TWO college students have made over £10,000 between them off the back of the coronavirus, by selling face masks on eBay.

Gabriel Becker, 17, who attends Twynham Sixth Form, sells the masks with his friend, Luke Gamble, 18, who attends Bournemouth Academy of Modern Music.

The pair paid approximately 17p per pack of ten, and they sell them for between £7 and £8 to people all over the UK from their own respective eBay accounts.

Gabriel said the inspiration came from the film War Dogs, where people profit from war.

“I was looking at news about the coronavirus and looking at buying masks because I was going to London. Then I noticed they were extortionate,” he said.

“I looked deeper and deeper and saw there was not many people selling them. I found a gap in the market.

“I have been interested in business since I saw how much money you can make. I was down to my last £20 and put it into this business and prayed it worked.

“I went into doctor’s surgeries that were closing down and bought masks from Spanish suppliers. It just took off from there. I have had 400 whole sales and made £4,600.”

Luke has made over £5,000 on his eBay account, and the sales helped him win a bet.

“On the first morning I had four sales and Gabe had none, he was distraught,” Luke said.

“By lunch time I had 500 sales and made a bet with someone that I’d get to 1,000. I did that by the afternoon.”

The pair package the masks in a sanitised room in Gabriel’s house and had hundreds of parcels each to ship.

On what they might do with the money, Gabriel and Luke said they are looking for other gaps in the market and potentially might start selling t-shirts.

Gabriel said when he first told his friends about the idea, they were very sceptical.

“Over the weekend it blew up and I haven’t received criticism since.”

Gabriel’s mum, Helen, 51, said she was extremely proud of her son’s “get up and go”.

“Gabriel has always been a wheeler and dealer. I am extremely proud of him.

“I said to be careful doing work on the internet and he told me to embrace his enthusiasm.

“I have suggested that he invests it the money and doesn’t spend, spend, spend. He is already thinking of investing it in new projects.”