A young shopper experienced a disturbing surprise when she opened her online purchase to find it teeming with ants and what seemed to be insect eggs.

Jayd Graham had ordered three dresses from Peppermayo, a popular Australian fashion retailer, which were delivered to her home in New Zealand.

Peppermayo, established in 2012 in Sydney, has become a favored fashion hub for young women worldwide. However, Jayd’s experience with the retailer turned out to be far from ideal.

“I brought the package to my room and opened two of them, thinking, ‘Wow, these are so pretty,'” Jayd recounted.

Her excitement quickly turned to horror when she noticed ants swarming the bag and spreading across her bed.

What she discovered next made her feel physically sick.

‘I took a proper look and saw ant eggs, maggot eggs – I don’t know what that was. I ran outside and chucked it on the ground. That’s disgusting. I was literally gagging. What the f*** is that?’ she said.

Daily Mail has contacted Peppermayo for comment. 

A young woman has been left shaken after opening an online fashion order to discover it was crawling with ants and what appeared to be insect eggs

New Zealand-based TikTok user Jayd Graham said she had ordered three dresses from Australian retailer Peppermayo, excited to wear one to an upcoming 21st birthday

The discovery meant the dress she had planned to wear to a 21st birthday party was immediately off the table.

‘I was supposed to be wearing this dress to a 21st. Now, I can’t,’ she said.

The video shows the ants crawling all over the dress, which was still wrapped in its clear packaging. 

‘I don’t even want to look at it,’ she said in disbelief, adding: ‘It’s outrageous.’

Jayd said she contacted Peppermayo, expecting an urgent response given the nature of the issue. However, she was told she’d get a response within 48 hours.

While the brand apologised to her over the situation, it did not take the blame.

However, another customer came forward, revealing she had a similar experience after finding what appeared to be an ant infestation in her Peppermayo order. 

‘This has happened to be too,’ the shopper said, alongside a picture of her own order covered in tiny ants. 

Despite raising the issue with the company, Jayd was stunned by the response.

‘All they said was… 50 per cent store credit for the item, and I can keep it as is. Or a refund, but I have to send it back to them,’ she said.’

That was not an option.

‘It’s literally in the bin. I don’t think that’s going through border security,’ she said.

Another customer also came forward to reveal she found ants in her Peppermayo order

What alarmed viewers was not just the presence of insects, but the potential implications

But after Jayd’s video went viral, she claimed the brand offered her a full refund, a $400 store credit and a replacement dress.

The video quickly gained traction, with viewers questioning how an infestation of that scale could occur.

‘That looks like a warehouse problem,’ one person wrote.

Another claimed that ant eggs take weeks to hatch, suggesting the infestation existed long before delivery.

As concern grew, Jayd took the matter further. 

In an update posted a week later, she revealed she had contacted biosecurity authorities, who visited her home to collect samples.

‘They came to my house, took samples and sent them to the lab,’ she said.

‘They did say it was an Australian species of ant, but they’re already in New Zealand.’

Peppermayo was founded in 2012 in Sydney and has grown into a popular ‘go-to’ brand for young women around the globe. Influencers like Anastasia Karanikolaou, Lucinda Strafford, and Sopha Dopha [pictured] have all been spotted in the trendy wares

What alarmed viewers was not just the presence of insects, but the potential implications.

New Zealand has some of the strictest biosecurity laws in the world, designed to protect its ecosystem from invasive pests and diseases.

Even common insects can pose serious risks if introduced through commercial supply chains.

‘This might look like “just bugs”, but this could literally destroy local biodiversity. It’s very serious,’ one warned.

Jayd said she was baffled as to how the package passed through customs at all.

‘I don’t know how it made it through. It crawled all over my bed and my clothes. I hated that.’

While the issue was eventually resolved, the incident has sparked a broader conversation about fast fashion logistics, warehouse hygiene, and the risks associated with high-volume cross-border shipping.