Are Stanley tumblers the new Taylor Swift tickets? Why people are fighting over $50 tumblers and reselling them online for 6x the retail price

Retailing for $49.95, some customers later took to eBay to sell their cups for much higher (think: upwards of $200). As a result of the mayhem and resales, there are currently no plans to restock the pink Stanley x Starbucks tumblers.

The tumblers are made from stainless steel and feature double-wall vacuum insulation (with or without a straw), ensuring that your drink stays hotter or colder for longer. Plus, they come in dozens of fun patterns and colours.

Although the company has been around since 1913, its popularity has taken off over the past couple of years. Here's what's behind the Stanley craze.

The Stanley craze

Earlier this month, a limited edition Starbucks x Stanley tumbler was released for sale at Starbucks locations in Target, coordinating with the launch of Starbucks’ winter drinks menu.

This is the third Starbucks x Stanley collaboration — and this specific tumbler is a pink 40oz Quencher style with a straw and handle. While some might argue these features aren’t exactly anything to get excited over, it seems like hundreds, if not thousands, of Stanley enthusiasts disagree.

Eager shoppers lined up in the early morning hours at Target locations across the country, waiting for the chance to get their hands on one of the coveted pink Starbucks Stanleys.

In a viral TikTok video about the Starbucks x Stanley tumbler release, TikTok user Vincent Marcus and his daughter (along with their new puppy) arrived at their local Target at 1:40 a.m. and literally camped out overnight in front of the store waiting for it to open.

According to his video, more people started to show up around 3:00 a.m. Images show people bringing chairs, blankets and even ordering food to keep warm, seeing as it was a chilly 40°F. By the time the store opened at 8:00 a.m., a massive line of people were eagerly waiting.

In the video, a Target employee, dubbed "boss lady," is seen out on the curb shortly before the store opened. According to Marcus, she was ensuring that the crowd didn’t “burn the place down.” He then goes on to say that things were pretty orderly and jokes that there were only a “few small fires.”