Prices at Ontario Value Village and Goodwill leave shoppers stunned

Wild prices seen at Ontario's chain thrift stores like Value Village have been a hot topic of late, with shoppers capturing ridiculous pricing on items like burnt-out candles, Dollarama bottles and more.

Recent coverage of thrift store pricing has caught the eye of some readers who have shared their sticker shock while shopping for gently used goods.

One reader, who asked to remain anonymous, snapped a picture of the same glass vases on a shelf at her local Value Village located in North York, Ontario.

"All of these vases are the same, but not the price," she wrote.

The photo shows four vases priced at $2.99 but for some mysterious reason, another vase (which is the same shape and size) is priced at $4.99.

A group of similar vases spotted at a North York Value Village were priced differently. Photo submitted.

Reader Tammy Coull also sent in photos of her son's recent thrift store finds at a Niagara Goodwill.

The mug and bowl each have two price stickers on them, with a lower price amount being covered up by a higher price.

"My son found this while out thrifting. He didn't even notice the difference in price… he just thought it was cute," she wrote.

"I told him to make sure that he isn't getting ripped off next time. It's a used item and should be less than the original… especially because it had chips in it. It's disgusting that people are being ripped off."

A shopper at a Niagara Goodwill found items priced higher than they were originally. Submitted by Tammy Coull.

In response, the store explained the price discrepancy was a mistake.

"The provided image will be leveraged as a training opportunity for our retail staff. Our team is committed to implementing measures to prevent such occurrences in the future," said Bob Romeo, director of Goodwill's public relations and marketing.

The statement went on to explain that Goodwill stores sell donated goods and use the revenue to "provide people in their local area with free job training, career placement services and other human services that can help them build skills and advance in their careers or other life circumstances."

"For that reason, when a store receives donations, they work to set a price that reflects fair market value for their local community while also making the most of the donated item's value."