Op-shop's discounted $500 shoes raise eyebrows: 'Rip-off!'
Frustrated shoppers slammed the 'disgusting prices' being charged at op shops, but others argued the money was going to a good place.
A Queensland op-shop has raised eyebrows over a pair of shoes for sale with a price tag of $500 – and that’s after a massive discount.
The men’s loafers, by designer Christian Louboutin, were originally for sale at the Palm Beach St Vincent de Paul store on the Gold Coast for an eye-watering $1483. But without enough interest in the silver and gold slip-on shoes with the signature red outsole, the price was heavily slashed.
One Palm Beach resident spotted the shoes for sale and posted a picture of them to Facebook, where they quickly caused a stir.
“You know when Palmy has gone really upmarket … designer shoes at Vinnies,” she wrote alongside the photo.
The St Vinnies price tag quickly had people talking.
“Think they need to remember they are selling donated goods, not operating a boutique store. [Such] a rip-off,” one person wrote.
“It’s bloody disgusting the prices they charge on anything. I seen a Kmart dress in there last week, they were selling it for more than Kmart sold it for,” another added.
One person however, came to Vinnies' defence, saying the money raised from such sales goes to a worthy cause.
Yahoo News Australia has contacted the Palm Beach shop for more information on the shoes.
While it’s not known if the loafers are in new condition or worn, the same brand new product is currently for sale online in the US for US$995, which converts to $1483 Australian dollars, the original price in Vinnies.
Despite the backlash, one savvy shopper could score a unique designer item at a heavily discounted price. The shoes are known as the Christian Louboutin "Dandyrocks" loafers, complete with a jacquard fabric upper.
According to the US retailer, other features include:
Gold-tone studded inlay at heel
Stacked heel
Round toe
Notched vamp
Grosgrain trim
Slip-on style
Signature Louboutin red leather outsole
Made in Italy
$350 T-shirt angers op-shop customers
It’s not the first time a designer item has sent shockwaves through a community.
A Vinnies shop in Sydney’s inner-west stunned residents last month after it was spotted selling a T-shirt for $350.
Sydney mum fined $250 for leaving clothes outside Vinnies charity bin
'What are the chances?': Woman finds 'weird' note in op-shop buy
The item in question was a shirt by the designer label Proenza Schouler with items typically ranging from $1000 to $3,000 brand new.
But after several comments from frustrated shoppers, the price was amended to $100, with the store saying the $350 price tag was human error.
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