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Compass chaos: Vancouverites reselling the 'Mini Train' for over 6 times the price

Sprawling lines led to exorbitant online offers from private sellers.

Throngs of Metro Vancouverites waited in sprawling lines for a fun new offering from the region's transit agency early Wednesday (Dec. 14) morning.

TransLink started selling a  at 9 a.m. at Waterfront SkyTrain Station, after first announcing the new payment product on Tuesday evening.

The transportation agency released 3,000 blue adult Mini-Trains and 2,000 orange concession Mini-Trains for a $6 refundable deposit.

Despite having a limit of four per person, the pint-sized product sold out quickly. Customers lined up before TransLink started offering them, with the lineup wrapping around the front of the Downtown Vancouver transit hub. 

TransLink Mini Train re-sold on Facebook Marketplace in Metro Vancouver 

The Mini Train is a miniature model SkyTrain that can attach to a keyring, and works like the Compass Card and Compass Wristband, allowing customers to tap in and out on transit.

But the Compass Mini-Train has a unique feature that sets it apart from other Compass offerings: it lights up when tapped.

People have already started reselling the items on Facebook Marketplace, with some sellers offering the product for over six times the original $6 price. 

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Compass Mini Trains for sale on Facebook Marketplace for an inflated price. Photo via Facebook Marketplace

Limited-release TransLink items are coveted across the Lower Mainland, as well as the company's other transit merchandise, which is

This isn't the first time a limited-edition transit item has elicited a sweeping response from Metro Vancouverites. In 2019, people waited in , which was also re-sold online for significantly higher than the original price.

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