Sugar rush: Hostess' demise sparks Twinkie online frenzy

Get ‘em while you can.

The impending shutdown of Hostess Brands and its iconic snacks led to an online surge of would-be buyers seeking to get their hands on Twinkies before its too late.

As of midday Friday, nearly 900 items for sale on eBay were Twinkie-related, including single-size snacks, unsealed boxes and even lunchboxes, baseball cards and magnets. One seller in North Carolina even set a price of $5,000 for a single Twinkie.

“The news is out,” the listing reads. “Hostess Brands Inc. has filed for bankruptcy and has decided to end productions of their snack cakes.  This is your opportunity to own a piece of history, a delicious piece at that. You are bidding on a single Twinkies that will be protectively packaged and shipped to the winning bidder.”

Sellers were also offering other Hostess icons, including a box of Ho Ho’s for $59.99, a Wonderbread golf ball for $5.99 and “one of the last boxes” of Hostess cupcakes for a whopping $100,000 despite their Nov. 27 expiration date.

Another seller in Texas is asking an eye-popping $250,000 for one box of 10 Twinkies.

“Item will be insured and picked up locally after payment in full,” the listing reads. “This is a great collectors [sic] item that can be passed down to family members and will only gain in value!”

Hostess Brands Inc., the maker of iconic childhood treats including Ding Dongs, Wonder Bread and Drakes, announced Friday it will wind down its operations after struggling to keep up with rising labor costs and the ever-changing tastes of Americans, who have grown accustomed to a dizzying array of new snacks flooding supermarket aisles every year.

The company, whose roster of brands date as far back as 1888, filed a motion to liquidate Friday with U.S. Bankruptcy Court after striking workers across the country crippled its ability to maintain production.

Hostess CEO Greg Rayburn said in an interview that there was no buyer waiting in the wings to rescue the company. But without giving details, he said that there has been interest in some of its 30 brands, which include Dolly Madison and Nature's Pride snacks. Experts agreed that it was likely the biggest brands would survive.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.