Update: The aluminum bat has blown by the nightstick in popularity, increasing in sales in the last few hours by a whopping 52,211 percent! If you'll remember, the bat was the item with the particularly helpful customer review noting its "ergonomic handle," ideal for a "UK shop owner looking to protect their property." Just goes to show the importance of a detailed product review!

Looks like somebody's profiting from the riots in London. Sales of baseball bats and nightsticks are up 5,000 to 7,000 percent on Amazon.com's U.K. website today. Under the section "sports and leisure," black nightsticks, or as some like to call them, tonfas, are the top-selling item while aluminum and wooden baseball bats are second and third. As police prepare for a fourth night of rioting, it appears British citizens are arming themselves as well. Whether it's the general public seeking tools of self-defense or rioters looking to do even more damage is anyone's guess. Currently, the link for the five star-rated nightstick is down. But it looks like it could do some damage:

One of the baseball bats up for sale has a handy customer review dated August 9, 2011:

This bat is perfectly weighted and will suit any UK shop-owner looking to protect their property.

Thanks to the ergonomic handle, one easy swing should be enough to shatter patellas, skulls or any other bone on your targeted looter. Personally, I would recommend also investing in some fingerless gloves for extra grip.

Other hot-selling items include bats in a range of different colors and grains:

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at jhudson at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
John Hudson