It has been revealed that the shoplifting epidemic in New York has led to the formation of a black market wherein networks of thieves are selling stolen goods to unsuspecting members of the public.

While ill-gotten merchandise is typically sold online via sites such as eBay and Facebook Marketplace, some criminals have engineered sophisticated schemes involving cross-border “returns” and other shady practices.

According to the New York Post, the process begins with those who do the shoplifting. Once the goods have been acquired, a middleman buys them for a fraction of the sticker price and sells them on eBay and Facebook Marketplace. Everybody gets paid, and the cycle continues.

In some cases, higher-ups even go so far as to give their thieves “shopping lists” detailing exactly what they’d like them to steal.

An April 2023 report conducted by the National Retail Federation in coordination with a private security company K2 found that in New York, 26 percent of listings on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for items listed as “new with tag” as well as Tide Pods, diapers, makeup, and baby formula were suspected to be linked to organized crime.