An Australian Vinnies charity shop has apologised and withdrawn a T-shirt from sale after customers complained about both its price and its poor condition. The blue Lacoste polo shirt was on the rack at the charity's Crown Street store in Surry Hills, inner Sydney, and the episode has drawn attention to pricing practices at second-hand shops, which some shoppers feel are increasingly out of step with their charitable purpose.

A new version of the same Lacoste shirt would typically retail for around $150, but the second-hand item was priced at $16. Customers objected that even this reduced price was too high once they noticed the shirt had a large hole in it. A Vinnies spokesperson told the Daily Mail that the item should never have been put out for sale, saying: "We apologise for the condition of the item that was available for sale in one of our shops," adding that it had since been removed from sale.