Starbucks’ $200 Crystal Gift Cards Sell Out

With the culture of celebrity permeating its way through all aspects of human life, we shouldn’t be too surprised see that swathes of the global population are solely concerned about a materialistic existence.

And if a company creates a lucrative, limited edition product then disciples of said company will clamour and fight for a way to have a piece of history; a (nearly) unique item that showcases their wealth, luck and status.

How else do you explain away Starbucks’ Swarovski crystal gift cards?

The marketing blurb reads thus: Embellished with Swarovski crystals, this Champagne Starbucks Card is both coveted and rare.”

The card was available in selected Starbucks stores for the modest fee of $200 – though it did come ‘loaded’ with $50 of in-store credit.

So rare, that it is already sold out online. (And by the time you read this there’s no guarantee that their physical stores will have any left at all).

But that really shouldn’t surprise anybody given that last year Starbucks unleashed silver card keychains and crystal-encrusted tumblers to the general public.

This special gift card forms part of the Seattle chain’s ‘Brilliant Collection’, which also includes ceramic ornaments. The ornament, naturally, comes encrusted with crystals.

However, this is actually pretty tame for Starbucks at this wonderfully festive time: Two years ago they released rose gold metal cards for $450.

Unsurprisingly, those sold out in seconds.

For those wondering, as far as we’re aware these cards were only made available in the United States.

photo: cobalt123 (flickr, creative commons)