It's come to this: man rents out phone with Flappy Bird

The sudden disappearance of Flappy Bird has led to a truly strange gray market. Ads have been springing up on eBay and Craigslist for iPhones and iPads pre-loaded with the game, with ridiculously high asking prices attached.

One auction climbed to more than $250,000, with 76 bids, according to the Telegraph. Most similar listings are for much less than that—a quick search as of this writing revealed one for $5,000 alongside another at $3.29—but there's an undeniable rush under way to cash in.

But eBay is taking down the listings, because site policy requires electronics to be restored to factory settings. Craigslist sellers don't have that problem, but to keep the game playable they'll need to hand over their phones with their Apple IDs still attached—which means risking having their accounts hacked, i Love Flappy Birds points out.

One Washington, DC, man has devised a clever work-around: He's renting his phone out for $1 a minute, he tells the Telegraph. "Truthfully, I think Flappy Bird is a dumb game that people are way too hyped up about," he says.

"My personal high score is six." (No word if he's had any takers yet.)