‘All brand new’: Photo highlights sad reality for Aussies
A photo posted in a local Bondi Facebook group proves a sad reality for Aussies struggling to make ends meet.
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A recent post has highlighted the stark reality of Australia’s ongoing cost-of-living crisis, showing the lengths people are going to in order to get by.
The post, made by a Bondi Local Loop Facebook page member looking to sell second-hand pantry staples and drinks, has raised eyebrows but reflects the current economic pressures facing many Aussies.
The image in the post shows an assortment of supermarket items, including soft drinks, disinfectant, sugar, and snacks – many of which are Woolworths’ home brand.
“Selling all for $9. All brand new and no longer need,” she captioned the photo.
A closer look at the groceries reveal that her asking price is just under half of what the groceries would have been bought for.
The disinfectant costs $3.50, and the olive oil spray comes in at $7.70. The bag of sugar costs $1.80, while the packet of caramels and mints are $2.75 each.
For the soft drink cans, using the cost of a 30-pack priced at $26, the value of the three cans included is around $2.60. The porridge sachets, taken from a pack of eight priced at $4.50, come to about $1.13 for the two pictured.
Altogether, the total value of these items is approximately $22.23.
Comments ranged from jokes about haggling to suggestions that the items be donated to those “in need”.
One commenter sarcastically asked, “Would you take a dollar for a Pepsi?” while another quipped, “How broke are you? Just give it away.”
“Are you serious? Go give them to a homeless person,” another wrote.
“This is the oddest post I’ve seen in a while,” someone else claimed.
However, some defended the poster, pointing out that she could be doing it tough and needed to offload the items quickly.
“Don’t write rude comments. She obviously needs the money,” one person noted.
It turns out that this post reflects a broader trend of people resorting to selling everyday goods online to make some extra cash.
Things that might once have been donated or thrown out are now appearing on Facebook Marketplace, with a quick search for “groceries” pulling up countless results from suburbs across Sydney.
In one listing, someone who is moving homes is selling rice, biscuits, vinegar, pickles, beans and spices for $15.
Another was from someone doing a “spring clean” who was selling ready-to-eat meals, hemp seeds, miso soup and quinoa for $5.
Households are currently bracing for even higher grocery prices, which are expected to increase the average yearly bill by approximately $1000.
According to research from Compare the Market, the average Aussie household will spend $213.64 per week in 2025, compared to $191.66 in 2024.
This represents an 11 per cent increase in just one year.
Selling groceries online is just one way people are navigating the current climate.
Some are now ditching traditional supermarkets and flocking to fresh product markets instead to cut down on their grocery bills.
In NSW, one local recently raved about the Paddy’s Markets Flemington, 15 km west of the CBD, offering produce at a fraction of the cost of Woolies and Coles.
She showed off her purchases on TikTok, including a five kilo tray of grapes for $15 and two kilos of tiger prawns for $25.
Originally published as ‘All brand new’: Photo highlights sad reality for Aussies
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