Items from Thrift Stores

[theteamsetguy]

I wonder what percentage of items sold at thrift stores ends up on ebay or other market places? Especially clothing items.

[reallynicestamps]

But my response was not about how they sell, Goodwill is particularly sophisticated in how they deal with their donations.

It was about what they do with the money.

Goodwill was known in my area for training the unemployable. Just learning how to show up on time can be a problem for some people with mental health difficulties.

They have also been excoriated for (legally) employing developmentally delayed and handicapped workers at much below minimum wages.

What other programs does GoodWill support with their income?

[chapeau-noir]

I'm not Tobacco, but I know some Goodwill employees, two of whom were definitely not disabled, but couldn't find jobs because their skills were so outdated - they went through employment readiness type courses and both found good jobs. Our regional (Evergreen) also provides English language skills courses, basic office skills courses, help with refugees integration into local life and business skills (I live in an area with a high population of refugees so this is bigger deal), literacy skills, etc. They have some other programs, but that kind of gives an idea. They also pay decently (maybe since they got busted for the underpayment?).  I notice at my local GW the people stay on for a long time - the whole neighbourhood shops there. Also, instead of spending money and using land with fancy purpose-built buildings, they'll take over vacant space and simply convert existing infrastructure. 

I don't agree with every thing they do, but they have made a positive impact at least here.

[turtles-trading-post]

I'm not a reseller, but I stopped in my local Goodwill recently and what a mess of picked over trash! 

And a story..  After Hurricane Sandy at the New Jersey shore, a few of the local towns were devastated.  Quickly a vacant good size store was set up as a charity center, where people who lost everything could go and get clothes and household goods.  Local businesses donated tons of stuff. 

My daughter  volunteered to work there.   Very quickly the scammers came in. People who wanted all clothing "new with tags".  These folks obviously weren't locals who the charity store was set up to help.  

[chapeau-noir]

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@turtles-trading-post wrote:

I'm not a reseller, but I stopped in my local Goodwill recently and what a mess of picked over trash! 

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I hear that - I have trouble finding clothing for myself there, much less anything for anyone else.  😒

[frankenhobbit]

I think that in the last couple of years, a lot of stuff was bought at thrift stores with the the INTENTION of reselling. Then some of them will post a thread here asking why they have no sales/views or that they are left with very little after fees and shipping.  

The Goodwill Outlet near me is literally swarming with resellers pouncing on the bins when they roll them out. A true feeding frenzy.  I've no idea how well they do. 

Fortunately, I only go there to find old cables etc for my old TV Game consoles (the red yellow white cables), replacement power supplies, old utensils for stirring lead when casting bullets, things to use as molds for ingots. So I'm looking for odd items that the resellers never seem to want. Needed a toaster oven for powder coating, so got that there. Nothing for reselling. Everything is $1.19 a pound, so cables cost pennies. 

[chapeau-noir]

The bins is definitely the place to go and get that kind of stuff.

There's a lot of rubbish at the bins, but OTOH, there are donations that go directly there rather than being funneled through the stores, and the over-pricing the local GWs are doing mean that people just aren't going to purchase the stuff so it goes to the bins. I would have been elbowing my way into them nearly every day when I was selling full time as I'm a pretty good picker, but they're 20 miles each way from me (north and south) and traffic here is awful. I was better off with consignments and the like.

[rockystradingpost]

I've seen people post photos of skin rashes they got from rummaging through the Goodwill bins. 

[soh.maryl]

Our local GW Outlet (bins) is pretty large.  I dig around in the bottom of the miscellaneous bins for Matchbox/Hot Wheels vehicles, small plastic animals and dollhouse furniture.  Have also seen entire sets of glassware, dishes and other toys, especially the ones that come in Happy Meals.  I babysit a great grandchild and have visits from several others and they have a good time with my non-electronic toys.  Sometimes a child requests to take something home which is no problem.  Prices at the Outlet are by the pound and there are a lot of small plastic toys in a pound.  

[frankenhobbit]

Oh, I bet! There is a distinct odor of unwashed clothing in those places. 

Definitely wash your hands after going there. Several people will use gloves, but those can give a false sense of security without proper procedures.

I also don't go 'wrist deep'. I'll move stuff over. 

[frankenhobbit]

Ooh, forgot about those toys. There's loads of those. Perfect for what you are using it for. Plus that stuff cleans up really easily. 

[frankenhobbit]

I'm luckier than you regards location. My nearest one is about 6-7 minutes away and right by a restaurant my son and I like to eat at. There are also two 'regular' Goodwill's  about within 10 minutes (East and West), but I wouldn't even think about those for reselling. You'd need to be an expert in whatever items you were looking to resell to detect the hidden treasures at those locations.

[a-lotta-stuff]

We don't buy anything at goodwill or the salvation army as they have a combined total of 21 thrift shops in our state, with the closest one [SA] three plus hours each way.

We don't buy 'clothing' - we buy men's boots and odd branded t-shirts and uniform shirts/hats/pants branded to a fast food or big box store. Beat up scout shirts and hats because they have removable patches. Plus ton's of other stuff to resell. No watches or 'metal with rocks' aka jewelry.

85, 90% of what we list on ebay is bought at one of the three thrift shops in town, or the two in the next 'big' town an hour plus away. The rest comes from what we get - both buy and donated - at our real store. We also buy stuff to resell in the store.

[toomuchstuffagain35]

I liked rummaging at the bottoms of th bins after the dealers moved onto new ones and have found many a small pewter figurine etc at the bottom (they're heavy and tend to end up there).

I don't like being first to a bin the way some of the dealers act, throwing what they're not interested in aside without caring who it hits.

[soh.maryl]

And, for general information, when the weather is not bad, I go to the Outlet about every 10-14 days and have for at least 5 years.  Have never ever had a rash afterwards and do not wear gloves.  So I am one out of a million outlet shoppers who has escaped unscathed?  

[theteamsetguy]

@bashort ,

Why???????