SAN FRANCISCO — Twinkies are being marketed on the Internet like exquisite delicacies. Hours after Twinkie-maker Hostess announced its plans to close its doors forever, people flocked to stores to fill their shopping baskets with boxes of the cream-filled sponge cakes and their sibling snacks — Ding Dongs, Ho Hos and Zingers. Late Friday and Saturday, opportunists took to the websites eBay and Craigslist. They began marketing their hoard to whimsical collectors and junk-food lovers for hundreds — and in some cases, thousands of dollars. That's a fat profit margin, when you consider the retail price for a box of 10 Twinkies is roughly $5. Even health nuts like John Stansel of Tampa, Florida, spent about $100 for 20 boxes of Twinkies and Ding Dongs. His goal: sell them for about $1,000 and put the money to good use. Not all online sellers are demanding top dollar. Some boxes are being listed at $5 to $20. Others are willing to barter. — AP
