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Starbucks' new color-changing cups are driving coffee fans wild

The rainbow-colored cups are being listed for more than five times their original price on eBay.
Starbucks

After years of releasing limited-edition holiday cups, Starbucks certainly knows how to get people excited over a drinking vessel — even if there isn't any liquid in it.

This week, the coffee chain quietly began selling a set of five, color-changing tumblers at stores throughout the U.S. and Canada. They cost $16.95 per pack.

But the first batch to hit store shelves quickly sold out after the eye-catching cups became a viral hit on Twitter and Instagram.

The cups, which are reusable, change colors when ice is added. Rose turns into coral red, citron yellow becomes emerald, sky turns cobalt blue, apricot becomes tangerine and the icy blue cup gets a fun pop of raspberry color. Not only do they look cool, but Starbucks is also offering 10 cents off a cold beverage to anyone who uses one of the special cups when they order a drink.

But iced coffee fans who have been left out in the cold are pretty upset that most stores already seem to be out of the limited-edition item.

Frustrated customers have taken to social media to vent about driving to multiple Starbucks cafes in their cities, only to hear that they're sold out.

Of course, if you're willing fork over a little (well, a lot) of extra dough, the cups can certainly be yours. The bright tumblers have already started popped up on auction sites, although they might as well be dusted with gold, given the prices at which they're being listed on eBay. One listing is offering a set for a cool $99.95.

Thankfully, there's pot of gold at the end of this rainbow-cup saga. A Starbucks representative told TODAY that the coffee chain plans to restock the cups throughout the summer season at locations nationwide. However, a different rep confirmed that the cups are not currently sold out at all stores nationwide.

Of course, this isn't the first time Starbucks has caused customers to become crazed over its cups.

Last November, Starbucks customers who visited the store during a promotion for a free, reusable red holiday cup were left disappointed by the limited supply.

More recently, Starbucks super fans were also upset by their favorite coffee chain in April after it introduced a revamped rewards program. Many latte-loving loyalists complained that the changes stripped them of their earned status and actually made it more difficult (and expensive) to earn popular rewards, such as a free lunch item.

The coffee chain said that the new plan is designed to make it easier for frequent customers to earn rewards faster, while also getting smaller perks (such as an extra shot of espresso in a drink) within reach of customers who don't come in for coffee quite as often.