They were intended to be keepsakes of a once-in-a-lifetime moment, but instead could turn out be a nice little earner. Several Olympic torches and official uniforms have been listed for sale on eBay, with one attracting bids of more than £150,000 – although it was unclear whether that had been artificially inflated by fake bids.

A second was listed at £70,000 and another at £9,100. London 2012 organisers have said they are powerless to stop torchbearers selling the items at a profit on internet auction sites.

Two of the three torches were listed by runners who had yet to take part in the relay, which began on Saturday in Cornwall with the Olympic sailor Ben Ainslie, the first of 8,000 runners. Ainslie said he would find a “special place” in his house for his torch, but others have spotted a moneymaking opportunity.

There was some criticism when it was announced that torchbearers would have to pay £199 if they wanted to keep their golden torch, although organisers argued the cost was subsidised. A spokeswoman for the London 2012 organising committee said there was nothing they could do to prevent the sale of the torches or the white uniforms worn by relay runners. “We just hope they go to a good home,” she said.

It wasn’t just those who were running in the relay who were looking to cash in. The limited edition aluminium bottles of Coca-Cola being handed out by the soft drinks giant along the relay route as part of its role as a “presenting partner” were selling for upwards of £26.

Locog announced the booking of Coldplay to play the Paralympics closing ceremony on 9 September, bringing the curtain down on London’s Olympic summer. The move appears to suggest the band will not be involved in the Olympics opening or closing ceremonies.

With 100 days to go until the Paralympics begin, more than 1m tickets are back on sale.