A limited Olympic-themed Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 has surfaced on eBay, offered by a seller who appears to have received the device as part of Samsung’s athlete gifting program for the upcoming Milano Cortina Winter Games. The listing quickly drew bids, underscoring the collector frenzy that reliably follows Samsung’s made-for-athletes phones.
The phone is shown in a special Olympic Blue finish with the Games insignia, 12GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. While the standard Galaxy Z Flip 7 retails in the US for $1,099.99, the auction has already exceeded that figure, and an immediate Buy It Now price is set well above MSRP.
What Makes This Unit Different From Retail Models
Samsung creates distinct Olympic editions with custom colors, commemorative branding, and preloaded content that aren’t sold to the general public. The exclusivity is the draw: only athletes (and select officials) typically receive them, creating a finite pool that fuels secondary-market premiums.
In this case, the eBay seller’s listing reportedly mislabels the device as a Galaxy Z Fold 3. However, the images and the model identifier SM-F766B point to the current Z Flip line, and the Fold 3 never shipped in this blue finish. That mismatch won’t faze seasoned collectors, but it’s a reminder to scrutinize the photos and model numbers before bidding on special editions.
Pricing Signals From the Collector Market
With bids around $1,225 and a Buy It Now at $1,680, the listing implies an early-market premium of roughly 11% to 53% over the base Z Flip 7 MSRP. That spread is consistent with past Olympic handsets, which often start high before settling once more units trickle onto resale sites.
There’s precedent for durable demand. Samsung’s Olympic phones routinely attract attention from both tech enthusiasts and Olympic memorabilia collectors. At previous Games, athletes’ editions tied to PyeongChang and Tokyo popped up online and commanded notable markups, particularly when colorways and engravings were unique to the event. The scarcity dynamic is even tighter for Winter Games, where the athlete pool is smaller—roughly 3,000 competitors, according to International Olympic Committee tallies for recent Winter editions.
Are Athletes Allowed To Sell These Phones
There’s no widely publicized rule from the IOC preventing athletes from selling gifts they receive at the Games, and resales of Olympic-branded devices have occurred across multiple cycles without reported sanctions. eBay permits sales of consumer smartphones provided they aren’t stolen, counterfeit, or pre-release prototypes, which places athlete gift phones in a gray-but-accepted resale niche.
The seller behind this new listing has also moved other Olympic-branded apparel, suggesting a broader memorabilia sideline rather than a one-off flip. For buyers, that kind of history can be a positive signal—though it doesn’t replace the need for standard checks like IMEI status and return policies.
Samsung’s Longstanding Olympic Gifting Program
Samsung has been an Olympic partner since the late 1990s and has turned the athlete handset into a Games tradition. Over the years, the company has produced special-edition devices for both Summer and Winter competitions, from the Galaxy Note and S-series to today’s foldables. Samsung’s own materials frame the gifts as tools to enhance the “Games-time experience,” from life in the Village to capturing medal moments.
Historically, these runs are limited and targeted. At PyeongChang 2018, for example, Samsung highlighted a dedicated Olympic Note edition for athletes and staff, while Tokyo’s Games saw a similarly bespoke treatment for competitors. The net effect is a closed distribution loop that makes each cycle’s phone a time-stamped collectible tied to a specific host city and design language.
What Buyers Should Watch For When Evaluating Listings
- Verify the model number and storage configuration in the listing photos, and cross-check the colorway and branding against official Samsung imagery. If a post uses an incorrect name (like calling a Flip a Fold), ensure the device ID and visuals tell the right story.
- Request confirmation that the IMEI is clean and that the phone is factory unlocked or compatible with your carrier’s bands.
- Check whether the edition has region-specific firmware or packaging, and note that warranties can vary by market and recipient.
- Weigh the premium carefully: early bidding excitement often pushes prices up, but these phones sometimes reappear after the Games at more predictable markups.
If past Olympic cycles are any guide, more athlete-owned units will likely surface in the weeks around the event. For collectors who value provenance and rarity, the Olympic Blue Z Flip 7 checks both boxes—just be sure you’re paying for the real thing, not a mislabeled listing with a lucky color.
