Frank Ocean’s Free Midterms Merch Already Selling for Hundreds on eBay

Enterprising hypebeasts had another reason to hit the polls Tuesday.

November 7, 2018

Frank Ocean fans had another reason to hit the polls Tuesday.

In conjunction with his multi-part Blonded Radio midterms special, the singer-songwriter announced he was providing free merch to voters in select cities. The design was a crewneck tee emblazoned with "42%," a reference to the number of eligible voters who fail to cast their ballots. Participants could get their hands on the merch at locations in Houston, Miami, Atlanta, and Dallas—areas that "were chosen in states to support specific candidates," like Andrew Gillum of Florida and Beto O'Rouke of Texas, both of whom were defeated.

Just hours after the polls closed, the "42%" Gildan tees began popping up on auction sites—some of which have been listed for $190, $250, and $375. (And some have alreadysold.) Pretty hefty price tags considering the stuff was free; however, these attempted flips aren't exactly surprising. We've seen this countless times before: fans receive free products attached to a big-name artist, and then try to capitalize on the exclusivity.