Expo 2020 Dubai merchandise is being sold for thousands of dirhams online as fans look for mementoes of the world's fair.
Advertisements on classifieds website Dubizzle show yellow passports with country stamps on sale for up to Dh1,750 ($476).
Shops on site sold the collectables for only Dh20. Many visitors tried to get all 192 country stamps by visiting each pavilion. They were the must-have expo souvenir, with more than 700,000 sold in a little more than a month after the event started.
Similar ads are being posted on social media app TikTok, with stamped passports selling for more than Dh500.
Several of these ads have been posted in April, only days after the world’s fair closed its doors on March 31.
Other items on sale include stuffed toys of the expo mascots, expo logo pins, expo-themed Monopoly board game and gift items from country pavilions – all which were either free or did not cost more than Dh300 at the expo.
On Dubizzle, one advertisement shows an expo passport with 100 country stamps on sale for Dh1,750.
Another one shows a “limited edition” Pikachu mask from the Japan pavilion on sale for Dh1,500.
An explorer map with 200 country pavilion stamps is being advertised for Dh5,000.
On TikTok, a number of accounts dedicated to the sale of expo items have been created.
They are posting videos that display passports filled with stamps, with one video that received more than 30,000 views.
That account is selling the yellow passport with more than 60 stamps for Dh550.
“It’s for collectors and people who did not get the chance to complete or have the opportunity to visit Expo 2020,” a post by the account owner said, after users replied that the account was “scamming people for money”.
In February, con men were selling Coldplay concert tickets, a free event that took place at the expo, for Dh400 to Dh600.
Organisers had warned visitors against buying tickets for the concert from fraudsters.
Inside Expo's residential village ahead of relaunch - in pictures
-
The site of Expo 2020 Dubai is now being transformed, following the end of the world's fair on March 31. All photos: Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Former accommodation for world's fair staff is being converted into the Expo Village residential complex. -
Located in Dubai South, Expo Village is just a few minutes’ walk from the entrance gates of the Expo legacy site – which will soon evolve into District 2020 -
Expo Village is made up of 15 mid-rise buildings divided into four clusters. Each cluster has its own swimming pool. -
The four clusters of Expo Village contain a total of 2,273 dwellings. These range from studio to three-bedroom apartments to 30 three-bedroom townhouses, -
Parks and playgrounds throughout the complex make it appealing to families, say developers. -
While occupancy by Expo staff was 97 per cent during the event, soon this will be down to less than 5 per cent, and apartments will be available to rent. -
Expo Village has its own dedicated park spanning 38,000 square metres, a running track and a cycle path circling its perimeter. -
Keeping fit indoors is covered too, with a residents' gym in each cluster. -
Dubai World Trade Centre, which manages Expo Village, says the focus on parkland, gardens and the running and cycling tracks encourages health and wellness among residents. -
Tree-shaded walkways at Expo Village. Developers describe it as 'a village within a village'. -
The entrance to the Expo 2020 Dubai metro line is located just a minute's walk from each cluster and the area is connected to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road. -
A rooftop leisure area at Expo Village. -
Green spaces are a vital part of Expo Village, say property managers. -
The development includes a supermarket, a pharmacy, cafes and restaurants, a healthcare clinic, salons and Covid-19 testing clinic. -
With Expo 2020 Dubai over, apartments are now being made ready for new tenants expected over the next few months. -
The living room of a two-bedroom apartment. Most properties will be let fully furnished. -
The kitchen and dining area of a three-bedroom townhouse. -
A twin bedroom in a three-bedroom townhouse. -
Property managers are seeking to create a co-working space within some of the Expo Village retail and home rental units. -
An overview of Expo Village. -
The nearby Expo 2020 Dubai metro line. -
With properties ranging from 40 square metres up to 130 square metres, management company Dubai World Trade Centre says Expo Village rents will be 'very competitive'.
