Thrift store shoppers have reason to celebrate. Last week, Goodwill, the 120-year-old nonprofit organization, launched an online marketplace, GoodwillFinds, with over 100,000 items typically seen in their brick-and-mortar stores. But here’s what’s new: many high-end luxury finds have already graced the site. The move expands Goodwill’s internet presence that until now had been limited to auction sites like ShopGoodwill.com or individual stores selling donations online via eBay and Amazon.
Some of these “finds” include a red patent Gucci bag for $499.99 and black suede Prada shoes for $220. GoodwillFinds’ goal is to have 1 million items on its site in a few years, said Matthew Kannes, newly appointed CEO of the online shopping venture, which features search tools that let shoppers browse by category. Eventually GoodwillFinds will be able to be personalized based on a customer’s past purchases.
Although GoodwillFinds is a separate entity from parent company Goodwill Industries International Inc., it will support the larger organization by helping fund its community-based programs across the U.S. provide professional training, job placement and youth mentorship. It should also increase donations, while also helping to expand its base of customers.
Unlike rivals like Thredup and Poshmark, customers cannot use GoodwillFinds to make donations and will still have to visit one of the organization’s 3,300 U.S. and Canadian Goodwill stores to drop them off — for now. But Kaness said that as the business expands, Goodwill will eventually offer that service.
The move comes as the second-hand clothing business is expected to grow 16 times faster than the broader retail clothing sector by 2026, according to a report by research firm GlobalData for Thredup. It’s also happening at a time when surging inflation is pushing shoppers to be thriftier.
“Our new social enterprise makes it easier for the conscious consumer to shop sustainably online, while heightening the thrifting experience they’ve come to love at Goodwill,” Kaness said.
Karness also said that when shoppers donate to the stores, workers will figure out which item will be designated online. Workers inspect each item but they don’t clean it. If it is very dirty or not good quality, they won’t sell it. Items designated for online will then be digitized. Purchases will either be packed and shipped from the store or a cluster of stores’ mini-warehouses.
A spokeswoman for the online venture said that because items from GoodwillFinds ship from a variety of Goodwill locations, shipping options and fees will vary per item. During the checkout process, customers will be offered the shipping options available for their items based on their shipping address. She said that GoodwillFinds accepts returns for items that arrive damaged or if there’s an inaccurate or incorrect item in the customer’s order.
Kaness implies that the growth of secondhand shopping platforms has relied heavily on sellers sourcing material from Goodwill stores. “I feel this is a revolution that’s happening in retail right now where secondhand has finally crossed over and is seen as a force for good and not just a good deal — and we’re the sleeping giant that has woken up and is taking our rightful place,” says Kaness.
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