'It's certainly nothing we've budgeted for and nothing we can afford,' she told Channel Seven.
Despite making a plea to the seller, her requests for a refund were ignored. PayPal - who arranged the payment - also told her that her chances of getting her getting her money back were unlikely, describing the purchase as a ‘friendly fraud.’
Said the mum: 'Between PayPal and the bank, there should be at least one stopper that says "hang on, this isn't right," and no-one did.’
It was only when the media contacted eBay over the unfortunate purchase that they agreed to refund the $10,000 purchase.
Coles only made 100 of the Golden Billy Banana Stikeez, sparking a frenzy amongst collectors desperate to own one of the rare minis. Three separate eBay auctions have seen the Golden figurines sell for $50k, $20k and $15k respectively - and this latest $10k sale is the latest in a string of unbelievable purchases.
The shocking train of events comes just a week after another Queensland mum revealed how Woolworths took pity on her and arranged for eight-year-old son with autism to have a replacement Disney Tile after he lost his favourite one.
Says the mum: ‘Only parents of children with autism will understand how hard it is to explain that things are lost and that they’re not easily replaced, and he just became more and more upset as the day went on. There was just no talking him down, he was having terrible meltdowns - just so upset.’
