I refuse to buy from shops like Shein, Temu etc. But I've noticed a significant decline in offerings at retail stores and Amazon too. I still have a wool coat I bought in the 90s but it's too small. Wanted to find similar and went to the same store. Now the coats they have are synthetic, as thin as a sweatshirt (legit could see the outline of my shirt underneath), no lining and shoddily made... But still $175. WTH? So I'm very choosy about buying new now too. But all that crap is ending up in thrift stores now and at a mark up! Soon thrift stores will just be full of garbage. Dystopian.
I don't go in thrift stores but i have been told that before, that they mark up prices on used stuff. Also you donate them stuff, they markup the price, and you get nothing in return. Also most thrift stores are also supposedly charities. If they were real charities they would give what you donate them to a person in need for free, not sell it at marked up prices. Also i know a former Goodwill worker that said they threw useable stuff away sometimes. I have found that Holiday Bureau gives items to needy families for free, so if you want to donate stuff to a real charity, they are. Or women's shelters and homeless shelters.
I also donate to Disabled American Vets and Salvation Army. They both help niche populations and are not for-profit thrift stores. SA does a lot of charitable activities and have an excellent rehab program for addicts.
The church/faith based resale shops in Texas are some of the highest priced places around! We’re about to have an Arctic cold front and what’s not on sale locally are coats and sweaters…sounds really Christian to me!
I think corporate greed has to be considered as a factor too. Especially when thrift stores basically get all their donations for free and still jack up the prices. My local Goodwill is no longer affordable, because they’ve even overpriced crappy items.
They do not even check their Donated items for Damage. They sell items that are stained , torn or ripped, so if you miss that , too bad for you , NO RETURNS .
This post shows you know nothing about retail. There are great prices to pay just to have a store....rent, heat, hydro, equipment needed to run a decent business, supplies that you don't think about, and wages that keep being forced up by the government. It's not like having a yard sale.
Good Will has raised the prices on all their clothing items, not just high end items. A t-shirt at GW use to cost $4.99 here in Northern CA. Now t-shirts at my local GW cost $6.99 no matter the brand or the condition. I can buy a brand new, never wore T-shirt at Walmart, Ross or Marshalls for less.
One of Goodwill's stated missions (on their site): "Your donations help provide affordable goods to local families, ensuring quality products remain accessible to them to meet their immediate needs." They now cheat the community's poor and sell them junk, like used Dollar Tree mugs, for $4.99 (plus tax).
Cheap thrift clothes have gone up because CEOs producing these clothes are relying on YOU to send their kids to college, buy several mansions, yacht upkeep, private jets, all the while paying slave wages and promoting unsafe working conditions. And these clothes make it to thrift stores in record numbers because YOU keep consuming that fast and ill-made fashion and then discarding them after a year because a seam ripped or to keep up with the ever-changing 'trends' (how I hate that word) that happen four times per year. Sheesh, it's simple really. (BTW, Goodwill is NOT a thrift store.)
The last couple times I went to thrift stores I didn’t even buy anything. The days of finding really cool stuff are long over. Glad I got to enjoy thrifting before it became so trendy and the prices started going up. In the pre internet days it was amazing….now it’s just a lot of cheap crap.
Yep. I raised 3 kids on thrift stores. Kids out grow clothes so fast. Even standard toys like large blocks and shape sorting toys were plenty and affordable. I miss those days…
I am finding myself going through the stores and leaving empty handed. I hope they know their usual buyers are walking out spending $0. Resellers are easily half their market and if they keep on pushing us out, they will eventually find out who they messed with.
I'd like to see the profit gain/loss of Goodwill over the past 5 years compared to cost of living. Their prices have skyrocketed. Some items are marked above the original retail price.
I started looking into this. So time consuming to do the research. I did notice that goodwill donations are down. I guess more people are selling clothes on their own?
@@backwardfashion Thanks for looking into it and for your reply. I tried researching it too and found it wasn't as straightforward as I'd hoped. I'm surprised to hear their donations are down. Even with all the reselling keeping items out of donations, clothing production (especially fast fashion) keeps increasing at an unsustainable rate.
@@backwardfashionwe have a goodwill right across a Walmart. I’ve noticed that many times you can get a similar item at Walmart cheaper than the goodwill price. As for donations being down, through word of mouth and online local sites, we’ve learned of other areas to donate to. We have a resell shop for our local hospice. All proceeds go to hospice. We donate to homeless shelters. A few churches sell on a certain day used clothing for like a quarter each. We have several church clothing sites, some free. Plus a local Salvation Army. We also have an online buy nothing group. And people list what they have for free. There’s a group called something like, mothers of the traveling crib, and people pass clothes and furniture for babies and toddlers around like hand me downs. These are in addition to our local marketplace where people will sell stuff pretty cheap. People post in our local group a picture of stuff and say, it’s in my yard or on my porch. Free to whoever wants it. Gone tomorrow. There are better options now. The one advantage to goodwill is dropping off is fast and easy. We even have people who go around taking your scrap for recycling for cash. There are people who take old appliances, repair and resell. Just so many options.
Well done presentation with great research. I’ve been thrifting since 1991 and have seen all the changes you listed. You didn’t mention that Goodwill cherry picks the high value items and sells them online so the higher quality items never make it to the stores. Very sad to see the changes in the thrift stores.
Yeah I missed that one! I have bought stuff on shopgoodwill before. 1 time I bought a box of like 50 designer sunglasses cases for local pickup. Was a decent flip!
Not to mention their “boutiques”. They price everything too high then send it to the bins/landfill. I donate to local community organizations that give the items away.
Goodwill has their own auction site for this purpose. Anything worth anything (from Rolexes to Lego figurines) is sent to a facility for appraisal prior to listing. The facility has specialized (and presumably expensive) equipment to detect gemstones, etc.
That's because each item has time and effort put into it. Villainizing people who work hard, pay for their product and put time and effort into presenting it to their target market is absurd.
Clothes are donated. That means free. Reseller are capitalizing on people who don't want to go to the thrift store. There's more than enough second hand Clothes to go around and send overseas. I'm not a Reseller, just like thrifting for unique old peices. The Goodwill has lost its d mind. Plus the thrift store in my area has discontinued color of the week. Goodwill, goodbye!
You are correct. Don't listen to the resellers here. They ruined it for everyone, not to mention the employees with their stash, the greedy CEOs & store managers, etc. I can go to Wally World and buy a new pair of generic jeans that fit for a couple of bucks more then what GW charges. Ridiculous.
Yes they did. They taught goodwill to do the reselling themselves and now have their own auction site. While raising my kid, it's been hard to find good things at thrift shops, from toys to clothes. Resellers take all the best stuff away from the community and send it somewhere else just like goodwill does.
Back in the day, there used to be a thrift shop in a rich neighborhood near me that was run by the “ladies who lunch”. It was where I bought every cashmere coat (not more than $20) that I wore for twenty years. You could try it on, look in the mirror, feel the fabric, see the condition. Searching for the great finds was fun, and the quality was, of course, through the roof. That’s just one more simple type of entertainment that young people miss out on now. It’s sad.
Yes! Oh the times I used to have at the Jr. League resale shop in DC!! And there were other resale shops like Second Hand Rose that were fabulous. Yes on things like classic and very inexpensive cashmere coats and I even got a true Burberry raincoat for like --well, for like $25.00! I was new to my govt career and I dressed so well in those early years. Decades later I furnished a whole farmhouse with things from the Salvation Army. Nice things/furniture/"oriental" rugs, not cast-off Hobby Lobby stuff. I watch thrift channels on UA-cam and love to look now that I'm retired and in the stage of life where my big issue is what to do with my things rather than trying to get more. Not trying to be irritating. I'd trade any possessions for years at this stage.
I stopped donating to Goodwill years ago for this reason. Now, I keep tabs on local charities (mostly churches that operate free food pantries and clothing closets) that take in donations of clothing, furniture, food, etc. When I have something to donate, I go through the local charities because then I know the stuff will be given to a person in need and not sold to enrich another shady corporation.
A thrift store isn't just for people in need. Thrift stores have an abundance of items. As a stay at home mom reselling was a way for me to make a lot of money while not having to work full time and take too much time away from my children.
Most resellers usee it to supplement income or to help pay bills. Disabled people resell, children resell, single mothers and fathers, ex convicts. Everyone, really. It's not bad to do so.
@@Ashley-mt8uf I'm not against reselling! Resellers do provide value and a service. Most people don't have time to go thrifting or to flea markets but are still looking for that piece of nostalgia. But I think it's the social media element that lit a fire under reselling and all the thrift stores woke up to it.
I have stopped donating to this greedy organizations that pretend to be charities. They get their product for free. Their greed has create the problem.
Totally true many of my friends no longer go Thrifting. I see a trend that people are not willing to give them their money on free merchandise that they get for free. They will eventually fail, greed always does.
I understand to some degree but thrift stores have more donations than they can handle. Look at the Goodwill Outlet (the bins) for example, all the donations go there when no one buys them at Goodwill. There are very nice things along with designer items at the bins. It’s frustrating when I hear it blamed on resellers. If anything resellers are saving so many items from going to landfills and I don’t understand why the thrift stores are raising their prices when resellers are bringing them more business, and their sells are higher than ever. Why are they pricing like a reseller when they get it all for free?! I can’t tell you how many items I come across that are priced higher than they were new in the store. I miss when Goodwill priced everything a flat rate like shirts $5.99 etc. I know, for a fact, if they priced things lower, they would sell so much more especially to those families who truly need those savings to cloth their children.
Yeah resellers are just one small part of it. I don't think true resellers are the problem. It's the one's who glamorize it on TikTok and Instagram. Then the thrift store management sees these viral videos and think they are sitting on a gold mine. Truth is resellers existed and thrived before TikTok.
Tons and tons are sent to Africa, India, South America We are having a serious problem with dumping of secondhand clothing. Look at the mountains of dumped clothing in developing countries . The problem is that there are trade agreements with America where some African countries must buy a certain percentage of used clothing from America. There are articles written on this topic.
@@backwardfashion I used reselling as a stop gap when I got laid off. It was a way to basically employee yourself without a good car. I don't understand the hate. It's work. The most common item I was able to sell was scrap booking supplies. They often were out of print, and selling for 99 cents, so I could sell them to someone who needed them for 30 dollars. Typewriters were another favorite. I'd get one 20 dollars, fix it and sell it for 200 dollars. Clothing I tried. It was not my wheelhouse. I tried and it wad hard. More work for less reward. Mountains and mountains of lularoe to find something for 100 dollars.
In Canada, we have Value Village and their prices are often equal or more than would be paid for the exact same product in the retailers. Any good quality items are snatched up but resellers as soon as the doors open. I feel badly for those in need.
@Nicole-xd1uj There is so much stuff on this earth. There is plenty for everyone. Value Village / Savers is a billion dollar company. They don't care about the needy.
Don’t feel bad, there are free resource for those in need, funded by state and available by local charities. My goodwill has a list at counter for free cloths for those under a certain income.
I see that some items at Goodwill are actually sold at Dollar Stores but the thrift store doubles the price of the item! Some pots/ pans are in such bad shape, they should be tossed, not sold. Cheaper to buy new elsewhere. Clothes are overpriced at thrift stores as well. I very seldom ever find anything there worth their price... would rather buy new....
I saw a mug i had from dollar tree at Goodwill. My husband asked if I wanted it. I am NOT paying 6 dollars for a 1 dollar (at the time) mug. They are on crack.
Thrift stores are in trouble. They don't get good donations. ...they up prices. The people who shop them won't put up with higher prices for used items so sales will decline.
I stopped at local thrift store St. Vincent de paul in my area. Supposed to be for poor people. Moment I walk in the store I notice very few shoppers. Its a nice store wheres the customers? Secondly I notice shoppers are carefully deciding if they should pay prices of that item. Third I noticed how expensive used junk really is marked up. Fourth I noticed massive amounts of clutter all over the store. I'm not willing to spend hundreds of dollars thrifting. Therefore I just see no need in thrifting.
I work at a NON PROFIT thrift store. We give out scholarships, help abuse women and children with shelter, give free clothing to people with vouchers, we help maintain the city park and we help the local hospital with funds for the cardiac unit and we also employ people so they can earn an income. We also have to pay our lease, electricity, maintenance/up keep inside & around the building. Any repairs for the building is on us. We had a nice donation on a north face coat. We put $50. The uproar from 1 customer. (They say, We get it for free, this is a thrift store, we came in because we don’t have the $). The reg price for that jacket was well over $200. If you NEED a jacket we sell jackets starting at $4. or you can get one for free with a voucher. If you want an almost new North Face jacket it’s $50. We have expenses that need to be met, AND we want to continue to give to our community. We are not Goodwill that is a multi million dollar for profit company. Wish people stop comparing us to them. Not everyone that comes into the thrift store is down on their luck. They too are FOR PROFIT and reselling.
I studied economics in college. We were taught that businesses are supposed to price their items at the highest price that the market will bear. The right price for the jacket was about $135. If you only had one of those jackets, you should hold out for that one customer who is willing to pay for it. The next time a customer questions your prices ask them if they hold a degree in economics. Then IGNORE them. It was just somebody who has never run their own business lipping off as if they are an expert.
I would just say, "You are looking at the price tag right here. The price is fifty dollars. Do you want it or not? If you do not want it, I can put it back on the rack for someone who does."
@ that’s exactly what we did. She said she didn’t have a lot of money. I showed her other coats from $4 to $10. Nope. Then she went on Google to leave us a bad review. I do notice people that do complain, are more than likely there to resell. Other customers are so happy to find a coat for less than $10. Thanks for your advice.
I was recently in a volunteers of America store where i found 2 identical insulated tumblers. One with its lid 1.49. One without its lid 4.99. Theres no rhyme or reason behind the pricing. I often think it comes down to whoever is in charge of the sticker gun for the day. There was also a plastic lego bucket. No legos..just the bucket for 12.99. Why? Whos paying 12.99 for a lego bucket? For 25.00 i can have the bucket and the legos that beling in it.
Please know that customers often empty things. My guess is that the cup you looked at originally had a lid, and the bucket of Legos originally had Legos in it. What you saw were probably thefts!!
@laurabobovich5724 even if it had a lid at one point, why was it 3 and a half dollars more than the identical cup I actually purchased? And who steals just a lid? Legos weren't stolen. They had package tape wrapped around the bucket to prevent the lid from being separated. It's just their ridiculous prices.
@@laurabobovich5724how can you Tyrell heather she is wrong? Were you there? I think she is spot on. I see the same thing happening at my thrift stores all of the time. And why would someone steal all the Legos out of a Lego bucket and not take the bucket? That doesn’t even make sense. Of course they were pricing just the Lego bucket for $12.99.
As a former brick and mortar resale shop owner, here's your answer - rent, electricity, internet, water, credit card fees, liability insurance, business taxes, payroll, payroll taxes, supplies, software, bank fees, maintenance. Add all those up and it costs over $5-$10k just to open the doors on even a small store every day. All those personal bills you pay that have increased- business pay them too, with even higher increases.
@backwardfashion you're right it doesn't make sense to open one today. But at one time it did. There are resale shops that have been in business for decades closing because of these reasons. At one time it was profitable. Now the expenses have tripled and with the economy people are spending less.
Small businesses like your former resale shop can hardly thrive these days because they get "gouged" at every turn. And they don't get their merchandise for free like Goodwill and other not-for-profit chain thrift stores do, nor their business breaks. It's a shame. I always loved small independent resale shops
I saw prices rising in thrift stores several years ago, when thrifting started getting more trendy. Last time I went to red white and blue, I couldn’t believe all the obvious resellers, they were all waiting near the door that goes into the back warehouse area, waiting for them to bring new stuff out, which they all would then descend on like vultures. It just isn’t fun anymore.
Goodwill isn't a charity. It's a "for profit" business. The poor aren't helped if prices are not priced right. They recently asked me if i wanted to round up to the nearest dollar to "further their effort to help poor in community"! I declined.
I saw a down on his luck man ask if he could get a pair of boots and some socks free, the manager (Goodwill) gave him a dirty look and told him to leave, I took the man aside and had him pick out some boots and socks and paid for it. $18 dollars! F-ing Goodwill, they need to change their name, that’s not goodwill😡
I'll tell you what happened. All the resellers blasting the profits they're making on UA-cam. Literally a guy on posh shows that walks around goodwill auctioning everything. And no he's no goodwill affiliated
@@wandacarr668they didn't but once idiots on yt channels showed what they got at goodwill and what they paid for the thrift store upped the prices resellers are still going to make money just less profit for the resellers but more profit for the thrift store.....why should resellers care if the thrift stores are raising there prices isn't it the purpose for a store to make a profit? It's a double edge sword
In the good old days...more than half the fun was visiting thrift stores and going through the full shelves of VINTAGE stuff and gently used clothing for work. Books, records...I'm a 78 collector... were basement cheap...as well as vintage well-made furniture...that was cleaned up and gently restored before going on the floor! Most of my home furnishings came from old-day thrift stores...pieces from the 1920-40 era! I began those visits back in the 1960s...ah...the good ole days. Fast forward to today's scuffed, dirty cheap furniture, overpriced Made in China china, glassware, dirty pots and pans, smelly clothing...and above all, bloated prices!
Very rare to find genuine antiques at thrift stores anymore. Even 10 years ago I would find decent antiques at Goodwill, although they often needed repair. As I know how to restore furniture, I would fix up the thrift store pieces and they'd make good additions to the household. These days all I seem to find at places like Goodwill are crappy modern particle board furniture that should've went to the dump.
It's called greed! All things are donated for free so these thrift stores are making 100% profit on items! And goodwill takes valuable donations and sells them on their e-commerce store!
I volunteered at the salvation army. The kids bless their innocence, let escape the fact that grandpa, the guy in charge, always let them have the good stuff before bringing it in .
I don't mind the high prices if the store employees get paid well. But it seems to me that only the executives at Gooodwill get paid handsomely. It would be nice to see what everyone makes at these "non-profits" places.
I used to thrift all the time. Today, it takes so many more trips to many more stores to find the pieces I’m looking for. I still thrift for specific things, but I have my favorite resale shop that I buy most of my clothes from. Someone has already done the searching, cleaning, careful inspection, authentication … and I can still get a great deal on a beautiful piece that will stay in my closet for years.
@@stj971 I've never been in a goodwill that i've been impressed with. But i think they vary greatly state to state since it's technically different "nonprofits" that run them
I live in a rural area relatively close to a major city. The only Goodwills I ever really find gems in are in the wealthier neighborhoods of that city. Our local Goodwill is not worth the trip … nor are 90% of the Goodwills within an hour drive.
First, thrift stores I know of are nonprofit organizations, which mean they are required to have a MISSION. The "mission" of your Goodwill is NOT to provide affordable clothing to "everyday shoppers", its mission is to sell donated items to provide employment and training opportunities to people with disabilities. Since there MISSION isn't to provide inexpensive items to "everyday shoppers", they don't care who they sell to nor should they. As a certified appraiser, what thrift stores like the Goodwill get wrong is in DEFINING FAIR MARKET VALUE. Fair market value is the price at which the buyer and seller are willing to do business. This means, when you are selling nationally or internationally, your audience or "market" is different and larger. If your local thrift store is selling exclusively to a local audience in average town America its audience or "market" is limited to what shoppers in that area are willing to pay. Which means, we have all these Goodwill stores, selling locally BUT PRICING for a MUCH LARGER MARKET WHICH THEY ARE NOT SELLING IN. In my small town this ill-informed pricing strategy means my local Goodwill IS CHOKING ON MERCH. Shoes used to be on shelves in one area. When they raised prices, they added and area because they priced above fair market value. Then they added shelves for shoes on top of clothing racks. Then they added more shoe shelves as end caps in the aisles. I laugh at their ignorance and failure to consult professionals. They are pricing for a globally while selling to a modest, middle American market. The price which the buyer and seller are willing to do business isn't the same. Accurate appraisal factors the market where the item will be sold. Just because an apartment in Washington DC rents for a small fortune, doesn't mean someone in a small town can command the same amount because DC is not their market. Same principle applies. Checking online resale values may provide some insight into an items fair market value, but it really comes down to the price buyers and sellers in that location are willing to do business. Again, fair market value MUST determine what its audience is willing to pay, NOT what its selling for in Paris, France. If your not selling the item in Paris, it doesn't matter how much they can get if you're audience is in Bison Squat, North Dakota, population 1K. That being said, there is a complicity factor created by resellers and that is this. We ARE selling nationally or internationally, so we are able to bring a percentage of that global market value to our local communities to help them fund their missions. In short, we are often willing to pay more than your "everyday shopper" because we have that larger audience, but instead of harnessing our ability to bring the world to your small town, they too often, and once again misunderstand fair market value and price locally sold merchandise to COMPETE with us rather than to price to SELL to us.
Yeah, you would think they would try to move inventory as fast as possible. Quick money is better in the retail game. Especially if they are actually being flooded with donations.
Bravo! This is what I have tried to explain, albeit much less eloquently, when confronted with the “resellers ruined thrifting” opinion. Our local GWs price up certain brands so high that they aren’t even purchased on 1/2 off sales. And like @backwardfashion cash flow is king in resale-unsold inventory is much worse than missing out on a few bucks. AND there is enough junk for all of us.
Thank you for the excellent explanation. The value of anything is only what the market will pay for it. I once asked the manager of a local thift store how they determine their prices. His answer, "the internet". That would be fine if their buyers were online but they are walk-in customers. It's not fair to blame resellers because so many thing donated to thrift stores just go out the back into the dumpsters.
@@FreshLounger Yeah i've had store managers tell me the exact same thing. But what i don't understand is why they don't factor in some discount. Like ebay fees and shipping will account for 20-40% of the sold price depending on free shipping so why can't thrift stores starting price be 50% off their "researched value"
I used to find amazing things at my local church thrift store, but last year they let a volunteer go through everything that's donated before hand and she's made a full time business out of it. She takes everything that she thinks is worth reselling and only the crap is left. The church doesn't care because she pays for the items and it's full time free help.
There used to be a a thrift store by a place called Center for Humanistic Change. They had a full back room of donations and really inexpensive but nice items. The people who worked there under a manager were developmentally disabled and they had so much joy being able to help customers handing them a flyer or describing a product. It was fun. Then after COVID, they changed the format. They got another manager who had only one worker who was basically able to hang clothes and not like completely helpless. She didn't look like she enjoyed it much. The prices went way up, and then it just went completely out of business after a couple of years because the manager got another job. All the inventory just disappeared and the people who had so much fun working there were never seen again.
I used to work at Goodwill. Raising the prices of clothing was such a bad idea since it also affects the employees. With the higher prices, customers are waiting until the items go on sale (the color of the week) which wouldn't be until a few weeks later for that particular color. So there's perfectly high quality clothing going on the floor that nobody is buying immediately because of the higher prices. And then this means a lot of backstock for us because there isn't any room on the floor for new stock.
The Goodwill CEO makes a 6 figure salary, while not paying anything for his inventory. I went to shop there 2 days after Christmas & it was nothing, but broken zippers, on snagged fabric prom dresses, & frumpy sweaters. They used to have some good stuff, & lots of denim jackets, but now junk. They won't be around much more.
I'm an OG reseller from generations of them, back in the 70's my grandparents who raised me sold baby items from ads in the newspaper. As a six year old little girl, I set up my own little spot in my bedroom to sell my own little curated selection of baby clothes. Don't hate what you don't understand. There is not a single thing wrong with it, it's just that online selling platforms and the recession of 08 got so many people on it that the niche aspect of it that hurt NO ONE is pretty much gone.
I raised my kids by selling vintage clothes and got to be there to pick them up from school. I don't like the oversaturation either, but that's because our false matrix has shifted, people don't want to work for a-holes anymore!
Exactly! eBay has been around since 1995 and all of a sudden thrift stores or marking up their prices and going online and it's all the resellers fault. Ridiculousness. We save many items from going into the landfill which is where most end up. Oftentimes I get items that are marked 75% off because no one has an interest in them. People complaining or just whining because they didn't get to it first. Everyone has the same opportunity. It's a free market.@@solicitedadvice1771
Just saw a customer who started to yell at an employee saying their Non profit store was greedy for charging $4.99 for a T-shirt……..it’s one of the few places that actually Help people pay rent, gas, electricity bills, mattresses, medication, and give away free household and furniture items to people in need but this guy isn’t willing to pay more than a dollar. 😕 even the minimum wage is going up that it’s impossible to get even retain good workers
The first time I walked into a thrift store was in 1979 with my grandfather. I have shopped yearly at thrifts and have been aware of the changes over time. Gone are the days of when thrift stores would put items on the floor without any organization (I miss those days). Most of the old school thrifts where I live (larger Midwest town) have disappeared. In 2010, for some reason, three independent thrifts closed shop after having been in operation since, at least, the 1980s. I live about four minutes from a business-type thrift (which wasn't in the neighborhood ten years ago). Most of the time I will now drive the twenty minutes to take my donated items to a local charity rather than go to the neighborhood business-thrift where there's always at least one customer checking their phone for the obvious---research for resale. I can buy a brand new solid color t-shirt for $5 at a big box store for less than what this neighborhood business thrift is selling their t-shirts. The local charity seems to truly appreciate the donation which feels nice. I don't get that feeling when donating to the business thrift----another aspect of the old school thrifting process which is dying off as well.
Here in New Mexico the jewelry and much of the high never goes to the floor. Goodwill puts it directly online. So Goodwill is an online seller..don't blame the individual reseller. Also the Goodwills in New Mexico never have half off day or a color of the day ( like most states ) which I've never understood in such a poor economic state.
Indiana doesn’t either, and they just greatly increased the book prices now too! The Salvation Army store really has nothing, so we don’t have a lot of options here in Indianapolis.
Resellers have killed thrift stores. It used to be possible to put together a nice outfit even with a very low income. Now everything is so overpriced or it’s picked over by resellers. So gross. As if broke folks can afford to buy clothes marked up to compete with eBay.
It’s because of the resellers saying they bought something for 2.00 and selling them for 50.00 you can’t go a thrift store anymore. The deals we found are not there anymore. I don’t go to thrift stores anymore because resellers go there early and get the best things.
Haha they aint trying make a living selling trash for $100. they ripping people off . 😂😂 their prices depends on their google search . Stop defending theives. @@loriweasel7773
If people know about the resellers getting there early to get the good stuff, why dont they just go there early to get the good stuff too? What difference does it make if you arent willing to put in the effort? I'm sure some resellers are just trying to make money to survive too. Times are tough on alot people right now and reslllers aren't the only greedy people...
I own a nonprofit thrift store. We pay high costs to be businesses for rent - insurance- we like to pay our workers a good livable wage. You are right when you say we work on a small margin of profit.
Funny how you fail to mention the fact that thrift stores recieve these items at no charge. They are free. The reseller does not get their items for free.
@KathyDoucette No, they have their own cost of operating, such as storage, marketing, shipping, supplies, etc. And losses due to the thrift stores putting price tags on certain items that destroy the value of the item upon removal. And considering the ceo of goodwill makes over $750 thousand a year. I would go out on a lib here and say their cost of operation is not hurting them in the least.
@@lifesmirage1343 You said thrift stores get their product for free. While someone "gives" the thrift store merchandise there are very real costs associated with that "free product". Resellers are not the only group that has costs associated with doing business - yet so many resellers want to default to the "they get it free" mentality. Goodwill is not the only thrift store - there are many mission based groups (churches, animal rescue, health related) that have thrifts and the FREE products all have a cost. You just don't want to acknowledge that. If the salary of the Goodwill CEO bothers you thrift elsewhere. But anywhere you go they all have costs associated for that "free" merchandise. And it is especially lovely when resellers "donate" all their unwanted crap to the thrifts as a means of getting rid of it. Kudos to all of you dumping single shoes, moldy books and raggedy clothes that you don't want to deal with.
@KathyDoucette You seem very combative. I'm not looking to argue. Bottomline , when someone makes a purchase from whichever thrift store they choose, should be able to do what they want with the item without ridicule by anyone. I happen to know people who work at Goodwill and other thrifts. It is not the great humanitarian organization it portrays itself to be. When people started making the news for purchasing an item for 12.99 and it turned out to be worth thousands of dollars. That's when Goodwill decided to take all jewelry out of the stores. Regardless of what they have to pay to operate, they do much better than a reseller.
@@lifesmirage1343 Yeah - it wasn't all the reseller haul videos, it was the news stories! Not combative at all just sick of resellers with victim mentalities.
I went looking for a used, non-plastic, plant container yesterday at Value Village thrift store in Canada. The cheapest was the size of a large mug and they wanted $5 for it, their mugs start at $3 unless it's a Starbucks the tag on those are $8 or more. I think it's time to go back to yard sales and charity stores.
I repair bags and now recommended customers not to buy new as the quality keeps going down to the level of cheap knock-off, buy from thrifts getting stocks from Europe or US.
@@tomtomjustsayit8514 yeah at this point that makes sense. I often see used stuff from old navy priced higher in thrift stores than at the actual store.
A lot of nice quality clothes available at thrift stores, many new with tags. I shop online and in stores in local areas. I find thrifting cheaper than Burlington and other retail stores. The quality of the product is better too so you get more value fir your money. Even with the shipping costs. Still cheaper. It's all in the hunt for the patient shopper. Not all enjoy the process of curating an outfit through thrifting. Actually, this process applies to all areas of our lives. Food (cooking at home, growing my food), clothing (thrifting), household goods...I work in education with a degree in Finance. With inflaion at record highs in four decades. Every dollar saved adds up in my budget.
Goodwill has now stopped color tag sales and senior/veterans discount. Donators should understand they aren’t helping fixed or low income families. They throw away sooooo much it’s sad.
I have a goodwill 4min away from my home, and started to see reseller more frequently. There was a lady that waited for new racks to come out to get the good clothes.
It’s like that at all stores, and has been like that for eons. I like collecting hot wheels. There’s guys who literally know when the trucks arrive at Walmart. They will be the first in the store to grab the rarest models out of the box.
The Good Will in my area is HORRIBLE!!! They get there entire inventory FREE! I've found things with the original price with the resell tag MORE! I went looking for jeans, I can get new onsale for less! It's nuts!
Goodwill's prices have risen a lot. They are just money hungry since they get all of their products for free. They also price their goods from the trend that is on-line. Nice quality goods sale on-line for higher prices. I shop second hand because I won't shop at Walmart and buy their cheap Chinese clothes. It's all the same style, so you can meet yourself coming in the door.
Goodwill asking $31.00 for 3 piece bowl I ask the manager why so expensive she said it’s because they looking at the half price I never see half price they more expensive then Walmart
I live in upstate South Carolina. One thing i've noticed is they do not check clothes for stains holes or tears. These items should not be donated at all and left.They are bagged separately as rags. There are some people like me That would buy these at a low price because I sew and material is expensive. They used to sell rag bags.I don't know why they don't do it anymore. Also here.I don't know if it's a law or just a rule in local stores they throw away all light bulbs in lamps . So if you want to buy a lamp, you need to bring light bulbs with you to check and make sure they work.Because you do not get refunds on anything you buy at a thrift store
I will donate my clothes to my local thrift store from now on. Thred Up gives sellers next to nothing on your clothes unless they are premium name brands. With over millions of sellers on Poshmark you will be lucky to make a sale in 6 months unless you have a high selling item. I have found out that it's not worth the time you have to put in. My local store is charity owned and you can find good items every once in a while cheap.
Thrifted all my life, raised my kids in great finds. I no longer shop thrift, because keeping an eye on sales yields new merch for less. Stuff I don't have to fight and maybe damage to remove ultra sticky tags badly placed by thrift stores. Stuff that I don't get home and then find it's stained, or needs mending. I need fewer things now, and I'm not going to pay new for used.
The thing with Goodwill is even with higher expenses they are a non-profit so they don't pay as much income taxes compared to a business so they would still net out if they absorbed some of the operational costs.
Yeah, that's a great point. One might argue that instead of taxes they are investing money into community programs. But the truth is they get grants specifically for those programs.
Theft is another huge problem for thrift stores. I see a lot of empty hangers in the t shirt section where people are stuffing them under their jackets and walking out. Shrinkage has been running around 10% nationwide.
I've been thrifting since the 70's when my mom would take us for school clothes. Through the 80's until about 2010 there were a lot of quality vintage items to be found at deep discounts. I would never shop there today. It's all Walmart, Target, Shein, Forever 21, Macy's house brands and the like. I happen to be here in South Asia right now, and these thrift stores are like the US vintage Americana that was dominant in the 80's-90's. A lot of old school brands and new old stock here in Bangkok and in Tokyo. I often wonder if they've raided our stores as well, because there are 2 entire mall sized floors of these clothes in vendor shops in Chatuchak as well as throughout the city.
What a shame. I used to love thrifting and never bought new clothes. I let the rich people pay full price and I would pick things of quality up for next to nothing. No way I'd buy used clothes online! You have to check for lice, pee/blood/poop in the crotches of pants and BO in shirts. Not to mention stains and tears in the fabric. Dur. I once got a 1000K $ suit for $7 at my favorite church thrift store! Wore it to many nursing interviews and it was fabulous. Looked better than the person interviewing me most of the time! I'm disabled now and no longer enjoy my old hobby. Most of the art and antiques in my home were from thrifting. Loved all the books too back in the day. Been a long time and I'm sorry for this generation not to get to experience life as it once was.
yeah it sure is nice to have an emotional connection to the items that you've thrifted. Most life experiences have gotten worse due to technology. It's sad. I was born in the wrong generation
Actually I noticed in the rural areas the thrift stores price items higher than bigger cities. And items tend to be lower quality in low income areas such as my rural area.
I work for a thrift shop as a Volunteer. We do charge more than we did in earlier years. We are a chaity and that is why we charge more. ALL our money goes to supporting those in need. All anyone needs to do is to attend our office (not the shop) and ask for support. They will then receive all the support they need. If someone approaches us in the store asking for a reduction in price, we refer them to the support section. Prices everywhere are higher than before. In order to provide appropriate support we do need more money than previously. Yet our prices are still way below anything you will pay for new clothes.
My local Goodwill stores are not trying to look like a boutique, they are still a mess! 😄 They put broken items on the shelves and just jam stuff willy-nilly onto the shelves. It’s kind of “chicken-egg” thing; they would sell more inventory if the prices were lower but they think increasing prices will bring in more revenue. 🤷🏻♀️
Goodwill experience is also different than it was decades ago. Clothes are organized and put on racks according to size, color and category. I remember shopping when I was little and it was men/women/kid clothing all mixed together and you literally had to sift thru a rack to possibly find something my size. I personally seen Goodwill workers in action at the federal building I worked at when I was active duty Coast Guard. The workers were bussed in and cleaned the 10 story building overnight including bathrooms, halls and emptying trash. The workers ranged from just getting out of prison to autistic and needed assistance getting to/from work. Goodwill is still a good organization to donate to because I have personally seen them help people. I understand the CEO makes a LOT of money but they do help people and I get cheaper name brand clothes.
@@monicamckelvey1165 Yes they DO GET paid!!! We asked several of them and they said it was like a job and they get paid. I do not think they would have had a reason to lie to us but I don't know for sure. They said they get paid and they have their own place and Goodwill helps w/ transportation and getting them jobs and to/from the job site.
I no longer waste my time at thrift stores. I live in Hawaii so I understand the rent prices are high but when inventory prices for used is more expensive than the clearance prices at stores who sell new I don't see the point in buying it. I used to buy used comic books and professional attires at Savers and Goodwill but over the years they started charging more than for-profit stores. I now time my purchases, I do visit for-profit vintage stores because sometimes they do carry better inventory that can easily be sorted through for still a fraction of the price brand new.
Yeah I think that is the normal trajectory. I started out going to thrift stores a lot, but I had no clue what I liked. Now I buy most of my stuff on ebay because the curation of it. I miss the hunt though.
The prices at the thrift store by my house are insane. Sometimes you can get the item brand new for less than what that thrift shop wants. They are charging full retail or even more. I no longer even go there to look.
Local thrift shops are supposed to be charities that do good works in the community. They get donations and sell on line for bigger money like Shop Goodwill. Way too much effort is going into selling at top dollar than doing the charity work they're supposed to exist to do.
It’s to bad thrifting has changed. When i started thrifting it was a wonderful way to decorate my home. I could find by premium items at great thrift prices. I had great luck finding table lamps, wonderful clothing including, coats, high end sweaters and skirts or leather jackets. All at a very low price. My favorite shopping was for art,or interesting items to decorate my home. I no longer thrift for much. But when I do, i don’t find the quality of items i found in the past. I do watch several resellers just to enjoy their hunt for items to resell. However, I also feel they have caused a great deal of the current issue with thrift store prices going up.
The Salvation Army near me still has great prices. They also offer senior discounts and once a week they have a sale on whatever color tag that week. There is a local church thrift that is in a basement, and they have great prices and brown bag sales to clear their merch out. They get tons of donations. The Goodwill is a totally different operation, they don't give squat to anyone from their profits. They have this whole thing down, get free merch, sell it higher than thrift stores and keep the coins. I know or at least, I believe they pay their employees, but I think the S.A. does too. Thrift has volunteers. It's harder to get volunteers and most are elderly. But also, there are some thrift stores that's prices have gone up soooo high, I don't bother going in there anymore.
Goodwill has a lot of junky clothing, too, that is priced a standard high price. They will put something on a rack that newer clothing is on. Old Navy sold pj bottoms on Black Friday for $5. Thrift stores can keep their clothing if I can get something cheaper brand new. Goodwill policies are not consistent either. In PA, you can still find a colored tag for 50% off but in NJ, they've started only giving you 2 colored tags on Sundays only. Other than that, you pay what they choose to price an item 6 days of the week. I now shop at 2nd Ave. Thrift that gives daily discounts. They reward you if you spend $100 with 10% off your next purchase, too.. Every so often, they will have a 50% off certain departments for 3 days.
The Goodwills, there's 2 in my low income Midwest town, no longer have ANY sales. There used to be a discount card, it is no longer for discounts. I'm not sure why they have it now. You pay the full, high price. No longer the same price for all items of a kind. Many clothes have stains or defects (rips/tears). The prices are all over the place. Broken, dirty items for full price. I only go when I'm really bored. You truly can buy some items cheaper at Walmart.
They carry junk and things that are poor quality and want to sell it to the public as if it was new. Horrible clothing, broken, chip dishes and glass items that are more expensive at Walmart, dollar tree and other retailers, their greed is a huge turn off to many people that loved going thrifting and garage sales. I no longer do garage sales because of greedy resellers. I now only give to real charities, friends/family or sell online. The greed has spoiled the thrill of the hunt.
My small town has 3 great options for second hand items. We have a church run thrift store, a Goodwill, and a cute vintage store. I try to visit each one at least monthly. Some days I score great finds and some days are duds. My style is vintage French country and I’m always changing decor in my home according to the seasons. I haven’t noticed high prices, but it’s probably because I’m not searching for valuable name brands to resale.
@@trishredding8009 there are still deals to be found. I’d say most thrift stores are expensive but there are definitely places around the country that have hidden gems
We have a priceless one in my small town. I have gotten nearly everything I wear for years at that shop. Armani slacks: $1, formals $10, a vintage designer cashmere coat, $10. My biggest treasure is a sterling silver and turquoise Navajo concho belt: $2. It uses all it's profits for scholarships. I think one reason it's so great is that we have a lot of new, fancy subdivisions a few miles away. Those people have plenty of money and buy great stuff at retail in San Antonio (about an hour away). I used to make all my clothes but I can't make stuff this cheap. God bless the ladies that donate Chico's and Liz Claiborne in my size and taste!
Reselling has been around for over 30 years. It isn't the resellers fault prices have gone up. Thrift stores have chosen to become as competitive as retail. They're no longer a charity. They're a corporation.
@MyButtercup Goodwill is a reseller. So is every major department store and designer. Everything comes from China or Indonesia. Resellers work their asses off on the contrary. Everyone thinks they can be a reseller but not many have the stamina or know how. Probably 1% are actual UA-cam influencers. The rest have been doing reselling probably before you or I was born. eBay has been around since 1995. Everyone blames the resellers but it's actually corporate greed. Everyone has the same opportunity to go get the items they want. And there's plenty to go around for everyone. In fact the majority of what goes to the thrift stores ends up in the landfills. Resellers do the planet a favor by recycling goods that are going to be thrown in the trash.
What bothers me is people thinking goodwill provides anything more than jobs. That goes for individuals as well as companies and corporations. And their prices just keep going up for their own profit privately owned Goodwill.
If the thrift stores have more competition then they should be lowering the prices, not raising tgem so they can compete with online secon hand sellers.
You would think so. But I imagine that people are still spending these high prices. You would have thought thrift stores would have lowered their prices if they didn’t have the demand
This! Thrift stores are supposed to be a vehicle to allow people with low income to have access to good quality clothing and housewares. Not to be a hobby for bored people or resource to flip online. The humanity has been smothered by greed. Greed by the big chain stores hiking up prices and greed by resellers.
I know this ship has sailed. But I wish people would've shut the hell up about their sources and how much they made. Seriously. Shut up! It is not endless.
I see so much Walmart, SHEIN and other cheap brands at thrift stores for above what you’d pay at the actual store.
Yeah George jeans above their retail price. Classic
Yepp
Right ??? That’s nuts !
I refuse to buy from shops like Shein, Temu etc. But I've noticed a significant decline in offerings at retail stores and Amazon too. I still have a wool coat I bought in the 90s but it's too small. Wanted to find similar and went to the same store. Now the coats they have are synthetic, as thin as a sweatshirt (legit could see the outline of my shirt underneath), no lining and shoddily made... But still $175. WTH? So I'm very choosy about buying new now too. But all that crap is ending up in thrift stores now and at a mark up! Soon thrift stores will just be full of garbage. Dystopian.
I don't go in thrift stores but i have been told that before, that they mark up prices on used stuff. Also you donate them stuff, they markup the price, and you get nothing in return. Also most thrift stores are also supposedly charities. If they were real charities they would give what you donate them to a person in need for free, not sell it at marked up prices. Also i know a former Goodwill worker that said they threw useable stuff away sometimes. I have found that Holiday Bureau gives items to needy families for free, so if you want to donate stuff to a real charity, they are. Or women's shelters and homeless shelters.
I can get cheaper NEW products at Dollar Tree than I can at Goodwill for used items. And the CEO of Goodwill makes millions. Its all greed!
Yeah but don’t get me started on dollar tree the one near me is selling things for $5 lol
FACTS
Honestly can't count the times I've seen a Dollar Tree item selling for 2 or 3 dollars.
I've seen party supply items, new in the pack, for $2.99 at the thrift. More than double Dollar Tree!
Someone from another video said CEO of goodwill does not make millions.
That it is $707,000.
This is why I don't donate to goodwill I only give to churches!!!!
I also donate to Disabled American Vets and Salvation Army. They both help niche populations and are not for-profit thrift stores. SA does a lot of charitable activities and have an excellent rehab program for addicts.
The church/faith based resale shops in Texas are some of the highest priced places around! We’re about to have an Arctic cold front and what’s not on sale locally are coats and sweaters…sounds really Christian to me!
I prefer donating to the local nonprofit animal charity.
@MaryC-ug4pf
Where I used to live had a thrift store attached to the animal shelter where all sales and donations went. 👍👍👍
I also stopped donating to Goodwill and won’t shop there any more.
I think corporate greed has to be considered as a factor too. Especially when thrift stores basically get all their donations for free and still jack up the prices. My local Goodwill is no longer affordable, because they’ve even overpriced crappy items.
@@edlane1883 absolutely!! Money over everything
Agreed! Our Goodwill almost doubled their prices over the last few years. We decided we will only donate and go to a local charity thrift now.
I'm in South Texas and thought it was only here. I don't travel out of my city much. So I buy here.
@@myramartinez450good for you. Can’t beat buying local
They do not even check their Donated items for Damage.
They sell items that are stained , torn or ripped, so if you miss that , too bad for you , NO RETURNS .
The good stuff is going out the back door before it his the floor
Yeah it's not just Goodwill, I know of a big operation in Passaic NJ that has a secret online presence where they sell all the high end stuff
@backwardfashion yes under a different name
I want a song with those lyrics 🎵
You are right.
@@joannethomas3609 excuse me, do you know the name? Thanks
In store sales are now cheaper than second hand stores.
Yeah, but it's garbage.
@@beccssmith6285 It depends. If you can buy vintage clothing, then I always do that in a thrift.
/r/thriftgrift
Honestly, I wait until black Friday or boxing day sales to get clothes.
But quality sucks
There is NO reason for FREE STUFF to be soooo high. If they lowered their prices then, they would have more revenue. SIMPLE.
so true!
That’s a fact!
Agree with this!
it makes me want to start a thrift store myself and sell everything for 2 bucks.. cause it just seems insane for thrifting to be so expensive..
This post shows you know nothing about retail. There are great prices to pay just to have a store....rent, heat, hydro, equipment needed to run a decent business, supplies that you don't think about, and wages that keep being forced up by the government. It's not like having a yard sale.
The workers pick out the gold jewellery and buy it all up for just a few bucks , absolute true fact .
They make horrible money and have terrible employers. I have no issue with them sniping anything they can.
😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
Good Will has raised the prices on all their clothing items, not just high end items. A t-shirt at GW use to cost $4.99 here in Northern CA. Now t-shirts at my local GW cost $6.99 no matter the brand or the condition. I can buy a brand new, never wore T-shirt at Walmart, Ross or Marshalls for less.
It's sad but TJ Maxx has replaced thrift stores in terms of excitement and assortment!
One of Goodwill's stated missions (on their site): "Your donations help provide affordable goods to local families, ensuring quality products remain accessible to them to meet their immediate needs." They now cheat the community's poor and sell them junk, like used Dollar Tree mugs, for $4.99 (plus tax).
Cheap thrift clothes have gone up because CEOs producing these clothes are relying on YOU to send their kids to college, buy several mansions, yacht upkeep, private jets, all the while paying slave wages and promoting unsafe working conditions. And these clothes make it to thrift stores in record numbers because YOU keep consuming that fast and ill-made fashion and then discarding them after a year because a seam ripped or to keep up with the ever-changing 'trends' (how I hate that word) that happen four times per year. Sheesh, it's simple really. (BTW, Goodwill is NOT a thrift store.)
@@backwardfashionour tj maxx has gotten rid of their clothing to goodwill and now tj maxx focuses on home decore.
It's called greed. And it's going to backfire
The last couple times I went to thrift stores I didn’t even buy anything. The days of finding really cool stuff are long over. Glad I got to enjoy thrifting before it became so trendy and the prices started going up. In the pre internet days it was amazing….now it’s just a lot of cheap crap.
I can't imagine the types of deals people got before resellers could check price comparisons on the internet
It is all made in China.
Yep. I raised 3 kids on thrift stores. Kids out grow clothes so fast. Even standard toys like large blocks and shape sorting toys were plenty and affordable. I miss those days…
@ yeah they charge a crazy amount for small bags of unsorted legos
I am finding myself going through the stores and leaving empty handed. I hope they know their usual buyers are walking out spending $0. Resellers are easily half their market and if they keep on pushing us out, they will eventually find out who they messed with.
I'd like to see the profit gain/loss of Goodwill over the past 5 years compared to cost of living. Their prices have skyrocketed. Some items are marked above the original retail price.
I started looking into this. So time consuming to do the research. I did notice that goodwill donations are down. I guess more people are selling clothes on their own?
@@backwardfashion Thanks for looking into it and for your reply. I tried researching it too and found it wasn't as straightforward as I'd hoped. I'm surprised to hear their donations are down. Even with all the reselling keeping items out of donations, clothing production (especially fast fashion) keeps increasing at an unsustainable rate.
@@backwardfashionwe have a goodwill right across a Walmart. I’ve noticed that many times you can get a similar item at Walmart cheaper than the goodwill price. As for donations being down, through word of mouth and online local sites, we’ve learned of other areas to donate to. We have a resell shop for our local hospice. All proceeds go to hospice. We donate to homeless shelters. A few churches sell on a certain day used clothing for like a quarter each. We have several church clothing sites, some free. Plus a local Salvation Army. We also have an online buy nothing group. And people list what they have for free. There’s a group called something like, mothers of the traveling crib, and people pass clothes and furniture for babies and toddlers around like hand me downs. These are in addition to our local marketplace where people will sell stuff pretty cheap. People post in our local group a picture of stuff and say, it’s in my yard or on my porch. Free to whoever wants it. Gone tomorrow. There are better options now. The one advantage to goodwill is dropping off is fast and easy. We even have people who go around taking your scrap for recycling for cash. There are people who take old appliances, repair and resell. Just so many options.
Just yesterday I saw a price tag of 3.99 on an item and it had the original tag of $1.99?!
You can look it up on the internet. Every USA charity has to file a report with the government
Well done presentation with great research. I’ve been thrifting since 1991 and have seen all the changes you listed. You didn’t mention that Goodwill cherry picks the high value items and sells them online so the higher quality items never make it to the stores.
Very sad to see the changes in the thrift stores.
Yeah I missed that one! I have bought stuff on shopgoodwill before. 1 time I bought a box of like 50 designer sunglasses cases for local pickup. Was a decent flip!
@@backwardfashionSo, you’re flipping stuff, too?
We see that here 🇬🇧. Julia's house notorious for it amongst others.
Not to mention their “boutiques”. They price everything too high then send it to the bins/landfill. I donate to local community organizations that give the items away.
@ thank youuuu
The other thing too is goodwill themselves is selling the good stuff on their own eBay pages.
Goodwill has their own auction site for this purpose. Anything worth anything (from Rolexes to Lego figurines) is sent to a facility for appraisal prior to listing. The facility has specialized (and presumably expensive) equipment to detect gemstones, etc.
@MrSkullhead1 yes they do but some good wills still have their own eBay pages too
The CEO could end up like that other dude lol
@@smuckerpabloshould*
Resellers ruined it. They complain about prices and then upsell even more
That's because each item has time and effort put into it. Villainizing people who work hard, pay for their product and put time and effort into presenting it to their target market is absurd.
Clothes are donated. That means free. Reseller are capitalizing on people who don't want to go to the thrift store. There's more than enough second hand Clothes to go around and send overseas. I'm not a Reseller, just like thrifting for unique old peices. The Goodwill has lost its d mind. Plus the thrift store in my area has discontinued color of the week. Goodwill, goodbye!
You are correct. Don't listen to the resellers here. They ruined it for everyone, not to mention the employees with their stash, the greedy CEOs & store managers, etc. I can go to Wally World and buy a new pair of generic jeans that fit for a couple of bucks more then what GW charges. Ridiculous.
Yes they did. They taught goodwill to do the reselling themselves and now have their own auction site. While raising my kid, it's been hard to find good things at thrift shops, from toys to clothes. Resellers take all the best stuff away from the community and send it somewhere else just like goodwill does.
Resellers buy products to sell.. GW does not!!!!!
Back in the day, there used to be a thrift shop in a rich neighborhood near me that was run by the “ladies who lunch”. It was where I bought every cashmere coat (not more than $20) that I wore for twenty years. You could try it on, look in the mirror, feel the fabric, see the condition. Searching for the great finds was fun, and the quality was, of course, through the roof. That’s just one more simple type of entertainment that young people miss out on now. It’s sad.
That sounds like my dream thrift experience!
I did that as well! Good times!
Yes! Oh the times I used to have at the Jr. League resale shop in DC!! And there were other resale shops like Second Hand Rose that were fabulous. Yes on things like classic and very inexpensive cashmere coats and I even got a true Burberry raincoat for like --well, for like $25.00! I was new to my govt career and I dressed so well in those early years. Decades later I furnished a whole farmhouse with things from the Salvation Army. Nice things/furniture/"oriental" rugs, not cast-off Hobby Lobby stuff. I watch thrift channels on UA-cam and love to look now that I'm retired and in the stage of life where my big issue is what to do with my things rather than trying to get more. Not trying to be irritating. I'd trade any possessions for years at this stage.
@@countryfrau8328 Hah! It was a Jr. League shop !
I stopped donating to Goodwill years ago for this reason. Now, I keep tabs on local charities (mostly churches that operate free food pantries and clothing closets) that take in donations of clothing, furniture, food, etc. When I have something to donate, I go through the local charities because then I know the stuff will be given to a person in need and not sold to enrich another shady corporation.
@@thedystopiandollhouse yeah that’s what I’m going to start doing! Makes an actual impact
I never donate to thrift stores. i give my things for free to people who actually need them for free. Not to resellers.
Yeah if you have the opportunity to do that, I definitely recommend it!
A thrift store isn't just for people in need. Thrift stores have an abundance of items. As a stay at home mom reselling was a way for me to make a lot of money while not having to work full time and take too much time away from my children.
Most resellers usee it to supplement income or to help pay bills. Disabled people resell, children resell, single mothers and fathers, ex convicts. Everyone, really. It's not bad to do so.
It's ok for goodwill but not for everyday people?
@@Ashley-mt8uf I'm not against reselling! Resellers do provide value and a service. Most people don't have time to go thrifting or to flea markets but are still looking for that piece of nostalgia. But I think it's the social media element that lit a fire under reselling and all the thrift stores woke up to it.
Goodwill is a for profit thrift store chain.
Not supposed to be but is
Goodwill even sells franchises...
When I found this out a couple of years ago, they stopped getting my donations.
If you look up the life style of the owners of this Franchise is beyond crazy
I have stopped donating to this greedy organizations that pretend to be charities. They get their product for free. Their greed has create the problem.
Goodwill is pricing their items too high and will soon go out of business.
Totally true many of my friends no longer go Thrifting. I see a trend that people are not willing to give them their money on free merchandise that they get for free. They will eventually fail, greed always does.
@ I agree with you!
I hope they do. Charity work isn't taking what we give them free and making high profits off of it. Smh.
@ they are no longer thrift stores.
They just announced that they're cutting off promotions and color half off days. I will not shop there anymore.
I understand to some degree but thrift stores have more donations than they can handle. Look at the Goodwill Outlet (the bins) for example, all the donations go there when no one buys them at Goodwill. There are very nice things along with designer items at the bins. It’s frustrating when I hear it blamed on resellers. If anything resellers are saving so many items from going to landfills and I don’t understand why the thrift stores are raising their prices when resellers are bringing them more business, and their sells are higher than ever. Why are they pricing like a reseller when they get it all for free?! I can’t tell you how many items I come across that are priced higher than they were new in the store. I miss when Goodwill priced everything a flat rate like shirts $5.99 etc. I know, for a fact, if they priced things lower, they would sell so much more especially to those families who truly need those savings to cloth their children.
Yeah resellers are just one small part of it. I don't think true resellers are the problem. It's the one's who glamorize it on TikTok and Instagram. Then the thrift store management sees these viral videos and think they are sitting on a gold mine. Truth is resellers existed and thrived before TikTok.
Tons and tons are sent to Africa, India, South America We are having a serious problem with dumping of secondhand clothing. Look at the mountains of dumped clothing in developing countries . The problem is that there are trade agreements with America where some African countries must buy a certain percentage of used clothing from America. There are articles written on this topic.
Agree with you. Thrift store inventory is free. Greed.
Well said it used to be exciting going to the op shop now it’s just to expensive and difficult to buy anything. The prices are crazy now.
@@backwardfashion I used reselling as a stop gap when I got laid off. It was a way to basically employee yourself without a good car. I don't understand the hate. It's work. The most common item I was able to sell was scrap booking supplies. They often were out of print, and selling for 99 cents, so I could sell them to someone who needed them for 30 dollars. Typewriters were another favorite. I'd get one 20 dollars, fix it and sell it for 200 dollars. Clothing I tried. It was not my wheelhouse. I tried and it wad hard. More work for less reward. Mountains and mountains of lularoe to find something for 100 dollars.
In Canada, we have Value Village and their prices are often equal or more than would be paid for the exact same product in the retailers. Any good quality items are snatched up but resellers as soon as the doors open. I feel badly for those in need.
@@Nicole-xd1uj yeah we have value village in the states too. It’s all part of the savers network of stores
@Nicole-xd1uj There is so much stuff on this earth. There is plenty for everyone. Value Village / Savers is a billion dollar company. They don't care about the needy.
I agree ✌️🇺🇸
Don’t feel bad, there are free resource for those in need, funded by state and available by local charities. My goodwill has a list at counter for free cloths for those under a certain income.
Too bad there are greedy people everywhere, not just here in USA.
I quit going to thrift stores long ago. Top prices for dirty, stained, torn, wrinkled, junk.
I'm grateful for the local mom and pop thrift stores that are still able to keep pretty low prices.
I see that some items at Goodwill are actually sold at Dollar Stores but the thrift store doubles the price of the item! Some pots/ pans are in such bad shape, they should be tossed, not sold. Cheaper to buy new elsewhere. Clothes are overpriced at thrift stores as well. I very seldom ever find anything there worth their price... would rather buy new....
Don't get me started on dollar tree lol. The one near me is selling items for 3 or 5 dollars.
@backwardfashion we had floor fans in Dollar Tree this summer for 20.00! Prices are all over the place there now.😩
I saw a mug i had from dollar tree at Goodwill. My husband asked if I wanted it. I am NOT paying 6 dollars for a 1 dollar (at the time) mug. They are on crack.
@@backwardfashionAnd no longer $1.25 which adds up quickly.
Thrift stores are in trouble. They don't get good donations. ...they up prices. The people who shop them won't put up with higher prices for used items so sales will decline.
I stopped at local thrift store St. Vincent de paul in my area.
Supposed to be for poor people.
Moment I walk in the store I notice very few shoppers.
Its a nice store wheres the customers?
Secondly I notice shoppers are carefully deciding if they should pay prices of that item.
Third I noticed how expensive used junk really is marked up.
Fourth I noticed massive amounts of clutter all over the store.
I'm not willing to spend hundreds of dollars thrifting.
Therefore I just see no need in thrifting.
they never put the good stuff out for people,. the pick out the good stuff and sell it elsewhere $$$$.
I work at a NON PROFIT thrift store. We give out scholarships, help abuse women and children with shelter, give free clothing to people with vouchers, we help maintain the city park and we help the local hospital with funds for the cardiac unit and we also employ people so they can earn an income. We also have to pay our lease, electricity, maintenance/up keep inside & around the building. Any repairs for the building is on us. We had a nice donation on a north face coat. We put $50. The uproar from 1 customer. (They say, We get it for free, this is a thrift store, we came in because we don’t have the $). The reg price for that jacket was well over $200. If you NEED a jacket we sell jackets starting at $4. or you can get one for free with a voucher. If you want an almost new North Face jacket it’s $50. We have expenses that need to be met, AND we want to continue to give to our community. We are not Goodwill that is a multi million dollar for profit company. Wish people stop comparing us to them. Not everyone that comes into the thrift store is down on their luck. They too are FOR PROFIT and reselling.
I studied economics in college. We were taught that businesses are supposed to price their items at the highest price that the market will bear. The right price for the jacket was about $135. If you only had one of those jackets, you should hold out for that one customer who is willing to pay for it.
The next time a customer questions your prices ask them if they hold a degree in economics. Then IGNORE them.
It was just somebody who has never run their own business lipping off as if they are an expert.
I would just say,
"You are looking at the price tag right here. The price is fifty dollars. Do you want it or not?
If you do not want it, I can put it back on the rack for someone who does."
You help abuse women and children???
WTF
@ that’s exactly what we did. She said she didn’t have a lot of money. I showed her other coats from $4 to $10. Nope. Then she went on Google to leave us a bad review. I do notice people that do complain, are more than likely there to resell. Other customers are so happy to find a coat for less than $10. Thanks for your advice.
Thank you for your comment ❤I’m now going to research non profit thrift stores in my area. Would much rather give my dollar to them ❤ 😊
I was recently in a volunteers of America store where i found 2 identical insulated tumblers. One with its lid 1.49. One without its lid 4.99. Theres no rhyme or reason behind the pricing. I often think it comes down to whoever is in charge of the sticker gun for the day. There was also a plastic lego bucket. No legos..just the bucket for 12.99. Why? Whos paying 12.99 for a lego bucket? For 25.00 i can have the bucket and the legos that beling in it.
Please know that customers often empty things. My guess is that the cup you looked at originally had a lid, and the bucket of Legos originally had Legos in it. What you saw were probably thefts!!
@laurabobovich5724 even if it had a lid at one point, why was it 3 and a half dollars more than the identical cup I actually purchased? And who steals just a lid? Legos weren't stolen. They had package tape wrapped around the bucket to prevent the lid from being separated. It's just their ridiculous prices.
@@heathertackett7956 I'm sorry but you are wrong. If you cared at all you would have taken those items to the manager and ask the same question.
@@laurabobovich5724how can you Tyrell heather she is wrong? Were you there? I think she is spot on. I see the same thing happening at my thrift stores all of the time. And why would someone steal all the Legos out of a Lego bucket and not take the bucket? That doesn’t even make sense. Of course they were pricing just the Lego bucket for $12.99.
I know one thing that drives the price up at Goodwill is a CEO that makes almost $600,000 a year!
I thought it was more than that. Like at least a million
As a former brick and mortar resale shop owner, here's your answer - rent, electricity, internet, water, credit card fees, liability insurance, business taxes, payroll, payroll taxes, supplies, software, bank fees, maintenance. Add all those up and it costs over $5-$10k just to open the doors on even a small store every day. All those personal bills you pay that have increased- business pay them too, with even higher increases.
It's so expensive to run a thrift store. It almost doesn't make sense to even open one!
@backwardfashion you're right it doesn't make sense to open one today. But at one time it did. There are resale shops that have been in business for decades closing because of these reasons. At one time it was profitable. Now the expenses have tripled and with the economy people are spending less.
Small businesses like your former resale shop can hardly thrive these days because they get "gouged" at every turn. And they don't get their merchandise for free like Goodwill and other not-for-profit chain thrift stores do, nor their business breaks. It's a shame. I always loved small independent resale shops
I saw prices rising in thrift stores several years ago, when thrifting started getting more trendy. Last time I went to red white and blue, I couldn’t believe all the obvious resellers, they were all waiting near the door that goes into the back warehouse area, waiting for them to bring new stuff out, which they all would then descend on like vultures. It just isn’t fun anymore.
Yes! Payroll taxes are going up significantly to pay for government mismanagement of unemployment funds during the last four years.
Its called Greed and it eventually destroys everything it touches.
Goodwill isn't a charity. It's a "for profit" business. The poor aren't helped if prices are not priced right. They recently asked me if i wanted to round up to the nearest dollar to "further their effort to help poor in community"! I declined.
you should have asked them if they'd be willing to round down!
I saw a down on his luck man ask if he could get a pair of boots and some socks free, the manager (Goodwill) gave him a dirty look and told him to leave, I took the man aside and had him pick out some boots and socks and paid for it. $18 dollars! F-ing Goodwill, they need to change their name, that’s not goodwill😡
I'll tell you what happened. All the resellers blasting the profits they're making on UA-cam. Literally a guy on posh shows that walks around goodwill auctioning everything. And no he's no goodwill affiliated
@@AmericanMade-om3bn yeah that’s definitely a huge part of it!
Walking around auctioning? Now that's 😂
SO TRUE
But why does Goodwill care what a customer does with what they purchased??
@@wandacarr668they didn't but once idiots on yt channels showed what they got at goodwill and what they paid for the thrift store upped the prices resellers are still going to make money just less profit for the resellers but more profit for the thrift store.....why should resellers care if the thrift stores are raising there prices isn't it the purpose for a store to make a profit? It's a double edge sword
The good stuff is being sold on the thrift store's online website at auction and goes to the highest bidder.
In the good old days...more than half the fun was visiting thrift stores and going through the full shelves of VINTAGE stuff and gently used clothing for work. Books, records...I'm a 78 collector... were basement cheap...as well as vintage well-made furniture...that was cleaned up and gently restored before going on the floor! Most of my home furnishings came from old-day thrift stores...pieces from the 1920-40 era! I began those visits back in the 1960s...ah...the good ole days. Fast forward to today's scuffed, dirty cheap furniture, overpriced Made in China china, glassware, dirty pots and pans, smelly clothing...and above all, bloated prices!
I totally agree. I miss the old days too.
Very rare to find genuine antiques at thrift stores anymore. Even 10 years ago I would find decent antiques at Goodwill, although they often needed repair. As I know how to restore furniture, I would fix up the thrift store pieces and they'd make good additions to the household. These days all I seem to find at places like Goodwill are crappy modern particle board furniture that should've went to the dump.
It's called greed! All things are donated for free so these thrift stores are making 100% profit on items! And goodwill takes valuable donations and sells them on their e-commerce store!
I no longer donate to Goodwill. I donate to the Salvation Army instead.
They truly help the poor also. It's a great place!
I volunteered at the salvation army.
The kids bless their innocence, let escape the fact that grandpa, the guy in charge, always let them have the good stuff before bringing it in .
Did you check how much their CEO makes?
I don't mind the high prices if the store employees get paid well. But it seems to me that only the executives at Gooodwill get paid handsomely. It would be nice to see what everyone makes at these "non-profits" places.
$10 per hour. Before taxes. That what they offer. And you need to work with the schedule by your manager make for you. All weekends and holidays.
so below a livable wage. terrible.
I used to thrift all the time. Today, it takes so many more trips to many more stores to find the pieces I’m looking for. I still thrift for specific things, but I have my favorite resale shop that I buy most of my clothes from. Someone has already done the searching, cleaning, careful inspection, authentication … and I can still get a great deal on a beautiful piece that will stay in my closet for years.
So true!
The GW in my town really sucks. It's tiny compared to those I see online.
@@stj971 I've never been in a goodwill that i've been impressed with. But i think they vary greatly state to state since it's technically different "nonprofits" that run them
I live in a rural area relatively close to a major city. The only Goodwills I ever really find gems in are in the wealthier neighborhoods of that city. Our local Goodwill is not worth the trip … nor are 90% of the Goodwills within an hour drive.
First, thrift stores I know of are nonprofit organizations, which mean they are required to have a MISSION. The "mission" of your Goodwill is NOT to provide affordable clothing to "everyday shoppers", its mission is to sell donated items to provide employment and training opportunities to people with disabilities. Since there MISSION isn't to provide inexpensive items to "everyday shoppers", they don't care who they sell to nor should they.
As a certified appraiser, what thrift stores like the Goodwill get wrong is in DEFINING FAIR MARKET VALUE.
Fair market value is the price at which the buyer and seller are willing to do business. This means, when you are selling nationally or internationally, your audience or "market" is different and larger. If your local thrift store is selling exclusively to a local audience in average town America its audience or "market" is limited to what shoppers in that area are willing to pay. Which means, we have all these Goodwill stores, selling locally BUT PRICING for a MUCH LARGER MARKET WHICH THEY ARE NOT SELLING IN.
In my small town this ill-informed pricing strategy means my local Goodwill IS CHOKING ON MERCH. Shoes used to be on shelves in one area. When they raised prices, they added and area because they priced above fair market value. Then they added shelves for shoes on top of clothing racks. Then they added more shoe shelves as end caps in the aisles. I laugh at their ignorance and failure to consult professionals. They are pricing for a globally while selling to a modest, middle American market. The price which the buyer and seller are willing to do business isn't the same.
Accurate appraisal factors the market where the item will be sold. Just because an apartment in Washington DC rents for a small fortune, doesn't mean someone in a small town can command the same amount because DC is not their market. Same principle applies. Checking online resale values may provide some insight into an items fair market value, but it really comes down to the price buyers and sellers in that location are willing to do business. Again, fair market value MUST determine what its audience is willing to pay, NOT what its selling for in Paris, France. If your not selling the item in Paris, it doesn't matter how much they can get if you're audience is in Bison Squat, North Dakota, population 1K.
That being said, there is a complicity factor created by resellers and that is this. We ARE selling nationally or internationally, so we are able to bring a percentage of that global market value to our local communities to help them fund their missions. In short, we are often willing to pay more than your "everyday shopper" because we have that larger audience, but instead of harnessing our ability to bring the world to your small town, they too often, and once again misunderstand fair market value and price locally sold merchandise to COMPETE with us rather than to price to SELL to us.
Yeah, you would think they would try to move inventory as fast as possible. Quick money is better in the retail game. Especially if they are actually being flooded with donations.
Absolutely right!
Bravo! This is what I have tried to explain, albeit much less eloquently, when confronted with the “resellers ruined thrifting” opinion. Our local GWs price up certain brands so high that they aren’t even purchased on 1/2 off sales. And like @backwardfashion cash flow is king in resale-unsold inventory is much worse than missing out on a few bucks.
AND there is enough junk for all of us.
Thank you for the excellent explanation. The value of anything is only what the market will pay for it. I once asked the manager of a local thift store how they determine their prices. His answer, "the internet". That would be fine if their buyers were online but they are walk-in customers. It's not fair to blame resellers because so many thing donated to thrift stores just go out the back into the dumpsters.
@@FreshLounger Yeah i've had store managers tell me the exact same thing. But what i don't understand is why they don't factor in some discount. Like ebay fees and shipping will account for 20-40% of the sold price depending on free shipping so why can't thrift stores starting price be 50% off their "researched value"
I do more yard sales now versus thrift stores.
Goodwill actually has a crew that researches the value of the better items and sell them for high prices on their website.
@@sandyhearn8332 the cherry pickers lol
I used to find amazing things at my local church thrift store, but last year they let a volunteer go through everything that's donated before hand and she's made a full time business out of it. She takes everything that she thinks is worth reselling and only the crap is left. The church doesn't care because she pays for the items and it's full time free help.
There used to be a a thrift store by a place called Center for Humanistic Change. They had a full back room of donations and really inexpensive but nice items. The people who worked there under a manager were developmentally disabled and they had so much joy being able to help customers handing them a flyer or describing a product. It was fun.
Then after COVID, they changed the format. They got another manager who had only one worker who was basically able to hang clothes and not like completely helpless. She didn't look like she enjoyed it much. The prices went way up, and then it just went completely out of business after a couple of years because the manager got another job.
All the inventory just disappeared and the people who had so much fun working there were never seen again.
I used to work at Goodwill. Raising the prices of clothing was such a bad idea since it also affects the employees. With the higher prices, customers are waiting until the items go on sale (the color of the week) which wouldn't be until a few weeks later for that particular color. So there's perfectly high quality clothing going on the floor that nobody is buying immediately because of the higher prices. And then this means a lot of backstock for us because there isn't any room on the floor for new stock.
The Goodwill CEO makes a 6 figure salary, while not paying anything for his inventory. I went to shop there 2 days after Christmas & it was nothing, but broken zippers, on snagged fabric prom dresses, & frumpy sweaters. They used to have some good stuff, & lots of denim jackets, but now junk. They won't be around much more.
It’s OVERSATURATED with Resellers who don’t care about anything but making money.
I'm an OG reseller from generations of them, back in the 70's my grandparents who raised me sold baby items from ads in the newspaper. As a six year old little girl, I set up my own little spot in my bedroom to sell my own little curated selection of baby clothes. Don't hate what you don't understand. There is not a single thing wrong with it, it's just that online selling platforms and the recession of 08 got so many people on it that the niche aspect of it that hurt NO ONE is pretty much gone.
I raised my kids by selling vintage clothes and got to be there to pick them up from school. I don't like the oversaturation either, but that's because our false matrix has shifted, people don't want to work for a-holes anymore!
Also, we struggle as much as everyone and often, much more than people might realize. You have to be a beast now to really make good money doing this.
Exactly! eBay has been around since 1995 and all of a sudden thrift stores or marking up their prices and going online and it's all the resellers fault. Ridiculousness. We save many items from going into the landfill which is where most end up. Oftentimes I get items that are marked 75% off because no one has an interest in them. People complaining or just whining because they didn't get to it first. Everyone has the same opportunity. It's a free market.@@solicitedadvice1771
How about "they care about paying their bills".
Just saw a customer who started to yell at an employee saying their Non profit store was greedy for charging $4.99 for a T-shirt……..it’s one of the few places that actually Help people pay rent, gas, electricity bills, mattresses, medication, and give away free household and furniture items to people in need but this guy isn’t willing to pay more than a dollar. 😕 even the minimum wage is going up that it’s impossible to get even retain good workers
It is sad that the ones that actually do good work are struggling!
The first time I walked into a thrift store was in 1979 with my grandfather. I have shopped yearly at thrifts and have been aware of the changes over time. Gone are the days of when thrift stores would put items on the floor without any organization (I miss those days). Most of the old school thrifts where I live (larger Midwest town) have disappeared. In 2010, for some reason, three independent thrifts closed shop after having been in operation since, at least, the 1980s. I live about four minutes from a business-type thrift (which wasn't in the neighborhood ten years ago). Most of the time I will now drive the twenty minutes to take my donated items to a local charity rather than go to the neighborhood business-thrift where there's always at least one customer checking their phone for the obvious---research for resale. I can buy a brand new solid color t-shirt for $5 at a big box store for less than what this neighborhood business thrift is selling their t-shirts. The local charity seems to truly appreciate the donation which feels nice. I don't get that feeling when donating to the business thrift----another aspect of the old school thrifting process which is dying off as well.
Here in New Mexico the jewelry and much of the high never goes to the floor. Goodwill puts it directly online. So Goodwill is an online seller..don't blame the individual reseller. Also the Goodwills in New Mexico never have half off day or a color of the day ( like most states ) which I've never understood in such a poor economic state.
goodwills ecommerce technology is one of the things that ruined thrifting!
Indiana doesn’t either, and they just greatly increased the book prices now too! The Salvation Army store really has nothing, so we don’t have a lot of options here in Indianapolis.
@ I tried to go thrifting in Indianapolis and it was a lot of junk but that was in city proper anywhere uber distance from lucas oil
Resellers have killed thrift stores. It used to be possible to put together a nice outfit even with a very low income. Now everything is so overpriced or it’s picked over by resellers. So gross. As if broke folks can afford to buy clothes marked up to compete with eBay.
It’s because of the resellers saying they bought something for 2.00 and selling them for 50.00 you can’t go a thrift store anymore. The deals we found are not there anymore. I don’t go to thrift stores anymore because resellers go there early and get the best things.
It’s a sad reality of today’s times. I blame technology
Bullshit. Quit blaming people trying to make a living and start blaming corporate greed. Eat the rich.
Haha they aint trying make a living selling trash for $100. they ripping people off . 😂😂 their prices depends on their google search . Stop defending theives. @@loriweasel7773
If people know about the resellers getting there early to get the good stuff, why dont they just go there early to get the good stuff too? What difference does it make if you arent willing to put in the effort? I'm sure some resellers are just trying to make money to survive too. Times are tough on alot people right now and reslllers aren't the only greedy people...
@@cindyd2236perhaps because they have to be at work?
I own a nonprofit thrift store. We pay high costs to be businesses for rent - insurance- we like to pay our workers a good livable wage. You are right when you say we work on a small margin of profit.
would love to interview you about what it's really like to run a thrift store!
This is a good video
Must really annoy you when people say "they get everything for free"
Rent isn't free. Employees aren't free
@@emusaurus it is annoying. Generally people do not understand that the overhead is huge.
@@emusaurus
Well, imagine if you had to purchase inventory on top of all that???
Funny how you fail to mention the fact that thrift stores recieve these items at no charge. They are free. The reseller does not get their items for free.
The resellers are not paying for all the costs of running the store and hauling away all the FREE GARBAGE that gets donated.
@KathyDoucette No, they have their own cost of operating, such as storage, marketing, shipping, supplies, etc. And losses due to the thrift stores putting price tags on certain items that destroy the value of the item upon removal. And considering the ceo of goodwill makes over $750 thousand a year. I would go out on a lib here and say their cost of operation is not hurting them in the least.
@@lifesmirage1343 You said thrift stores get their product for free. While someone "gives" the thrift store merchandise there are very real costs associated with that "free product". Resellers are not the only group that has costs associated with doing business - yet so many resellers want to default to the "they get it free" mentality. Goodwill is not the only thrift store - there are many mission based groups (churches, animal rescue, health related) that have thrifts and the FREE products all have a cost. You just don't want to acknowledge that.
If the salary of the Goodwill CEO bothers you thrift elsewhere. But anywhere you go they all have costs associated for that "free" merchandise. And it is especially lovely when resellers "donate" all their unwanted crap to the thrifts as a means of getting rid of it. Kudos to all of you dumping single shoes, moldy books and raggedy clothes that you don't want to deal with.
@KathyDoucette You seem very combative. I'm not looking to argue. Bottomline , when someone makes a purchase from whichever thrift store they choose, should be able to do what they want with the item without ridicule by anyone. I happen to know people who work at Goodwill and other thrifts. It is not the great humanitarian organization it portrays itself to be. When people started making the news for purchasing an item for 12.99 and it turned out to be worth thousands of dollars. That's when Goodwill decided to take all jewelry out of the stores. Regardless of what they have to pay to operate, they do much better than a reseller.
@@lifesmirage1343 Yeah - it wasn't all the reseller haul videos, it was the news stories! Not combative at all just sick of resellers with victim mentalities.
Resellers and greed.
Yesss
I went looking for a used, non-plastic, plant container yesterday at Value Village thrift store in Canada. The cheapest was the size of a large mug and they wanted $5 for it, their mugs start at $3 unless it's a Starbucks the tag on those are $8 or more. I think it's time to go back to yard sales and charity stores.
@@BanCorporateGreed62 love your username!!
I repair bags and now recommended customers not to buy new as the quality keeps going down to the level of cheap knock-off, buy from thrifts getting stocks from Europe or US.
Why buy at thrift stores when you can go Burlington and get something new.
@@tomtomjustsayit8514 yeah at this point that makes sense. I often see used stuff from old navy priced higher in thrift stores than at the actual store.
Exactly 😂
Honestly I’ve stopped thrift shopping and just buy new and cheap
@@tomtomjustsayit8514 same 🤷🏾♂️
A lot of nice quality clothes available at thrift stores, many new with tags. I shop online and in stores in local areas. I find thrifting cheaper than Burlington and other retail stores. The quality of the product is better too so you get more value fir your money. Even with the shipping costs. Still cheaper. It's all in the hunt for the patient shopper. Not all enjoy the process of curating an outfit through thrifting. Actually, this process applies to all areas of our lives. Food (cooking at home, growing my food), clothing (thrifting), household goods...I work in education with a degree in Finance. With inflaion at record highs in four decades. Every dollar saved adds up in my budget.
The answer is *Greed*
Goodwill has now stopped color tag sales and senior/veterans discount. Donators should understand they aren’t helping fixed or low income families. They throw away sooooo much it’s sad.
I love it when the original retail price is on an item and then the thrift prices it higher than the original price. 😂
yeah i bought a tank top at a thrift store that i saw at walmart a few weeks later for half the price of what i paid for it 🫠
Excellent points, all. Well presented, too. Keep up the great work. Happy New Year!
I have a goodwill 4min away from my home, and started to see reseller more frequently. There was a lady that waited for new racks to come out to get the good clothes.
Yeah, the vultures lol
It’s like that at all stores, and has been like that for eons. I like collecting hot wheels. There’s guys who literally know when the trucks arrive at Walmart. They will be the first in the store to grab the rarest models out of the box.
I wonder if they will close stores since it’s cheaper to buy new at Marshall’s and Ross ?
You neglect to mention that goodwill has become more like a Dollar Store. Not everything in there is donated anymore.
Fast Fashion needs to stop. Period.
The Good Will in my area is HORRIBLE!!! They get there entire inventory FREE! I've found things with the original price with the resell tag MORE! I went looking for jeans, I can get new onsale for less! It's nuts!
Goodwill's prices have risen a lot. They are just money hungry since they get all of their products for free. They also price their goods from the trend that is on-line. Nice quality goods sale on-line for higher prices. I shop second hand because I won't shop at Walmart and buy their cheap Chinese clothes. It's all the same style, so you can meet yourself coming in the door.
And they always ask if i want to round up for the mission (CEO?)
Goodwill asking $31.00 for 3 piece bowl I ask the manager why so expensive she said it’s because they looking at the half price I never see half price they more expensive then Walmart
Yeah, sometimes i think they spin a wheel and pick a random number to price stuff
Thrift stores got greedy, people need to stop giving them free merchandise, thrift stores are supposed to be cheap for a reason
I live in upstate South Carolina. One thing i've noticed is they do not check clothes for stains holes or tears. These items should not be donated at all and left.They are bagged separately as rags. There are some people like me That would buy these at a low price because I sew and material is expensive. They used to sell rag bags.I don't know why they don't do it anymore. Also here.I don't know if it's a law or just a rule in local stores they throw away all light bulbs in lamps . So if you want to buy a lamp, you need to bring light bulbs with you to check and make sure they work.Because you do not get refunds on anything you buy at a thrift store
They probably don't want you to test the lamp and realize it's broken.
I will donate my clothes to my local thrift store from now on. Thred Up gives sellers next to nothing on your clothes unless they are premium name brands. With over millions of sellers on Poshmark you will be lucky to make a sale in 6 months unless you have a high selling item. I have found out that it's not worth the time you have to put in. My local store is charity owned and you can find good items every once in a while cheap.
Thrifted all my life, raised my kids in great finds. I no longer shop thrift, because keeping an eye on sales yields new merch for less. Stuff I don't have to fight and maybe damage to remove ultra sticky tags badly placed by thrift stores. Stuff that I don't get home and then find it's stained, or needs mending. I need fewer things now, and I'm not going to pay new for used.
"pay new for used" wish I put it that brilliantly in the video!!
The thing with Goodwill is even with higher expenses they are a non-profit so they don't pay as much income taxes compared to a business so they would still net out if they absorbed some of the operational costs.
Yeah, that's a great point. One might argue that instead of taxes they are investing money into community programs. But the truth is they get grants specifically for those programs.
Goodwill sends all the donated vintage items to their website auction. Not much there anymore.
The sales associates get first pick, so your luck of finding something valuable is cut in half.
Theft is another huge problem for thrift stores. I see a lot of empty hangers in the t shirt section where people are stuffing them under their jackets and walking out. Shrinkage has been running around 10% nationwide.
I've been thrifting since the 70's when my mom would take us for school clothes. Through the 80's until about 2010 there were a lot of quality vintage items to be found at deep discounts.
I would never shop there today. It's all Walmart, Target, Shein, Forever 21, Macy's house brands and the like.
I happen to be here in South Asia right now, and these thrift stores are like the US vintage Americana that was dominant in the 80's-90's. A lot of old school brands and new old stock here in Bangkok and in Tokyo. I often wonder if they've raided our stores as well, because there are 2 entire mall sized floors of these clothes in vendor shops in Chatuchak as well as throughout the city.
What a shame. I used to love thrifting and never bought new clothes. I let the rich people pay full price and I would pick things of quality up for next to nothing. No way I'd buy used clothes online! You have to check for lice, pee/blood/poop in the crotches of pants and BO in shirts. Not to mention stains and tears in the fabric. Dur. I once got a 1000K $ suit for $7 at my favorite church thrift store! Wore it to many nursing interviews and it was fabulous. Looked better than the person interviewing me most of the time! I'm disabled now and no longer enjoy my old hobby. Most of the art and antiques in my home were from thrifting. Loved all the books too back in the day. Been a long time and I'm sorry for this generation not to get to experience life as it once was.
yeah it sure is nice to have an emotional connection to the items that you've thrifted. Most life experiences have gotten worse due to technology. It's sad. I was born in the wrong generation
Actually I noticed in the rural areas the thrift stores price items higher than bigger cities. And items tend to be lower quality in low income areas such as my rural area.
I work for a thrift shop as a Volunteer. We do charge more than we did in earlier years. We are a chaity and that is why we charge more. ALL our money goes to supporting those in need. All anyone needs to do is to attend our office (not the shop) and ask for support. They will then receive all the support they need. If someone approaches us in the store asking for a reduction in price, we refer them to the support section. Prices everywhere are higher than before. In order to provide appropriate support we do need more money than previously. Yet our prices are still way below anything you will pay for new clothes.
if they would lower the prices they could sell more and not hold on the old merchandise
exactly. if their prices were lower, they would sell way more merchandise
Greed, social media and eBay
eBay has been around forever tho!
@@backwardfashion In the beginning eBay was much different than it is now.
My local Goodwill stores are not trying to look like a boutique, they are still a mess! 😄 They put broken items on the shelves and just jam stuff willy-nilly onto the shelves. It’s kind of “chicken-egg” thing; they would sell more inventory if the prices were lower but they think increasing prices will bring in more revenue. 🤷🏻♀️
Goodwill experience is also different than it was decades ago. Clothes are organized and put on racks according to size, color and category. I remember shopping when I was little and it was men/women/kid clothing all mixed together and you literally had to sift thru a rack to possibly find something my size. I personally seen Goodwill workers in action at the federal building I worked at when I was active duty Coast Guard. The workers were bussed in and cleaned the 10 story building overnight including bathrooms, halls and emptying trash. The workers ranged from just getting out of prison to autistic and needed assistance getting to/from work. Goodwill is still a good organization to donate to because I have personally seen them help people. I understand the CEO makes a LOT of money but they do help people and I get cheaper name brand clothes.
But cleaners don't get paid, but Goodwill makes money from using them. Big business Goodwill is. Helping people?
@@monicamckelvey1165 Yes they DO GET paid!!! We asked several of them and they said it was like a job and they get paid. I do not think they would have had a reason to lie to us but I don't know for sure. They said they get paid and they have their own place and Goodwill helps w/ transportation and getting them jobs and to/from the job site.
I no longer waste my time at thrift stores. I live in Hawaii so I understand the rent prices are high but when inventory prices for used is more expensive than the clearance prices at stores who sell new I don't see the point in buying it. I used to buy used comic books and professional attires at Savers and Goodwill but over the years they started charging more than for-profit stores. I now time my purchases, I do visit for-profit vintage stores because sometimes they do carry better inventory that can easily be sorted through for still a fraction of the price brand new.
Yeah I think that is the normal trajectory. I started out going to thrift stores a lot, but I had no clue what I liked. Now I buy most of my stuff on ebay because the curation of it. I miss the hunt though.
The prices at the thrift store by my house are insane. Sometimes you can get the item brand new for less than what that thrift shop wants. They are charging full retail or even more. I no longer even go there to look.
Where can I get a designer bag for $10, at a second hand store???
I've found many. The key is to know quality and lesser known names, and shop smaller local stores. Everyone knows Coach, not everyone knows Brahmin.
Local thrift shops are supposed to be charities that do good works in the community. They get donations and sell on line for bigger money like Shop Goodwill. Way too much effort is going into selling at top dollar than doing the charity work they're supposed to exist to do.
It’s to bad thrifting has changed. When i started thrifting it was a wonderful way to decorate my home. I could find by premium items at great thrift prices. I had great luck finding table lamps, wonderful clothing including, coats, high end sweaters and skirts or leather jackets. All at a very low price. My favorite shopping was for art,or interesting items to decorate my home. I no longer thrift for much. But when I do, i don’t find the quality of items i found in the past.
I do watch several resellers just to enjoy their hunt for items to resell. However, I also feel they have caused a great deal of the current issue with thrift store prices going up.
The Salvation Army near me still has great prices. They also offer senior discounts and once a week they have a sale on whatever color tag that week. There is a local church thrift that is in a basement, and they have great prices and brown bag sales to clear their merch out. They get tons of donations. The Goodwill is a totally different operation, they don't give squat to anyone from their profits. They have this whole thing down, get free merch, sell it higher than thrift stores and keep the coins. I know or at least, I believe they pay their employees, but I think the S.A. does too. Thrift has volunteers. It's harder to get volunteers and most are elderly. But also, there are some thrift stores that's prices have gone up soooo high, I don't bother going in there anymore.
Goodwill has a lot of junky clothing, too, that is priced a standard high price. They will put something on a rack that newer clothing is on. Old Navy sold pj bottoms on Black Friday for $5. Thrift stores can keep their clothing if I can get something cheaper brand new. Goodwill policies are not consistent either. In PA, you can still find a colored tag for 50% off but in NJ, they've started only giving you 2 colored tags on Sundays only. Other than that, you pay what they choose to price an item 6 days of the week. I now shop at 2nd Ave. Thrift that gives daily discounts. They reward you if you spend $100 with 10% off your next purchase, too.. Every so often, they will have a 50% off certain departments for 3 days.
The Goodwills, there's 2 in my low income Midwest town, no longer have ANY sales. There used to be a discount card, it is no longer for discounts. I'm not sure why they have it now. You pay the full, high price. No longer the same price for all items of a kind. Many clothes have stains or defects (rips/tears). The prices are all over the place. Broken, dirty items for full price. I only go when I'm really bored. You truly can buy some items cheaper at Walmart.
They carry junk and things that are poor quality and want to sell it to the public as if it was new. Horrible clothing, broken, chip dishes and glass items that are more expensive at Walmart, dollar tree and other retailers, their greed is a huge turn off to many people that loved going thrifting and garage sales. I no longer do garage sales because of greedy resellers. I now only give to real charities, friends/family or sell online. The greed has spoiled the thrill of the hunt.
Stop donating to Goodwill! There are other places that would take your stuff without any shenanigans.
My small town has 3 great options for second hand items. We have a church run thrift store, a Goodwill, and a cute vintage store. I try to visit each one at least monthly. Some days I score great finds and some days are duds. My style is vintage French country and I’m always changing decor in my home according to the seasons. I haven’t noticed high prices, but it’s probably because I’m not searching for valuable name brands to resale.
@@trishredding8009 there are still deals to be found. I’d say most thrift stores are expensive but there are definitely places around the country that have hidden gems
We have a priceless one in my small town. I have gotten nearly everything I wear for years at that shop. Armani slacks: $1, formals $10, a vintage designer cashmere coat, $10. My biggest treasure is a sterling silver and turquoise Navajo concho belt: $2. It uses all it's profits for scholarships. I think one reason it's so great is that we have a lot of new, fancy subdivisions a few miles away. Those people have plenty of money and buy great stuff at retail in San Antonio (about an hour away). I used to make all my clothes but I can't make stuff this cheap. God bless the ladies that donate Chico's and Liz Claiborne in my size and taste!
Reselling has been around for over 30 years. It isn't the resellers fault prices have gone up. Thrift stores have chosen to become as competitive as retail. They're no longer a charity. They're a corporation.
But now we have so many lazy people that are resellers. They even think it is a career and they are influencers. 🤮
@MyButtercup Goodwill is a reseller. So is every major department store and designer. Everything comes from China or Indonesia. Resellers work their asses off on the contrary. Everyone thinks they can be a reseller but not many have the stamina or know how. Probably 1% are actual UA-cam influencers. The rest have been doing reselling probably before you or I was born. eBay has been around since 1995. Everyone blames the resellers but it's actually corporate greed. Everyone has the same opportunity to go get the items they want. And there's plenty to go around for everyone. In fact the majority of what goes to the thrift stores ends up in the landfills. Resellers do the planet a favor by recycling goods that are going to be thrown in the trash.
What bothers me is people thinking goodwill provides anything more than jobs. That goes for individuals as well as companies and corporations. And their prices just keep going up for their own profit privately owned Goodwill.
If the thrift stores have more competition then they should be lowering the prices, not raising tgem so they can compete with online secon hand sellers.
You would think so. But I imagine that people are still spending these high prices. You would have thought thrift stores would have lowered their prices if they didn’t have the demand
The people who rely on thrift stores, can't afford to shop there anymore. Disgusting! 😮
This! Thrift stores are supposed to be a vehicle to allow people with low income to have access to good quality clothing and housewares. Not to be a hobby for bored people or resource to flip online. The humanity has been smothered by greed. Greed by the big chain stores hiking up prices and greed by resellers.
I know this ship has sailed. But I wish people would've shut the hell up about their sources and how much they made. Seriously. Shut up! It is not endless.
Preach!!!!
The rat bastards then make money while making videos on social media.
Yes! I go into my thrift stores here in FL, see retail prices and walk right out…