Chip values

Overheard today among two dealers leaving the Rio this afternoon.

\”I saw a $25 chip on eBay for $41.\”

\”Really? I wonder what a $1,000 chip is worth.\”

Obviously, my curiosity level was high so I logged on to eBay to see what I could find. A seller who said he had entered the $2,000 NLHE Event #48 was selling one green 25 value chip. With a day to go in the auction, the chip was going for $51 on Thursday afternoon.

What I found more interesting was that this guy, user vic1243, appears to be a major chip smuggler. In the listing he says he has sold a 25 and 100 chip as a set for $120, as well as three each of the 25, 100 and 500 chips for $60 a piece. So now I wonder how someone can make a profit by smuggling away 500 value chips and selling them for $60 each. Maybe if you make the final table and have wheelbarrows full of them then maybe it would be worth it, but I doubt it. Now getting $60 for a 25 chip is another matter.