Newly released Apple iPhone 5S on eBay for £2,000

Wait for the new handset finally ended yesterday as thousands of people streamed through the doors of Apple stores around the country

The newly released iPhone 5S is being offered for sale on eBay for as much as £2,000 by those anticipating enthusiastic fans will pay over the odds to get their hands on the device.

The wait for the new handset finally ended yesterday as thousands of people streamed through the doors of Apple stores around the country, many of them having camped out for days.

The 5S device, said to be twice as fast as its predecessor, is available through EE, O2, Three, Carphone Warehouse and Phones4u priced at £549 (16GB), £629 (32GB) and £709 (64GB).

But with hundreds of listings on eBay for the device with fixed prices running into the thousands, it appears that those that have already bought it are hoping to cash in and make a hefty profit.

Some tech fans had began queuing outside Apple's flagship store in London's Regent Street as early as Monday afternoon to buy Apple's latest model, which is equipped with a fingerprint scanner.

Noah Green, 17, was the first in the queue, and said he turned down offers of up to £5,000 for his prime spot but would have only considered giving up his place for £10,000.

Emerging from the store 20 minutes after the doors opened to rapturous applause, Noah, clutching a limited edition gold device, said: "It's the best feeling in the world.

"I'm the first in the United Kingdom and I have the best phone."

The teenager said had only left his vigil to shower at a nearby gym since setting up camp outside the store at 4pm on Monday.

The device, which also comes in silver and "space" grey, is expected to fly off the shelves - but it is unclear whether the colourful 5C model will have the same reception.

The cheaper 5C comes in five hues - pink, blue, yellow, green, and white - and has been released at a time when Apple faces stiffer competition than ever before.

Brother and sister Olly and Charlotte McIlroy, from Bexleyheath, south east London, spent more than £2,000 on four handsets for their family.

The pair, drawn to the 5S Touch ID technology which allows users to unlock their phone with the touch of a finger, said they had fun since joining the queue last night.

Charlotte, 19, said: "We thought it would be a really fun experience. We met some really nice people."

Olly, 16, added: "Our brother and mum are paying us £100 to do it."

The two handsets were unveiled for the first time last week.

The cheaper 5C - which marks Apple's first departure from premium phones - has been available for pre-order and is priced at £469 (16GB) and £549 (32GB).

Gavin Thomas, deputy editor of British-based iCreate magazine, said anticipation surrounding Apple releases had snowballed in recent years.

He said: "Apple have got a good, reliable brand where customers know what they are getting, straight off the bat.

"An Apple product launch is always an exciting time, and today was no exception.

"There was a lot of talk about the 'budget iPhone' this time around, too."

PA