iPhone gofers are cashing in

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- As the hype surrounding the release of Apple's iPhone on Friday at 6:00 pm reaches a frenzy, eager "line holders" are flocking to Craigslist.com to score a few hundred dollars.

From New York to San Francisco, people who are willing to camp out in front of Apple (Charts, Fortune 500) stores for days in advance, are charging $100 to $500 to secure an iPhone for others unable, or uninterested, in queuing up.

Willing line holders flock to Craigslist, the do-it-yourself online classified site, to sell their services.

One Craigslist advertiser who sought $1,000 to wait in line for the new phone actually garnered interest from a few buyers. But the seller later admitted his post was merely a social experiment -- and wished the potential buyers good luck.

Thom Ryan, currently the seventh person in line at the Apple store in downtown New York, is offering to trade his spot on Friday at 5:00 pm in exchange for $500.

Another iPhone entrepreneur, claiming to be "at the front of the line," is offering a yet-to-be-purchased phone on eBay (Charts, Fortune 500) for $1,299, including overnight shipping to anywhere in the U.S.

Web developer Daniel Roberts is charging three different customers $200 each to wait in line at Apple's San Francisco store. (Apple won't say whether there will be a limit on the number of iPhones sold to each customer.) Equipped with a tent, his iPod and a laptop, Roberts plans to start waiting at 10:00 am on Thursday.

He'll also pick up one of the coveted iPhones for himself, although he admits that he's not too excited about the new gadget.

"I may end up selling it on eBay afterwards," he said.