Khairul Aming denies intentionally letting scalpers resell Sambal Nyet at RM25 a bottle

KUALA LUMPUR, 25 AUGUST 2026 —

Khairul Aming, founder of Rembayung restaurant, rejected claims that he permitted scalpers to profit from his Sambal Nyet chilli sauce after screenshots showed resellers listing the product at nearly double the official price.

“Once the sambal is in their hands, what can I do?” he wrote on X. “I won’t knock on their door. I don’t even know who is reselling it.”

The dispute began when a critic posted screenshots of vendors quoting RM25 a bottle for Sambal Nyet, which retails for RM14.90. The critic demanded to know whether Khairul Aming was aware of the practice and why he had not acted.

Khairul Aming responded that scalping was an inevitable consequence of high demand and fear of missing out, but insisted it was not his duty to regulate secondary markets.

“Yes, as long as there is demand and FOMO, scalpers will always exist,” he said. “But it’s already too much. It’s like Rembayung—this is the business model from my point of view. Unpopular opinion, but I said what I said.”

He added that his team was working to serve customers, yet cautioned the public against assuming he could control every outcome.

“Tell me what I can do, and I will use your solution,” he wrote. “We’re working flat-out to give everyone the best, but please understand not everything is within my control.”

Most online commentators supported Khairul Aming, arguing the accusations were unfair because buyers could simply bypass scalpers and purchase directly from the restaurant or authorised outlets. Several users noted that he neither set the resale price nor forced anyone to pay inflated rates.