When the Girl Scouts announced the latest addition to its line of cookies in August, it called the newcomer a “must-have.”
The cookies have since become so sought-after that boxes of them have surfaced on eBay. Boxes that would usually cost $5 or $6 are being listed for $20 to $30, a development the Girl Scouts said it was “disappointed to see.”
“While we are happy that there’s such a strong demand for our cookies year-over-year, we’re saddened that the platforms and the sellers are disregarding the core mission of the cookie program and are looking to make a profit off of the name without supporting our mission and the largest girl-led entrepreneurship program in the world,” the organization said in a statement.
On Monday, an eBay spokesperson said that while the company supports “the entrepreneurial spirit of hardworking local Girl Scout troops” and encourages “cookie-seekers to also support their local Girl Scouts,” the listings do not violate its policies.
Around January, Girl Scouts across the United States start selling cookies, an annual program intended to help participants learn “qualities crucial for all forms of leadership.”
This year, the Raspberry Rally flavor was sold exclusively online in an effort to expand local chapters’ “e-commerce sales and entrepreneurial skills,” the Girl Scouts said in an August news release.
The idea for the new flavor came after the organization considered what fans would like and realized a berry flavor could be their next success, Chief Revenue Officer Wendy Lou told NPR in August. Its name also aligns with the Girl Scouts’ slogan this year — “Ready, set, rally!”
In the months before Raspberry Rally was released, reviews of the cookies only heightened the anticipation. A “Today” show review called them “berry delicious.” BuzzFeed quipped: “You know it’s a good cookie if you can’t just have one.” And the Takeout advised Girl Scout cookie fans: “You’ll definitely want to add this to your order.”
Many did just that on the release date.
Throughout the day, Girl Scout chapters across the nation posted announcements on their websites and social media accounts that the flavor had sold out, leaving many people wondering where else they could buy the cookies or whether the flavor would return next year.
That led some buyers to sites like eBay. But when cookies are bought through resellers, “troops are deprived of valuable experience and, more importantly, proceeds that fund critical programming throughout the year,” the Girl Scouts said in its statement.
Instead, the organization said, cookie lovers “could and should be using that money to support girls by buying the many other varieties or by supporting the program through donations.”