SCALPERS
CREATE STARBUCKS CHRISTMAS VIA SHORTAGE
by Vanessa
Cortez, staff writer [November 14, 2025]
 [WeeklyUniverse.com]
If you can't find
Christmas VIA Instant Coffee packets at Starbucks this year, it
might be because scalpers are buying them up in bulk, to resell at
double or triple the price!
As recently as
2020 and 2021, I still found Christmas VIA packets at the several
Starbucks near where I live after Christmas. Because it was
post-Christmas, they were always on sale.
But these past
few year, I couldn't find any Christmas VIA packets by mid-November.
This year I entered a Starbucks on November 11 and was told the
Christmas VIA was already sold out!
Were people
buying them up in bulk?
I asked
Grok AI. Here is what he said:
Yes,
reselling (or "scalping") Starbucks VIA Instant Christmas Blend at a
markup is indeed a thing, particularly during the limited holiday
season when supply runs low and demand from fans spikes. While the
practice isn't as explosively viral as with Starbucks' collectible
holiday cups (which routinely sell for $200–$500 on sites like eBay
and Mercari), evidence shows people do buy up the instant packets in
bulk from stores or Starbucks' site, then flip them online for
double or more the $13.95 retail price—often $25–$35 per 12-pack on
Amazon, eBay, or Walmart Marketplace. This mirrors broader resale
trends for Starbucks' seasonal items, driven by the blend's
popularity (its aged Sumatra notes make it a cult favorite not
available year-round).
As of
mid-November 2025, eBay has multiple active auctions for 2025 VIA
Christmas Blend 12-packs starting at $28–$32 (with some bundles of
2–3 packs hitting $60+). Older 2024 editions (still within
expiration) are listed up to $40. Sellers often describe them as
"limited edition" or "hard to find" to justify the hike, with
shipping fees adding another $5–$10.
In
past years (e.g., 2020–2024), post-holiday eBay sales of unopened
VIA packs routinely exceeded $25, per archived listings. Reddit
users in r/starbucks and r/Coffee have noted stocking up on
clearance packs (e.g., 40% off after Christmas) only to see them
resurface online at premiums, with one 2023 thread lamenting,
"I snagged clearance bags, but now they're $39
on eBay—lol."
The
VIA coffee resale ties into the company's holiday frenzy, where
scalpers clear shelves of everything from beans to merch. A viral X
post from November 2024 described someone "calmly clearing the
shelves" of holiday items at Starbucks, leaving nothing for
regulars—echoing complaints about VIA packets vanishing within hours
of restocks.
This
isn't unique to Starbucks; it's a symptom of limited-run products
(like Funko Pops or concert tickets) where resellers exploit
scarcity. Starbucks doesn't limit purchases per customer, so one
person can grab dozens of packs, exacerbating shortages.
Yes,
there are plenty of gripes, mostly from frustrated fans who miss out
on retail stock and view resellers as opportunistic "shitbags"
ruining the holiday vibe. Complaints focus on artificial scarcity,
inflated prices hurting casual buyers, and the ethics of profiting
off a $14 item.
Okay, this is
disgusting. To be fair, I always try to buy a year's supply of
Christmas VIA. Sixty packets (I go through about five 12-pack
packets a month). But these are for me, not for resale. I'm no
scalper.
Starbucks should
make more Christmas VIA. Flood the market. And make them available
for mail order directly from their site. That way, the scalpers
won't be able to rip anyone off -- and the fans can enjoy all the
Christmas VIA they want!
Read more about the Weekly
Universe editorial team's consumer reporting in
Hollywood Witches! |
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