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Aussies have been left outraged after a shopper complained about the insane price for a basket at an op-shop.
Queensland op-shopper Jennifer Zervas found the simple carry basket at a north Brisbane Vinnies with an asking price of $60.
She took to TikTok to share her disappointment upon finding the item.
‘$60 for what? Oh my God, man, are you actually serious?’ she asked.
‘I just am blown away.’
Many Australians said the basket was a sign second hand stores were no longer what they once were.
‘All the Australian charity shops are rip offs now,’ one wrote.
‘Thrift shops are meant to promote reusing unwanted items, and try and steer away from fast fashion and waste,’ another said.
‘It’s meant to be a non-profit thing. It’s so upsetting to see this.’
‘I’m officially too poor for the op-shop,’ a third said.
‘Vinnies lost my respect about 11 years ago, they upped the price at the only local store my family could afford clothes at … Scamming a***holes,’ another said.
Others agreed shops operated by registered charities, like Vinnies, were no longer useful for those who needed them most.
‘It’s criminal. the government needs to crack down on this corruption from thrift stores. the have lost the message, which is to help the poor,’ one wrote.
‘How is a $60 basket helping the unfortunate? They could buy that but better for $10 elsewhere,’ another said.
‘Op shops have forgotten that their actual role in giving back to community is making clothing and second hand goods accessible and affordable to the community, not raising money for their other “community initiatives”,’ a third added.
Others said they had seen cheap goods marked up past their original price at op-shops.
An Australian shopper has been left outraged after finding a basket on sale for $60 at a charity shop
Many claimed they had seen Kmart and Target home-brand clothes on sale for more than double their original prices.
‘I’ll never forget donating my clothes and finding one of my dresses there selling for double what I originally paid for it new,’ a woman claimed.
But others said ‘scalpers’ had ruined the stores for everybody.
They claimed people looking for fashionable and branded items in the stores to resell at used clothes markets and online had led to stores ‘following suit’.
‘Blame the people who started upselling everything they could get their grubby, (little) mitts on, why wouldn’t the original shop just follow suit,’ one wrote.
‘Especially if it’s meant to be for charity this way they get the same (money) as scalpers.’
‘Scalpers and well off people have ruined (it) by taking advantage of op shops,’ another said.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Saint Vincent de Paul Society for comment.
Vinnies Queensland General Manager, Drew Eide said the ‘pricing model is carefully designed to provide great value to a diverse customer base’.
‘The average cost of an item sold by Vinnies Queensland is just $5.07 and 90% of the items we sell are under $10,’ he said.
‘With our volunteers sorting through thousands of items donated daily, across a wide variety of brands and categories, we also understand we don’t always get it right. Like any retailer, we also face rising costs across the board, including rent and electricity.
‘We understand there are many Queenslanders doing it tough with rising costs of living and housing and we work directly with those in need to provide direct donations or vouchers to support them with items like clothing, furniture and bedding.
‘Every item sold at Vinnies is used to support people experiencing homelessness, poverty and other financial hardships in your local community.’
