People seek to cash in from Hostess' demise

Twinkies are being marketed on the internet like exquisite delicacies.

Hours after Twinkie-maker Hostess announced its plans to close its doors forever, people flocked to stores to fill their shopping baskets with boxes of the cream-filled sponge cakes and their sibling snacks - Ding Dongs, Ho Hos and Zingers.

At the weekend, the opportunists took to the websites eBay and Craigslist. They began marketing their hoard to whimsical collectors and junk-food lovers for hundreds - and in some cases - thousands of dollars. That's a fat profit margin, when you consider the retail price for a box of 10 Twinkies is roughly $5.

Greg Edmonds of Sherman, Texas, is among those who believe Twinkies are worth more now that Hostess Brands has closed its bakeries. He lost his job as a sales representative eight months ago, so he is hoping to make some money feeding the appetites of Twinkie fans and connoisseurs.

After spending a couple of hours driving around to stores on Friday, Edmonds wound up with 16 boxes of Twinkies and Ding Dongs. He started selling them on Saturday on eBay, advertising three boxes for a hefty price of US$300.

"I could really use the extra money since I'm unemployed," Edmonds, 50, said. "I figure I better sell them pretty quickly because I am not sure how long this novelty is going to last."