TransLink's trolley keychains already being resold for up to $600 online

75 years of trolley buses People lined up for hours to get a limited edition miniature trolley bus keychain created by TransLink to mark the anniversary.

Just hours after TransLink began selling limited-edition Compass keychains shaped like trolley buses, resellers are offering them online for as much as $600.

Several listings for the trolley keychains appeared on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist Wednesday with massive markups, echoing what happened after TransLink unveiled its miniature SkyTrain Compass products last year.

One of the less expensive listings – which deems the new keychains "Worth collecting!" – offers two trolleys for $140.

Customers who were able to get their hands on one directly only had to pay a $6 refundable deposit, the same as TransLink charges for normal Compass cards.

The collectibles went on sale at 8 a.m. at TransLink's Customer Service Centre at Waterfront Station in downtown Vancouver, though many eager purchasers showed up hours early to ensure they could get their hands on one of the 4,000 adult-fare trolleys or 1,000 concession-fare trolleys made available.

Tony Hampton, who was second in line before the sale began, told CTV News he arrived at around 5 a.m.

"I missed when they handed out the SkyTrain ones last time," Hampton said. "I wanted to have something unique that not everybody else can get."

The regular TransLink passenger said he was planning to purchase one for himself and another for his wife. Buyers were limited to a maximum of two trolleys each.

TransLink unveiled the new keychains this week while commemorating the 75th anniversary of its trolley buses, which began operating on Aug. 16, 1948.

The transit provider is also marking the occasion with free rides on a preserved Brill trolley bus from the era.

The vintage bus will be picking up passengers on the south side of Cordova Street outside Waterfront Station from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Ian Holliday