Sukale Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I was just looking on ebay for some tinker toys that I had has a child. I was surprised to see that Goodwill had some listed on ebay. It just seams wrong that they would do this. I donate their on a regular bases. I wanted my items to go to people in the local area looking for low cost items. It just seams wrong to see Goodwill looking for the highest bidder on donated items, doesn't it? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 (edited) Goodwill is a non-profit providing services to people in the community. If they can get more $$ for the services they provide, I don't see the problem. Their charitable function is not to be a low cost way for people to buy stuff- it's to provide job training, social services and employment reentry/support. Some Goodwills operate other community programs from case management to disability supports. If people donating items don't like that, they don't need to donate. There are other charity shops to donate to, which do not auction items. Edited February 10, 2016 by LucyStoner 22 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 No. I expect them to make money on the items I donate and high priced items can get more $$ online. I don't donate for the buyers, I donate for the organization (whatever organization it is.) 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2Five Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I have a lot of issues with Goodwill. The Goodwills at the city we just moved to are more like a discount store like Ross', TJ Maxx, Marshalls etc. as opposed to a Goodwill. They have mostly new merchandise and the items that were donated are marked up ridiculously. That said, they do have awesome Goodwill bookstores here (we live in a college town). I love those. I have also purchased several books from Goodwills on ebay. It bothers me a little because some of the books (if they are popular, have more value) they will mark up. The other books I am just paying basically 99 cents plus shipping. It does help me out with finding books because I don't have time to drive around and go to multiple thrift stores. I haven't seen toys on ebay from Goodwill. That seems a little bizarre to me. They should just sell those locally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I was just looking on ebay for some tinker toys that I had has a child. I was surprised to see that Goodwill had some listed on ebay. It just seams wrong that they would do this. I donate their on a regular bases. I wanted my items to go to people in the local area looking for low cost items. It just seams wrong to see Goodwill looking for the highest bidder on donated items, doesn't it? No. Some things sell better online than in stores. Some things aren't worth the labor to put online; they sell better in stores. If an item is an "antique" or collectible or valuable, Goodwill can make the most money from it through an auction. That money can support the salaries of store employees, supporting the sales of lower-cost items in the stores. There are plenty of non-collectible, non-antique toy donations that can be sold in their stores. In addition, antique toys often do not meet today's standards for toys (chocking, lead paint, and so on), so may not be suitable to be sold as children's playthings as opposed to collectibles. In addition, putting items on the floor that contain a lot of small parts doesn't always go well - we've all seen the open boxes with parts scattered everywhere in thrift shops. When I donate to Goodwill, I assume they will use the donation in whatever way they see fit. They are the experts in the second-hand market. If there is something better suited to another style of recycling - perhaps a higher-end thrift or consignment shop, or a free store, or a give-away table at a homeschooling event, I donate there instead of Goodwill. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I haven't seen toys on ebay from Goodwill. That seems a little bizarre to me. They should just sell those locally. tinker toys are a collectible. collectible toys, and books, etc., will sell for more online, and most likely faster (meaning they get it out of their store where they have to expend time and money keeping track of it). and for more money. as has been said - they are a business who sell items to support their job training and other services. if they weren't getting more money for such items by listing them on ebay - they wouldn't be doing that. if you want items to go to low income individuals in your local community - try freecycle. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I buy a lot of books on eBay that were donated to Goodwill. I had a mentally ill uncle who worked for Goodwill for many years when he was largely unemployable otherwise. That is the valuable service Goodwill provides. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2Five Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Thank you! I didn't know tinker toys were collectible :). I do not donate to Goodwill. There is a local thrift shop that is tied to an autism charity that I donate to and I give away pretty much everything on craigslist or to friends. I guess since everything we own basically comes from thrift stores I think more about the people that are shopping there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 There's also a chance that the eBay sales provide additional types of jobs/training in addition to what they had in the past. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomeontheprairie Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I hate it. Hate it. Our goodwill no longer sells any children items-they all get shipped to corporate. Why? So corporate Can go through items and list them on eBay. If Goodwill is a nonprofit that is supposed to be serving people in the local community, they should try keeping stuff local, and not cherry picking the items donated. perhaps this is different elsewhere, but my goodwill is in a very rural community. Craigslist is hit or miss. There is no Freecycle. Goodwill is it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I hate it. Hate it. Our goodwill no longer sells any children items-they all get shipped to corporate. Why? So corporate Can go through items and list them on eBay. If Goodwill is a nonprofit that is supposed to be serving people in the local community, they should try keeping stuff local, and not cherry picking the items donated. perhaps this is different elsewhere, but my goodwill is in a very rural community. Craigslist is hit or miss. There is no Freecycle. Goodwill is it. There were some issues a few years back with a law that banned re-selling anything for children that you couldn't guarantee had no lead. So even little things like zipper pulls on childrens' wear were problematic, and many thrifts decided to forego selling any childrens' items because of the law. I don't remember the details; I believe it all got straightened out in the end, but perhaps your Goodwill's reluctance to sell childrens' items stems from the lead issue. Most childrens' items simply won't sell for enough on ebay to make it worth listing them. You'd make less than minimum wage. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 (edited) I thought Goodwill sold donated stuff to earn money to fund assisting those in need and not that they are about providing low cost stuff for consumers. So it seems to me that they'd use various methods to sell stuff. And maybe the item did sit in a store for awhile and didn't sell. Edited February 10, 2016 by SparklyUnicorn 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I hate it. Hate it. Our goodwill no longer sells any children items-they all get shipped to corporate. Why? So corporate Can go through items and list them on eBay. If Goodwill is a nonprofit that is supposed to be serving people in the local community, they should try keeping stuff local, and not cherry picking the items donated. perhaps this is different elsewhere, but my goodwill is in a very rural community. Craigslist is hit or miss. There is no Freecycle. Goodwill is it. Selling used items is a fundraiser for the services they provide. The thrift store is not the service, except to the extent that they generally staff their stores with people who can't get work elsewhere. The goodwill here has a Glitter Sale every year where they take the swankiest (and often vintage) clothing and jewelry donations and sell them in a huge weekend sale. They charge more at the glitter sale that they do in the stores. This bothers some people but I find it fun and clever. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I've purchased textbooks and novels for DD, and a non fiction book for myself, from several Goodwill stores, on Amazon. The most recent one was from Goodwill in NYC. My thought after reading your post is that their priority is to sell the items they receive at the highest possible prices, so t they have more income to provide services. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Kate Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 (edited) This bears repeating. There seems to be a common misconception over exactly what Goodwill actually is for. I agree! Honestly, until reading this thread, I thought that goodwill's purpose was to sell lower priced items to help those in the local community who were going through hard times. I actually stopped donating to them because I felt that there were better organizations in my community to meet that need. Now I feel like I need to go back and research goodwill a bit more. I love this board...I learn something new every day! Edited February 10, 2016 by Just Kate 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KayT Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 This bears repeating. There seems to be a common misconception over exactly what Goodwill actually is for. It certainly does. I am one who had that misconception and I am glad to have a better understanding now. I think I was just complaining about this the other day. Glad you brought this up OP. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Just be wary of ordering anything breakable from Goodwill - I had a figurine break in shipping as the Goodwill person just stuck the item in a box with a few scraps of wadded up paper, no bubble-wrap etc. Then they refunded my money but not the shipping cost. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Echoing. Goodwill sells donations to support their services, job training, etc. Therefore, if they have the potential to earn more money through eBay and other means then that is the best use of the donation. The thrift shop is not the service of Goodwill. It is one means to support the service. Some donations net more through internet sales so the charity needs to make use of that resource. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Has this been discussed here before? Disabled workers [at Goodwill] paid just pennies an hour--and it's legal. A response from Goodwill is here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I have seen Goodwill roasted in an evaluation of the many charities because the criteria did not capture the purpose and value of the organization. I have a friend who won't donate to Goodwill because "they sell my stuff to poor people and that is not right". Well, I shop at the Goodwill, and I am not poor. I also donate to Goodwill. Goodwill is not there to support the local community. There are many, many people who would not get another opportunity to work except for the Goodwill. Work help provides a life with some meaning. Kroger grocery store also hires sackers with disabilities. I fully support companies who do this and wish there were more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Seattle Goodwill does a lot of EBay business, and I've bought from them several times. They are very honest on grading merchandise, and we've had great results from buying from them. My husband has commented that if we ever donate our Lego collection, he's going to ship them to the Seattle Goodwill, because they obviously spend the time and effort needed to make sure those donations get the most money for the organization. I can think of a couple of young adults who have challenges that would make it hard for them to work in retail in a traditional Goodwill store, but would probably do very, very well at setting up EBay auctions because they're good with computers, Internet research, and so on-just not with people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquirrellyMama Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 (edited) I have seen Goodwill roasted in an evaluation of the many charities because the criteria did not capture the purpose and value of the organization. I have a friend who won't donate to Goodwill because "they sell my stuff to poor people and that is not right". Well, I shop at the Goodwill, and I am not poor. I also donate to Goodwill. Goodwill is not there to support the local community. There are many, many people who would not get another opportunity to work except for the Goodwill. Work help provides a life with some meaning. Kroger grocery store also hires sackers with disabilities. I fully support companies who do this and wish there were more. I'm curious about this comment. Did she not want poor people using her old stuff, or did she think Goodwill was taking advantage of poor people? Kelly Edited February 10, 2016 by SquirrellyMama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 , they should not cherry picking the items donated. I used to donate through community services for the blind (like gw - they resell their stuff to support what they do.). I liked that they would pick up, and I didn't have to go find a gw truck. (we now have a store in our community, and I can drop off there.) the CSB guy - pawed through the donation, took what he wanted (which was stuff I could have sold myself) and LEFT EVERYTHING ELSE. (which I then had to take somewhere else.) when they again called for donations, we complained. they hung up, and we've never heard from them since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I'm curious about this comment. Did she not want poor people using her old stuff, or did she think Goodwill was taking advantage of poor people? Kelly She thought Goodwill was taking advantage of the poor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 (edited) Goodwill is a non-profit providing services to people in the community. If they can get more $$ for the services they provide, I don't see the problem. Their charitable function is not to be a low cost way for people to buy stuff- it's to provide job training, social services and employment reentry/support. Some Goodwills operate other community programs from case management to disability supports. If people donating items don't like that, they don't need to donate. There are other charity shops to donate to, which do not auction items. ^^^^Yes to this^^^^ Re: Thrift shops should sell stuff at low prices so poor people can afford things. No, that is not the purpose of most thrift shops. Most use the money from selling items towards their stated purpose. When ds was little I used to buy most of his clothes at thrift shops because he went through them so fast. At one point he asked me if we were poor. When I told him no and asked why, he said he thought poor people shop in thrift shops. I then gave him the kid-friendly version of Katie's explanation above. I have a friend who sells stuff on eBay for a local animal rescue. She goes to their shop, looks through the donated items, and takes anything that would fetch a higher price on eBay. It makes perfect sense for any charity that runs a thrift shop to try and get the most for items. Edited February 10, 2016 by Lady Florida 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldberry Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Has this been discussed here before? Disabled workers [at Goodwill] paid just pennies an hour--and it's legal. A response from Goodwill is here. That's interesting, but I can see both sides. It would be nice for businesses to hire the disabled out of the goodness of their heart, but the reality is that they probably need financial incentive to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Goodwill stores are not "charity shops" that exist to provide low-cost 2nd-hand items to people who can't afford new. They oftentimes fill that need anyway, but that isn't their primary purpose. They exist to raise funds to put people to work. There are many different programs they use to do this. Goodwill is run differently in each region so they will all have a different "style" of doing things - but their mission is the same everywhere afaik. There are lots of places that you can donate items to people, Goodwill I just one option. You can choose to donate elsewhere if you don't want them to try to get top-dollar for some items. But they aren't doing anything "shady" by doing that. They are pretty clear about their mission being putting people to work. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I thought this was going to be a complaint about the people that fill their carts on the 1/2 price days and then turn around and sell the items for more on Ebay. I think that phenomena means that Goodwill is still leaving some money on the table and takes some of the air out of the argument that they need to be selling things cheaper. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I agree! Honestly, until reading this thread, I thought that goodwill's purpose was to sell lower priced items to help those in the local community who were going through hard times. I actually stopped donating to them because I felt that there were better organizations in my community to meet that need. Now I feel like I need to go back and research goodwill a bit more. I love this board...I learn something new every day! A lot of these organizations operate in this way. We visited a regional food bank as a field trip, and I was surprised by how that works. They take in donated food and sort it (usually volunteers do that). They sell the food for a low price to organizations that feed the needy (so soup kitchens, etc.). Might seem kind of crazy that they actually have to buy the donated food, but I can't imagine how else this would really work out so well. They can order the food they need/want. This isn't just "you get what you get". The food bank is a huge operation including a warehouse that can store various types of food. So it makes sense. It is a little weird to think though that your donated food is not really given away for free, but after learning about the details it was understandable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Has this been discussed here before? Disabled workers [at Goodwill] paid just pennies an hour--and it's legal. A response from Goodwill is here. Another detail is if they are collecting disability they cannot earn over a certain amount of money without losing benefits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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