Do not buy Raspberry Rally Girl Scout cookies from eBay, organization says, after item sells out

The Raspberry Rally Girl Scouts cookie, a raspberry-flavored version of the beloved Thin Mint, was always supposed to be a limited edition item. Just not this limited.

The new Girl Scouts cookie sold out in hours. Now, people desperate to try it can search eBay.

The Girl Scouts would really rather you didn't, though.

In an email addressed to a New York chapter of the Girl Scouts, local leaders said that the "Raspberry Rally cookie sold out in less than a day." The cookie "proved to be more popular than anticipated," according to the letter, which was seen by CNN.

Quickly, it ended up on the resale market. Raspberry Rally cookie packages are now listed on eBay, some for around $30 - well above the Girl Scouts' price of about $5 or $6 per box.

For over 100 years, Girl Scouts has sold cookies as a way to help members build their business skills and raise money for the group. But profits from the resale market don't go to Girl Scouts, which said it was "disappointed" that the products are now available through other vendors.

"When cookies are purchased through a third-party seller, Girl Scout troops are deprived of proceeds that fund critical programming throughout the year," Girl Scouts told CNN in a statement. Plus, unauthorized sales can erode Girl Scouts' good cookie name.

"Girl Scouts of the USA, your local Girl Scout council, and our licensed cookie bakers cannot guarantee the freshness or integrity of cookies bought through unauthorized sites." To buy cookies from Girl Scouts directly, customers should use the Cookie Finder on the Scouts' website, Girl Scouts said.

The Scouts may be disappointed, but eBay has no plans to pull the listings.

"We strongly support the entrepreneurial spirit of hardworking local Girl Scout troops and encourage cookie-seekers to also support their local Girl Scouts," eBay said in a statement to CNN. "However the sale of Girl Scout cookies does not violate eBay policies."

The Girl Scouts first introduced the coveted Raspberry Rally over the summer, months ahead of the January to April cookie season. At the time, the group explained that the Rally would only be available for purchase online for direct shipment to customers - a first for the organization. The online-only sales strategy is a new way to teach entrepreneurship, the group said.

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