Bidding for Sam Sung’s Old Apple Uniform Passes $80,000

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — A former Apple retail employee is using his coincidental name, Sam Sung, to give at least to give at least $80,100 to a children’s charity.

The auction began Tuesday with a starting price of 99 cents and, 111 bids later, had reached $80,100 by mid-day Thursday. There are still eight days left before the auction ends Aug. 15.

Sung’s identity went viral in 2012 when an intrigued customer tweeted a photo of Sung’s business card, as Apple and Korean electronics giant Samsung were entrenched in an intellectual property legal battle.

Sung, 25, said the idea for the auction was inspired when one of his old business cards fell out of a book, he wrote on his eBay page.

“I had a great time working for Apple and would recommend it to anyone,” he wrote on the page. “I hope my old business card will go to another fellow Apple enthusiast with a sense of humour [sic] and the desire to help raise some money for a good cause.”

After working for Apple, he joined recruitment firm Holloway Schulz in July 2013.

Sung told ABC News that the $80,100 auction level seems “audacious” but the bids seem to be coming from reputable eBay users, at least from a feedback perspective.

“I’m saddened that there are a lot of fake bidders, given the nature of the auction and Children’s Wish,” he said, adding that he’s communicating with eBay to find a solution.

Before the bids reached the tens of thousands of dollars earlier Thursday, Sung wrote that because of fake bids, he is not accepting bids from eBay users without customer feedback or any new profiles created since Wednesday.

“I apologise [sic] sincerely but have been advised to do so for the time being. There have been a number of fake bids and I’m trying to protect buyers with positive feedback and eliminate fake bids,” he wrote. “If you are genuinely interested in the auction and don’t have a history of feedback or PayPal account, please reach out to me before bidding and we can figure something out.”

Jennifer Petersen, director of Children’s Wish for British Columbia and Yukon, told ABC News that she is “amazed and so excited” by Sung’s idea and the interest in the auction.

“When Sam called me with his idea, I was of course thrilled but I believe neither of us thought it would get to this, especially so quickly. My staff and I are watching the frenzied bidding with much excitement,” she said.

The average cost of her organization’s “wish” is $10,000, she said. If the $80,000 level of bidding is accurate, Sung will provide funds for eight children’s wishes.

“One of our recent wish children, who sadly passed away just after his travel wish, summed up his experience so profoundly by saying ‘I forgot I was sick.’ Sam has made a choice to help us give another child and their family this gift,” Petersen said.

She said Sung attended the nonprofit’s inaugural gala last winter and has since volunteered to decorate “Wish boxes,” which are given to all the “wish kids.”

“Sam has clearly been touched by what we do and come with a creative way to support us,” she said.

Apple and eBay has not responded to ABC News’ requests for comment.

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