Vinnies is forced to apologise over price and quality of a T-shirt: 'It should not have been offered'

Published: 03:52, 27 July 2026 | Updated: 03:57, 27 July 2026 A Vinnies store has been forced to apologise and pull a T-shirt from sale after customers complained about the price and poor quality. The blue Lacoste polo shirt was placed on the clothes rack at the Crown Street store in Surry Hills, inner Sydney. A brand new shirt from the same brand would cost shoppers $150, but this shirt was only $16. Customers complained that even that price was too much after noticing a large hole in the shirt. A Vinnies spokesman told Daily Mail the item should never have made it to the shop floor in the first place.   'We apologise for the condition of the item that was available for sale in one of our shops,' he said.  'The item has been removed from sale and should not have been offered for purchase.' The spokesman put the error down to an oversight during the charity's inspection process. A damaged shirt has been taken off the shelf of a Vinnies op shop after customers blasted its price tag and poor quality 'We process hundreds of thousands of donated clothing items each year and throughout that process, our staff and volunteers manually inspect items on multiple occasions before they reach the shop floor,' he said. 'While these checks are designed to identify damaged or unsuitable items, from time to time we may get things wrong.  'Unfortunately, on this occasion the item was not picked up and removed as it should have been.'  The spokesman said the store had decided on the $16 price tag after taking into account what customers could afford and the quality of the goods. 'Our shops use a simple pricing guide based on research on value in the general second-hand marketplace and the quality of the garment,' he said. This isn't the first time Vinnies customers have taken aim at the charity's prices, with many arguing they do not reflect the quality of the items.  Tasmanian woman Cassandra Eagling told Daily Mail she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the prices of some of the second-hand items at her local store. 'I pick up a pair of boots and notice the bottom is still covered in mud,' she said.  The blue Lacoste polo shirt spotted at the Crown Street store in Surry Hills, Sydney, had a gaping hole where the brand's iconic green crocodile logo should have been Are charity shops risking their community trust by charging high prices for worn or damaged goods? What's your view?'They were $30 so I thought someone clearly marked it wrong, so I put them back. 'I then wander to the knick-knack section, see a drink bottle and saw they wanted $8 for a bottle that retails for $12. 'I open the lid and the straw was manky, clearly used and I thought someone had lost the plot.'  She said Vinnies was also charging $8 for a broken shifter, $50 for a dirty coat, $25 for a pair of very well-worn shoes busted on the sides and $70 for a dirty dress. Other Aussies were also quick to share their thoughts on op shop prices.  'At this point things are cheaper at Kmart than any op shop,' one person said. 'I found a glass baking dish at Vinnies priced at $20. Then I saw the exact dish at target for $12,' a second said.