The Girl Scouts Would Like You to Please Stop Selling Your Cookies on eBay

The Girl Scouts organization is known for many things, including helping young women learn about business and entrepreneurship through selling masterfully crafted cookies. So when it discovered some rather unethical cookie fans reselling their baked goods online, undercutting their hardworking members, it was, in a word, "disappointed." 

"Girl Scouts of the USA is disappointed to see unauthorized resales of Girl Scout cookies online through third-party e-commerce platforms," a spokesperson for the organization shared in a statement provided to Today. "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." 

Resellers, mainly on eBay, are specifically targeting Raspberry Rallys, the sister cookie to the Thin Mint, which launched in 2022. The raspberry-infused thin mints sell exclusively through the Girl Scouts website and are meant to teach girls about e-commerce. 

"The Raspberry Rally has been extremely popular, and most Girl Scouts have sold out for the season," a Girl Scouts spokesperson shared with Food & Wine. Raspberry Rally's retail for $5 each on the website, and are reselling for upwards of $100 on third-party websites.

While the Girl Scouts would love to have a stocked inventory of Raspberry Rally cookies available to all who want one, the organization reported that for the 2023 season, meeting the demand would be difficult. The stocking challenge resulted from ongoing food supply shortages worldwide, and the troops expect the shortages to impact cookie production. 

However, plenty of other cookies are available beyond the popular Raspberry Rallys for fans to try without having to resort to shady online deals.

"Instead of buying these cookies at a huge market through an unauthorized third-party seller, cookie customers could and should be using that money to support girls by buying the many other varieties or by supporting the program through donations," a Girl Scouts spokesperson shared.

For its part, eBay shared in a statement with Today, "the sale of Girl Scout cookies does not violate eBay policies."