- March 11, 2025
Ben Brown delivers pizzas. He also listens to a ton of news-talk radio. So, one day last week, Brown heard the news of Hostess going bankrupt, and he had an idea: Load up on Twinkies.
The next day, Brown, who lives in Palm Coast, went to Walmart and bought 10 boxes. After walking out of the store, though, he decided to go back in and buy even more. He snagged nine more boxes and one box of Zingers.
He spent a total of $50.
He went home and listed the boxes for sale individually on eBay. They started to sell for about $15 to $20. The most he got for a box was $30.
But when he saw the next day that Twinkie fans had already bought a lot of boxes, people started to offer more money for boxes in bulk.
“I put them on there for 10 boxes and started the bid at 99 cents, and it kept shooting up,” Brown, 20, said.
Within 24 hours, the 10-box bundle of nine boxes of Twinkies and one box of Zingers went from 99 cents to about $400 and had more than 20,000 views, Brown said.
“It was intense,” he said.
With four minutes left to bid, Brown said, the price went from about $252 to $300, then to $400, $450, then $500. Until the final price: $510. Sold.
“I have a 6-month-old baby, so that’s my priority,” Brown said, in regard to what he plans on using the money for. “Diapers. Also, Christmas is coming up, so probably things for my girlfriend.”
