Mac priest Leander Kahney threw a bone to bloggers desparate for iPhone tidbits, saying on Saturday that fanatics are hiring people through Craigslist to wait in line for iPhones.

CNET amplified the story today with a sample of iPhone line ads.

I'm not sure if it means anything, but there's practically none of that silliness happening in the Seattle area.

Probably motivated by Kahney's post, someone in Olympia posted an ad on Sunday saying they would wait in line, with bids for their services starting at $150.

Apparently there wasn't a lot of demand. Today what looks like the same person posted another ad offering to wait in line for a flat $120.

If the price keeps falling at that rate, the iPhone line waiting service will only cost $30 on Thursday and nothing on Friday when the phone actually goes on sale.

I e-mailed the person to get more information but haven't heard back. Maybe he or she is already out at University Village, where there's a handy water feature outside the Apple Store for iPhone campers to perform their toiletries.

Launch lines are feeling less like a sign of grassroots enthusiasm and more like a predictable component of major consumer product launch marketing plans.

Remember how Krispy Kreme openings used to get big lines? The company whipped up the frenzies and staged the events, before its stock crashed.

More recently we saw game console campouts stoked by giveaways, celebrity appearances and the promise of quick resale profits on eBay and Craigslist. The last one I covered was actually at University Village, for the PlayStation 3.

I'll bet the iPhone lines will be more subdued because there's not the same opportunity for gadget flippers. It will be harder, more expensive and riskier for people to resell the phones since they're sold with a two-year service plan.