Shock over $2,000 Vinnies find as op shop defends 'ridiculous' prices
The designer handbag was donated to the Tamworth store with customers saying the advertised price is a 'slap in the face'.
Another Aussie charity shop has come under fire for selling an item for $2,000 as customers grow increasingly frustrated by sky-high prices being placed on donated items across the country.
The item in question — a forest green handbag by luxury brand Balenciaga — had been donated to the Vinnies Op Shop in Tamworth where it currently remains for sale. And while it retails at roughly $4,000, the eye-watering 'sale' price has infuriated many after a customer spotted it isolated on a shelf in-store.
"How in the world would a normal everyday person be able to afford that? At the stage now it’s cheaper to go to Kmart," a local woman hit out on social media. Others agreed, saying it's a "slap in the face when everything is donated in first place".
Yahoo News Australia recently shared shoppers' concerns after a pair of RM Williams boots were being sold secondhand at Salvos, also in Tamworth, for $400. Previously, a $350 designer T-shirt at a Vinnies store in Sydney left many furious.
Meanwhile, one outraged reader told Yahoo she spotted a secondhand Burberry jacket for a whopping $850.
Vinnies workers defend high price of $2,000 designer bag
"It’s ridiculous these days, all the op shops are so overpriced. Very much so in the suburb I live in because it’s a wealthy area, they think everyone who walks in is loaded," another said, commenting on the designer bag.
Addressing the backlash, Vinnies North West area manager Julie Crosby said people seemed to have forgotten the purpose of selling items in a charity store. "We're raising funds," she told the ABC.
"We can spend that money on helping out homeless people, domestic violence issues where we're relocating families".
Store manager Megan Moffat added "It's a beautiful little handbag" implying the $2,000 is justified.
Industry experts divided over prices in charity stores
In recent times, many Aussies have admitted they used to love and even rely on shopping in charity stores, but now, some say it's become too expensive.
Speaking with Yahoo News Australia previously, Andrew Hughes, a business and economics lecturer, agreed charity stores are "taking advantage of people", considering "they’re getting a lot of their stock for no cost, or very little cost, because people donate to charity bins... or give directly into their stores".
Outrage over $400 Salvos find as 'ridiculous' charity shop problem worsens
Aussie's Kmart shock in op shop: 'More than if you bought it new'
When asked about the high prices noted in some charity stores, Omer Soker, CEO of Charitable Recycling Australia told Yahoo "resellers" are to blame for price increases and said charities don't increase the cost of goods.
"These resellers buy from charity shops and then put on huge mark-ups to sell on commercial platforms like Depop, and other commercial markets," he argued. "In these cases, charity shops are acting like wholesalers, so the charity shop prices are still great value."
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