this bracelet at a high price. As you can see, it was the same color as my jacket! But they decided to put it up for auction. Something in me from the Queen said to do it.’ The cheapest band listed on the website costs £10 and for £20 you can pick up one described as “a bit wrinkled, but a piece of history”.
