ShopGoodwill

I recently started shopping online with Good Will within the past 6 months and I've gotten pretty good deals on a lot of things so far. Most of the time, I find pretty interesting things. I've gotten very good condition shoes, an brand new comforter set, even a snowboard.

CONS:
- A lot of things are pretty used and I don't think they should be selling for the price they are... with the added shipping costs, sometimes those used items can amount to more than the actual item bought new in stores. It's pretty ridiculous considering these items were donated at no cost, but I'm just hoping that Good Will really does use the profits for charity.
- Another thing I do not like is that, sometimes they list the minimum bid price for you to bid, but it's already been bidded at a higher price, and by the time you place your minimum bid, it's already at a higher not-shown price, and that can cause a delay for you to re-input an amount, load the screen and lose the auction.
- Very hard searching for specific items because they are not always properly titled.
- The description of the items are pretty vague, and you might end up with something that does not work or have all the pieces.

PROS:
- You can find a lot of name brand and high-end items in very good condition, without the retail price tag.
- A lot of items can be found brand new, with tags or in their packaging
- 1 cent shipping on a lot of items
- Pretty fast shipping in my experiences
- Less time consuming than actually going out to the Good Will stores and digging through everything (unless you have time and you're into that)
- They give you a good deal of time to pay for the item, once you've won the auction. (Keep in mind, too many unpaid items will result in you not being able to continue placing bids)
- Giving back to charity while saving money is always a plus right?

All in all, buying things from the website has been pretty positive. You must know what you're really buying before you place the bid and should always calculate the shipping to see if it's worth it. The feeling of winning an auction is fun, especially when you're sitting behind the screen and no one can be mad at you. Have fun!

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 would agree that the shipping and handling is overpriced but I still have been able to find amazing bargains. I support Goodwill as it is a worthy cause and offers amazing prices if you have patience and a bit of spare cash.

I've had the fortune of finding some treasures. I keep in mind not everything is as it appears in photos and the no return policy makes me think twice before bidding. I can't say every purchase was a positive one, but it's second hand goods being sold by people who couldn't possibly be experts on all things. If I have a question, they answer it; if I have a problem, they have always been professional and assisted me as best they can while in keeping with their policy. The times I have been less than happy were borne out of my own failure to add up the shipping and handling prior to bidding. The item was only $8 but I paid $14 to ship plus $5 - oops. I notice some things sell for crazy high prices which is interesting. I do a little background check on an item to see if it's really the deal of the century and many times find the same or even new product being sold elsewhere for less. Shipping times fluctuate from store to store, so I just accept that as the way it is. They ship using FedEx and they typically pack an item very well. Only two items I purchased were damaged during shipping which was resolved without too much effort or inconvenience. I don't go into any purchase with unreasonable expectations. It's used, it's untested and it's not guaranteed so if you can't afford to take a loss then it's not the place to shop. If you hope to find something unique or vintage, you will; a printer or even a camera for $30, you can; I bought a cello for $60 and it's beautiful. You never know what you'll find.

So the first thing to say here is I would not consider most of the negative reviews here to be of much use. Most of these reviews come from "pickers" who make a living buying things from goodwill (the charity) on the cheap and then reselling them for a profit. They used to do this at the local good will store, but Goodwill got smarter and decided to cut them out completely and put the Items up for bid to a large audience of experts who could more accurately price an item based on its worth. It is exactly the same way E-bay works. The larger the competitive bidder pool and audience, the better chance somebody bidding knows what something is worth and will push the price up close to the actual market price. Pickers for YEARS made their livings exploiting the fact that a local goodwill had no inherent knowledge of antiques or other things so to move stuff they priced it low as a guess. So all of the moaning and complaints here is mostly coming from these pickers and collectors who suddenly now have to pay market price for something and can no longer make easy profits fleecing a local charity for their own personal gain. Sorry guys, the internet gets rid of middlemen (YOU). Get over it. Find a new scam. As a long time customer of the goodwill auctions site I have found them to be fairly good. Most of the complaints here about shipping are off base too as shipping costs have risen. A LOT in the last few years. And they also have to pay for the box, packing materials, and an employees time to box and ship things. I don't find the price unreasonable or much different than I pay to ship similar items on Ebay. The only real gripe I have with them is how SLOW they are to ship things. Some times after buying It can take up to a week for them to even print the shipping label, and then another week for them to box something up, and then 3 more days for it to get dropped off at fedex or USPS. This is really the only thing I think they could improve on is a commitment to faster shipping of paid items. Seriously. It should not take a month for me to get my paid merchandise. That is ridiculous.

I have purchased a number (100+) items with some great buys and some buys I wish I hadn't made. In the end, you make the choice of what to buy and at what price to buy it. Shipping prices are stated up front. They charge sales tax. They state the time frame in which they have to deliver the product to the shipper. None of this is hidden. If you do your homework, you can factor all of these things into your max bid price. I win approximately 20% of what I bid on. If there are shill bidders, it does not affect what I bid, only what I might win.

Experiences:
- I have had three shipments arrive broken in handling or shipment. All were refunded.
- I was told prior to a shipment that the glass on a picture was broken in handling. Did I still want it or a full refund? (I took it as is.)
- I am still waiting on a package from a Washington state store. (I assume they are in lock down due to the pandemic)
- I have had packages left on my door in the rain. (Not Goodwill's fault)

Lessons:
- I no longer bid on items poorly photographed or described and I bid anticipating if not the worst, at least not the best.
- I check shipping and handling charges before I bid. Some can be really high.
- I understand what I am buying by spending the time to do the homework. (Can I get this item cheaper on another venue?)

You morons of course we bump the bids up. Do you think we want you to get a good deal. Ha not on your life.

I've purchased tons, and tons of things from Goodwill. Jewelry is hard figure out before bidding since they do magnify pieces. Honestly, that's so we can see it better. I got some awful diamond stud earrings. They were listed as cloudy, and I could have lived with that, but they were actually black from so much carbon. Didn't even look like diamonds. Then, I got a projector that was tested as powering on... and it did, but it faded out within 15 minutes. It was burning up a lens as I was trying to figure out why it wouldn't project. That was a pretty expensive worthless purchase for me! But... 95 percent of the things I've gotten were great deals. I bought 6 pairs of diamond stud earrings, and only got burned on one pair. I buy 14k gold jewelry too, and I've gotten some deals on those pieces. Sometimes you get really lucky, and things slip by jewelry pros. I got a $300 rope chain for $87, and it came with a 14k ring with no setting. I second guessed myself on that purchase until it was delivered... then I screamed with delight. So, I love www.shopgoodwill.com! Yes, you better watch the shipping charges. Before I allow myself to fall in love with an item, I quickly look at shipping. Lots of times, I just move on after that!

Okay, so i'm going to be honest I buy for personal and to resale. I will say this site is really good if you are looking for designer items to source. I have bought alot of nice clothes from here and shoe lots. I also have bought my kids alot of things off of here that were new. I love the site and glad i found it. The only issue i have is the shipping can be pricey sometimes and the time to get the item can take sometimes over a week because it may take the company 5 days to ship out an item. Other than that this site is a really great site to get good items from. I have bought over 50 auctions from this site and I love everything I have gotten.

I like to watch Goodwill, however, I have gotten gouged many times by shipping. They will not change their policy. I had a scarf sent to a friend, paid more for the shipping. They will not accommodate someone for shipping. Also, you must watch quality of some items. While they say "good", depends on the item. It is still fun to watch, but they have it figured out with shipping. Plus the CEO makes mega money...

I started using shopgoodwill.com almost 3 years ago. I collected vintage jewelry at the time, and have since started collecting amber, perfume bottles, books, and coins and currency. When I first began, I was able to purchase lots of vintage jewelry grab bags for a reasonable cost. I got a lot of gorgeous amber pieces too. Right now, I'm buying coins and currency. Things have changed over the years: the shipping costs have skyrocketed (you can decide if you want to pay the shipping or not; it's not difficult). Some sellers still mail some items depending on cost or non-fragile nature via USPS. Currently on the website, they are selling jewelry that used to be in lots, as separate pieces (doesn't seem to be working that well, as lots of people just don't bid on these single items). I have gotten scorched a few times (large useless items in a jewelry bag to increase weight), mardi gras beads in jewelry grab bags. I'm not thrilled by the shipping costs, but as someone who 2 years ago, sent my mother a large Christmas box of jewelry, gift cards, etc. by USPS, and the box arrived totally empty, well not TOTALLY, the packing foam was still in it, it was somewhat still taped up, and in magic marker was written: "delivered with no contents"; I'm not so thrilled with USPS, so I don't really mind more shipping $$ as it comes with more (not total, but more) security. BTW, USPS did put a postal inspector on my case, and he traced the theft to Memphis, TN. I received my $100. Insurance, but it was a lot less than the value of the box. So now, I insure everything I send via USPS for as much as I can. But even with UPS and Fed Ex, I've gotten items that appeared like someone tried to open the box. So, there's theft everywhere, but a lot less with the premium delivery services. Back to the subject,... I appreciate the convenience of being able to sit at home and bid on items, I've never had a bad experience with any person (and I do let them know when I think there's a problem), and I recognize that unlike Amazon, or ebay, the purchases are as is. Now if they're doing something stupid or silly, I have asked and gotten a refund. You just have to make noise if you want action. Right now, I've just contacted a seller b/c a lot of coins which I just spent $130. On arrived today, and it felt too light to me. Well, I weighed the box intact and discovered that the box is only 3.6 pounds, but was described as 8 pounds including shipping. I'm not a particularly patient person, so I'm really ticked off about this situation. So,... I contacted the seller as well as the main customer service dept. In this case, and told both that I want an explanation, and I want to be made whole, either a substantial refund, or merchandise. I've probably won about 80 or so auctions, and I've had a problem with about 3 purchases which were: a seller had jewelry listed, but did not say it was for crafting (I got a total refund), The postage for an item was unnecessarily high, and I asked for a cheaper rate b/c the item wasn't fragile (the change was made), another time some gemstones I purchased were smaller than they appeared, and in this case it was explained to me that the photos were magnified. I suggested they put a penny or some coin in the photo with similar auction items in the future so that people can have a better scale to estimate, and lastly, this issue I just mentioned. I don't know how it will turn out, but I'll come back onto this site and let you all know,... stay tuned,... Funny, I just stumbled onto this site as I was logging in to shopgoodwill.com

This website is great. Everything is dirt cheap and not that many people know about it yet so there isnt a lot of people trying to out-bid you. The only problem that I have for the site is that their video games and video game consoles are not tested. They say the condition but do not test it so its a little risky.