BTS andMcDonald's launched the BTS Meal on May 26 in the United States.- The meal is supposed to come in BTS-themed packaging, which some fans said they didn't receive.
- Ebay listings show resales of the collaboration for more than double the cost of the meal.
McDonald's launched its latest "famous orders" meal on May 26 in partnership with South Korean band BTS on the heels of the seven-member group's latest single, "Butter."
The BTS-themed fast-food packaging is so in-demand that people are now reselling paper bags, boxes, drink cups, and sauces associated with the meal on eBay - and in some cases, they're going for more than double what the actual meal costs in stores.
McDonald's "famous orders" promotions include signature meals from celebrities sold as a meal deal in stores. The first was the Travis Scott meal, which launched in September 2020, followed by the J Balvin meal in October 2020.
The BTS meal offers a 10- or 9-piece nugget (depending on the market), medium french fries, a medium Coke, and new Sweet Chili and Cajun sauces. It cost $9.68 when purchased by this Insider reporter in New York City in the medium size, while Insider's Erin McDowell reported that the meal cost $12.29 from her local McDonald's in the large size.
For many fans, though, the packaging of the meal itself is the main collectible item. One TikTok user posted a video about a friend trying to wash the grease off of her bag, as many users have posted about turning elements of the packaging into preserved collectible items.
@aynartshop BTS meal finally here #bts #btsmeal #mcdonalds #fyp #foryoupage #namjoon #seokjin #yoongi #jimin #hoseok #jungkook #taehyung
♬ Butter (Instrumental) - 방탄소년단 (BTS)
Meanwhile, on eBay, one posting with no bids at the time of publishing shows a slightly grease-stained BTS Meal bag on sale for $80, plus shipping. Another listing with no bids shows a bag and both sauces on sale for $200, while yet another offering from Australia shows a white, BTS-themed nugget box and both sauces on sale for approximately $193, though no bids have been placed on that listing yet.
Some eBay sellers are also offering the Sweet Chili and Cajun sauces (in one case, two of each sauce were being sold for $24.95).
While some of the more expensive listings don't appear to have bids, some listed at lower prices are selling. One eBay post purports to sell the bag, drink cup, McNuggets box, and both sauces - all UV sterilized and shipping from South Korea - for $44, a listing that's been purchased by several eBay users.
The online resales come as some fans have reported not being able to obtain the BTS-themed packaging. The Los Angeles Times reported that there were disappointed posts on social media after fans realized that packaging in the US didn't appear to include BTS-themed nugget boxes or drink cups. Some Twitter users reported not receiving their meal in a BTS-themed bag, meaning that the only special packaging of the meal was the two new sauces.
When reached for comment, McDonald's did not reference the nugget boxes or cups and said offerings vary internationally by market.
"We're excited to offer custom BTS-themed bags along with our brand new, limited-time Sweet Chili and Cajun Sauces with the BTS Meal here in the U.S," a McDonald's USA spokesperson told Insider over email.
"We love seeing fans' excitement around our new packaging, and this is just one of many ways customers can experience this much anticipated collab - like the McDonald's x BTS merch collection we dropped earlier this week and digital surprises featuring never-before-seen content of the band available exclusively on the McDonald's app."
BTS and McDonald's first announced the collaboration on April 19, with McDonald's tweeting a photo of several french fries arranged in the shape of BTS' logo. According to an April press release, the McDonald's meal is the first
McDonald's and BTS also launched a merchandise collection available for purchase on the Weverse Shop app, as well as four weeks of exclusive digital content available on the McDonald's app.
The BTS Meal is currently available for purchase in the United States and South Korea, in addition to other global markets.
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