Crumbl Cookies Responds After Unauthorized Pop-Up Resulted in Long Lines and Chaos Over $17 'Stale' Cookies

An Australian pop-up is causing buzz on social media after organizers re-sold Crumbl cookies they transported from the U.S.

A Crumbl Cookies-themed event unaffiliated with the actual brand is making waves in Australia.

At a pop-up in North Bondi, Australia, Crumbl Cookies were being sold for $17.50. The treats are normally priced at $5 per cookie in the U.S.

The event organizers assured fans in their Crumble Sydney TikTok bio that they are “not endorsed by Crumbl, just fans importing.” But the event still drew a massive crowd. Videos on TikTok showed long lines and customers complaining about the quality of the cookies.

Following the backlash, the Crumbl Sydney TikTok issued a statement explaining that the cookies weren’t fresh since they had to be transported from the U.S. The organizers revealed that they spent $4k on flights and luggage, $6k on cookies and packaging, $2k in duties, taxes and custom brokering and $1k in staffing. They purchased 840 cookies from the U.S. and brought them to Australia, according to 7News.

The founder of Crumbl Cookies, Sawyer Hemsley, was quick to speak out on TikTok. “You need to try them fresh🇺🇸P.S. this pop-up is not affiliated with Crumbl Cookies,” he wrote.

Related: Crumbl Finally Releases Mini Cookies That Are Almost 500 Calories Less Than the Giant Version

On Oct. 2, Crumbl Cookies addressed the Aussie pop-up in a statement to PEOPLE.

“While the pop-up in Australia was not sponsored by Crumbl, we love seeing excitement for Crumbl around the world. Currently, there are Crumbl locations in all 50 states in the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico,” the statement read. “We look forward to expanding to other countries in the future. Information about new international locations will be shared through our official Crumbl communication channels.”

The @foodinabox account gave a low-down on the buzz, and commenters shared their hot takes.

“Wait so they sold old cookies??” one person wrote. Another said, “It was 75 for 5 cookies, that were stale too :/.”

Many people pointed to the issue of customs when transporting goods but the organizers' statement claims that, "we followed all legal procedures, declaring the cookies as commercial goods and obtaining the necessary approvals from Australian customs."

The event organizers ultimately defended their efforts. “This event was never about profit," the said in the statement. "We aimed to bring the cookies to Crumbl fans. We did not aim to make money."

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Read the original article on People.