ShopGoodWillReviews 651

I have been shopping Goodwill's online auction for years. They have gone from bad to deplorable. I don't understand how they are not held accountable for the unconscionable way they do business. I totally agree with the negative reviews posted on this site as well as many others. To think they use their lying and cheating business tactics under the guise of helping disabled individuals. What a lie! I bid on and won an auction at the Spokane, WA Goodwill on 3/12/18. The item was lost. Spoke extensively with FedEx and it was confirmed that the package was lost. FedEx provided me with a claim number to provide to the sender. I could not believe how they basically disavowed any obligation to provide a refund. According to their policy they relinquish the claim to the buyer and It's your responsibility to get a refund from FedEx. I will never bid from this location again! They are a bunch of uncaring scumbags! They are so full of it. As others have stated, their shipping and handling is ridiculous. I believe they overcharge and keep the difference. Personally, I am on a mission to have them investigated for the way they do business. I'm contacting the BBB in Spokane and other agencies who can investigate them. On a personal note: I have a disabled daughter who works at the local Goodwill and am disgusted how Goodwill work these hardworking, dedicated workers for slave wages and it is considered legal. What kind of organization takes advantage of disabled individuals like my daughter and others to fatten the salaries of their CEOs and others in their organization? It's sad because my beautiful daughter and others love their jobs, are hardworking and just want to be accepted like anyone else. In addition to stealing from people that buy and support the local stores and online auctions, how can they take advantage of God's beautiful and special people? Woe to them. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? There is a day of reckoning for us all.

I 'won' an auction a few days ago. The clock arrived with gears and pieces inside the housing. No mention of this or photos were provided in the item description. The description stated "... this item functioned for a brief test period...". Now that's intentional deception.

I wouldn't trust the site these days. What used to be a great site and organization has turned to one of deceit, conceit and profit, forgetting who makes their paychecks, us the customer.

I won't buy from them any longer.

I can't believe how dishonest these folks are. Just received an auction where I ended up having to go pick up the box from a carrier site. In the auction, it was said that item would be shipped using UPS. Then once paid for, learned that it was FedEx. They get items for free and make PROFITS ON THEM. HANDLING COSTS CONTINUE TO INCREASE. SHIPPING CHARGES CONTINUE TO INCREASE. There is an air of demeaning customers when you ask a question. Auctions are being manipulated. I see two emails on everything I bid on. How can these two need so much stuff? But they are always present pushing prices up. Better prices on Ebay with much cheaper shipping costs. This is suppose to be preparing those folks for employment somewhere. Honestly, would you hire them?!

This was once a great site to shop. No more thoe. The new site is slow, cumbersome, and difficult to maneuver with inadequate and sometimes wrong search results. Never mind the extremely high prices, shipping charges and handling fees. And forget about last minutes bids where the site slows down and bids not accepted. It's not that I want the old website back. Improvements are good and necessary but I haven't visited an auction site as bad as with one. It just doesn't make any good that in these days of website store designs and Internet technology, goodwill allowed someone to create such an awful.

I've had, in the past two years, 10 items that I have Won, for a low price, be canceled. I sell on eBay so this would have brought a little bit of profit. But it seems each time either the item is lost, been sold, or they don't even try to make up an excuse. It just isn't here they can't find it. Has anyone else had this happened to you? I honestly think that some Goodwills, if the item doesn't make enough money in the auction, will be canceled and sold elsewhere. I know they have shops on eBay. But I just wondered if it happened to anybody else. In the last 2 months I've had two items, a painting and Brahman purse do the same thing. I'm wondering about going to the Better Business Bureau. Mimi60

Like other reviewers at first this auction site was great. I was winning low bids on awesome items right and left. Then I started to notice a pattern; whenever I had to leave a bid first because I was not going to be able to at end of auction, or I left bid a couple minutes prior to auction end because I got called into dinner or whatever, the auction would get bid up to just one increment below so they'd make sure I'd win. I started investigation and noticed it was always 2 or 3 of the same private user Id's who would jack up the bid. I've opened ticket after ticket and they never respond. Next step is the TTC! Crookedness within this honored organization, they should be ashamed of themselves! Karen Nelson

It's great once you find a few reputable shops and primarily but from them. I always check the handling and shipping fees before placing bids, sometimes they are over the top and scam money that way. Best ways to buy is buying bulk lots, less known but expansive brands, and buying several lots from the same store to combine shipping (but make sure the store allows this). Also be careful by checking the pictures closely, I purchased a coach purse in "new" condition that smelled and had a large stain at the bottom. I went back and saw they didn't show the bottom of the bag in the picture. On the other hand, I bought a gorgeous like new condition Dooney and Bourke leather bag for a total of $20, from the same store. So basically you either get lucky or not.

I have watched quite a few items over the months but this was my first purchase, the item was an electronic item and the listing did say that they have no way of fully testing the item, but they offer a return policy so I bid on and won the item. When I received it and plugged it in it was obviously not working, no LED lights coming on, nothing, so I contacted them to start the refund policy. The item also came with a "Handling Fee" and a pretty expensive shipping fee that were tacked on at checkout, HOWEVER, now that I wish to return the item they are telling me that they will not refund the original shipping or handling fee and that I would be responsible for the return shipping. And I'm sure as soon as they get it back it will go straight back onto their website to sell to the next person. IT'S QUITE A CLEVER LITTLE SCAM THEY HAVE GOING ON, AND IN THE NAME OF CHARITY! Try not to give them your hard earned money.

So i've gotten very involved in the site recently, buying nearly every day. I find some great items for good prices (i let go of the overpriced and non authentic stuff which sadly there is a LOT of) but what really gets me - is with some luxe high end items, i have put a number of these items on my watch list. Some of them strangely "disappear" - UNTIL the auction is over. So there clearly is a way to hide these auctions, and its also clear to me that there are some criminal techies who are cashing in on high end stuff for ridiculously low prices, ie $9.99 for a vuitton worth at least $300 used. This is worse than criminal as not only are these dishonest people shaking people's trust in shopgoodwill by essentially stealing donated items; taking away any fair opportunity from buyers to actually bid; but they are also cheating goodwill out of their earnings and just totally gaming the system. Its really... ugh. Awful, i have watched this happen again and again so i am quite sure its not a fluke, its a scam likely discussed between fellow scamming parties. Shame on you, who act as tho you support a CHARITY but are basically just thieves.

I am embarrassed to say how much I've spent at this site. I will admit that some items were really great and I got a good deal. I shop for items that are rare, unique or very hard to find as well as items I can get a good deal on. Everything went well until I decided I needed a new flat screen tv and thought... hey... why not. So far I've always had a good experience. I saw a smart tv and the description was good. Stated it turned on, but didn't really elaborate on whether all the functions worked. So I thought... eh... what the heck I'll put in a bid. Once I put in a bid, I realized it had a reserve of 200.00. I contacted the store through the message system at the site and asked them if all the functions worked and expressed my concern that they had such a high reserve with very little information on whether it actually fully worked or not. I received a message stating that they were unable to test all the functions and that they would lower the reserve to 150.00. I ended up taking a chance and won the bid. The TV arrived, powered on, turned on netflix and guess what... ZERO sound! Now I can see not being able to test certain things like the smart tv functions but the SOUND!? Anyway... I was able to get around that by plugging in external speakers, but it's still horrible sound. That was my first disappointment with goodwill.

The second purchase I made that was a total disappointment was a brand new, in the original box air fryer. The pictures all showed it still in the wrapping, Styrofoam... etc. So I thought... how can I go wrong here... right? Well, I got the air fryer, plugged it in... and NOTHING! They can't check these kinds of things!? Come on!

The other thing I have recently noticed is that the shipping and handling fees are getting outrageous. When I first started on this site a couple years ago, it didn't seem that bad. I did noticed that the stores closer to my location were cheaper, but I noticed the other day an item that I could ship for less than 5.00 had a handling fee of 4.00 and over almost 30.00 shipping. That put the item well over NEW price from the store up the street. Why on earth would anyone bother? Not ALL stores charge ridiculous prices, but the ones who do are ruining it for the others.

I will admit I've gotten some great deals on things I couldn't have gotten anywhere else, but lately it's getting worse and not worth the bother. I no longer purchase anything electronic and if the shipping and handling is crazy... forget it. I find myself looking at the site less and less now. It's really a shame and turning into a scam!

I have bought some wonderful paintings and have been a customer for many years. No more. The new website is absolutely terrible. I now need a magnifying glass to see the art and, even at that, I don't get a really good idea of the quality.

Also, shipping charges are ridiculous and $4.00+ handling fees for what? After all, Goodwill robbers got this stuff for free. I don't even donate to them anymore and give to thrift shops that really do good in the community.

I made a bid on an auction listing twice at shopgoodwill.com from different GW & won both the items listed in the auction end, & both times paid for what I owe promptly only to receive an item(s) nowhere near in terms of product brand, condition, type of item & realized auction price as described in shopgoodwil.com's listing. I bought & paid for a working CD player but ended up receiving a broken CASSETTE player on one & I bought & paid over $299.00 for a Bang & Olufsen of Denmark turntable & ended up receiving an inexpensive Pioneer turntable instead. Nowhere to be found at these Goodwill are the actual items I bought & paid for.

Do the items in the auction listing actually exist or were the items shipped to another (lucky) buyer who paid for an inexpensive item but is not obligated to return the wrong item they received possibly due to GW mistakes?

I am demanding full refund for both purchases. These type business practices are just unacceptable. These are my terrible experiences with Seattle Goodwill & Goodwill of Greater East Bay in Fairfield CA.

I Paid a premium on a Older Toy. Of course Anyone who collect toys or most older items know that condition is a MAJOR factor on price. My item arrived damaged. The item was not packaged well at all which caused the damage in multiple areas on the toy. I contacted the seller at the shop Goodwill location of the auction. They offered me 5% off or Full refund IF... I Sent the item back on my dime. Return Shipping policy needs to be addressed and New package training to all employees.

OK, I get it. Goodwill is in the business of selling junk. But you would think that they would learn how to package junk properly so that it doesn't arrive damaged. No such chance. Each Goodwill affiliate is it's own manager on such things, and there is no consistency across affiliates at all. Just received a sewing machine I paid full dollar for, that was not packaged properly and of course arrived damaged. They will not entertain complaints due to poor packaging on their part! It is my opinion, after watching many auctions close, that employees have access to the backend, and pad bids right before the auction ends. Shipping charges make no sense whatsoever either.

There is so little integrity found in dealing with Goodwill.com and so much cynicism, I can't recommend this site on any level. Save your money, shop elsewhere