What’s up with goodwill?

[FOX2600]

Saw the newest genesis flashback with 2 controllers (loose, no box) being sold at goodwill for $35 bucks. I dont know, is that a good deal? Seems pricy... would you buy it?

 

Anyways didnt know where to start this topic here or the genesis section or somewhere else but decided here. Goodwill isnt good though lol. But Ive seen all sorts of thrift stores, the ones were everything is super super cheap to the ones where its double eBay price. I hope the cheap thrift stores are in your town!

[NoelleAmelie]

Mine got hit by the eBay bug too. Seems like all of the Seattle Goodwill stores (which are most of the ones in Washington) have decided that EVERYTHING vaguely notable should be worth tons of money. Untested and dirty Laserdiscs? $4~10 each. PS2 sports games? $6 each. Computer cables? $5~10. Those stores get a lot of stuff I'd buy and use, but I honestly haven't spent maybe more than $100 there throughout this whole first half of the year. Even if some of the stuff is still a bit cheaper than eBay, I just refuse to buy it on the principal of the stores thinking that's acceptable.

 

Well, that and every time I bring it up or ask what's with the pricing, I get some sort of smug attitude from the employees so that doesn't help either. They had a Voodoo 5 they wanted $100 for and said "Uh, well, we price on eBay and that's what it says" then walked off.

I mean come on, you're going to try and sell me a boxed old GPU with just the card in the box, untested despite not looking very well taken care of, for $100 just because some collector on eBay bid up an auction that has been posted 3 times? Gimme a break.

Edited June 3, 2018 by Noah120

[Flojomojo]

Anything that can be looked up in an online database is way more likely to be easily sold online than waiting for random people to walk into your thrift store. I stopped looking for game-related things at Goodwill etc many console generations ago. Like, pre-Playstation days.

The flip side is at least you can find stuff on eBay. Too bad about the pricing, but maybe take heart that it's good for sellers? I feel that every collector is eventually a seller at one time or another.

[NoelleAmelie]

Anything that can be looked up in an online database is way more likely to be easily sold online than waiting for random people to walk into your thrift store. I stopped looking for game-related things at Goodwill etc a many console generations ago. Like, pre-Playstation days.

 

The flip side is at least you can find stuff on eBay. Too bad about the pricing, but maybe take heart that it's good for sellers? I feel that every collector is eventually a seller at one time or another.

It depends on the state you're in and what they're selling I guess. Gaming and electronic stuff always sells here, even if it's overpriced, though things like vinyls and books will sit around until they go on sale.

 

Yeah, it's just to what extent is the question. I have only bought things to sell maybe once or twice, otherwise the only things I sell are things I don't want or don't use anymore. I know some people who will buy things to flip 'em and make money for their collection though. Personally, if I see something I don't need, I'll just leave it for someone else to pick up. Maybe a reseller will get it, maybe a collector will get it. Either way I didn't need it so it doesn't bug me.

[ColecoGamer]

The Goodwills in my area started pulling this crap about 6 years ago. There was a time when I could walk into a local Goodwill and find a complete Sega Genesis for $20. Now, though? Try $80-$100 in really bad, beaten up shape. A Super Nintendo? Forget it! The last one I saw there was selling for $150 with one joypad,all hookups and Super Mario World. And to think this stuff is being donated to them!

 

Edit: I used to visit Goodwill because I would always find something to add to my collection. Sadly, this is no longer the case.

Edited June 4, 2018 by ColecoGamer

[Tanooki]

I think it comes down individually to the mental time of the month of the picker who prices the stuff in the back where I am. They don't have the gall to put ebay printouts on stuff except like in rare cases of art I've seen it, but my local DM I guess on the whole doesn't let the stores use shop goodwill. Some stores are still honest and follow that big sign on the wall where it's like $3 for each disc/cart of a video game set, and others are jerks and you'll see a bare bones PS1 with the minimum parts+1 controller to work for $35-40 which is comical. It's really random. As far as the flashbacks, never seen them. I do see random jakks (etc) tv games, oddball radica etc handhelds, and even once (and I got it) for $5 a pac-man black and white bridge direct mini arcade. They're always like 99 cents to $5 which is perfect. Old video games rarely turn up, and they'll be thrown out there for a couple bucks, or someone will get dumb and put like $15 on wrestlemania for NES and it sits for months until they pull and crush it.

[AMenard]

We don't have any Goodwill here in Quebec. We do have Value Village though. I do my round twice a year, mostly for CDs and LPs but I do find the occasional console game deal. I never find anything interesting in the electronics section and would be a little afraid of bringing in my home a few ride-along roaches.

Edited June 4, 2018 by AMenard

[+KaeruYojimbo]

Thrift stores have always been like that to an extent. Any one I've ever been to has had a display case of "premium" items, usually things like jewelry, SLR cameras and a few old toys that someone at the store assumed were collectible and would slap a high price on without really doing any sort of research. eBay really kicked things into high gear though. As soon as eBay became a thing (15-20 years ago) I started seeing old video games move from a dusty box on the bottom shelf of the electronics section for 50 cents each (or the whole box of games, controllers and a console for 10 bucks or less) one week to a bunch of common games in the display case for 5 or 10 dollars a pop the next week.

[+frankodragon]

Once in a while the Goodwills will have common Atari carts sometimes priced from $3 to 5-sometimes even higher than that usually inside the glass cases. I've seen people who have held rummage sales also do that checking on eBay from their smartphone, laptop, etc without anything priced including their video games. If you ask the person how much is something, he looks it up on his device then says, "It's $13.99 online but you can have it for $12." Those kind of rummage sales turn me off and want to leave immediately.

[AMenard]

On the other hand, Goowill and Value Village are non-profit with the money going to charities. No point for them to sell you something for $2.00 when they know a big bunch of people just list those items on ebay for profit once they get home, profit that may have benifited someone in need.

[Tanooki]

Goodwill is its own charity, and are you sure about Value Village? Maybe they're different up there but the one I've seen here rents out cabinets or spaces to people to peddle their own stuff. Goodwill though takes free stuff, uses the money to pay their own people, train, and keep the lights on though big percentage goes back to their own board, main office(s), advertising, not so much back to the face they put on their ads in and out of the store.

[doctorclu]

Ever try a Thrift Town? Years ago I bought my 2600 in a box there. Saw an Aquarius (Mattel) sold there once, and I believe a Commodore SX 64 another time. Fun place.

[FOX2600]

Id like to think theres more collectors out there or casual gamers, especially now, that just want to find a FAIR deal and bring something home, but yes with that comes resellers.

 

I dont think everything should be priced at 2 bucks, but fair. Which brings me back to my original question is that even a fair price for that flashback? But as our hobby and passion goes its as much as someone is willing to pay...

[Tanooki]

It's this years HDMI not last year right?

 

This one -- https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sega-genesis-flashback-console-black/5901952.p?skuId=5901952&ref=212&loc=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw6djYBRB8EiwAoAF6oZiYW53iwUbCO4zTX2yoImCtfen3nLKwbFQ1UBoMp9FFbOYmJttZmhoCKkIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

Retail is $70, so it's almost 50% off. High for a goodwill, but fair saving 50%.

Edited June 5, 2018 by Tanooki

[Keatah]

Goodwill's ceo makes 12mil a year I think.

Edited June 5, 2018 by Keatah

[Keatah]

It is much easier to tell employees to check eBay than it is to train them in the finer points of pricing obscure old-man videogames.

[FOX2600]

It's this years HDMI not last year right?

 

This one -- https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sega-genesis-flashback-console-black/5901952.p?skuId=5901952&ref=212&loc=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw6djYBRB8EiwAoAF6oZiYW53iwUbCO4zTX2yoImCtfen3nLKwbFQ1UBoMp9FFbOYmJttZmhoCKkIQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

Retail is $70, so it's almost 50% off. High for a goodwill, but fair saving 50%.

Yes it is, just the console no cables and 2 controllers. Id agree with that its not a terrible deal. Its still there, Ill leave it for the bigger Genesis fan, Im just a very casual one.

[FOX2600]

It is much easier to tell employees to check eBay than it is to train them in the finer points of pricing obscure old-man videogames.

Its a complicated market to say the least, they do get it for free though ?

[FOX2600]

Goodwill's ceo makes 12mil a year I think.

Wasnt expecting that ?

[1980gamer]

Goodwill is its own charity, and are you sure about Value Village? Maybe they're different up there but the one I've seen here rents out cabinets or spaces to people to peddle their own stuff. Goodwill though takes free stuff, uses the money to pay their own people, train, and keep the lights on though big percentage goes back to their own board, main office(s), advertising, not so much back to the face they put on their ads in and out of the store.

Edited June 9, 2018 by 1980gamer

[krslam]

Goodwill is its own charity, and are you sure about Value Village? Maybe they're different up there but the one I've seen here rents out cabinets or spaces to people to peddle their own stuff. Goodwill though takes free stuff, uses the money to pay their own people, train, and keep the lights on though big percentage goes back to their own board, main office(s), advertising, not so much back to the face they put on their ads in and out of the store.

There's more than 1 company using the Value Village name, which causes some confusion. What started out as VV changed its corporate name to Savers when they went to expand and found these other entities already using the name Value Village. Savers still uses the VV name in the Pacific NW, parts of Canada, and possibly other places. In most of the US, they use the Savers brand. Savers is a for profit thrift store. They kick back a tiny portion of the proceeds to a local charity which allows them to post the charity's name in the store which can give the misleading impression that they ARE a charity. They've been sued by multiple states for this misleading advertising. That being said, I prefer shopping there to Goodwill, which IS a real not-for-profit company.

[Tanooki]

There is one technically savers in town here, but for some reason why the stickers are theirs the storefront is called Unique which seems strange. I don't go in often as it's out of the way, but usually has been not worth the effort. They're attached kind of to a shop next door called Cedar Lake but not really, it's as you said, a confuse and grab of walk ins.

[+pboland]

I don’t know how long some of you guys have been collecting, but I started around 1995. Goodwill was great back then. Of course this was before eBay was ubiquitous. It was like going to a garage sale every other day at lunch (yep that was how often I went to one local Goodwill). On the weekends I would visit about 5 different Goodwills. Every week I had some pretty good finds.

BITD, Goodwill knew that stuff was donated and they priced things fairly. When you get stuff for free any price is a profit.

Around 2004 every thing changed about Goodwill’s pricing (at least locally). To give you an idea, before 2004 pre-crash game systems typically where under $5.00 ($7-10 if it was complete with RF box, power, & controllers). After 2004, $20.00 and up (bare system). Carts before 2004 where $0.25 - $0.50 each (yes you are reading that correctly). After 2004 $5.00 plus (even for combat)

For that nine years my collection grew greatly and it didn’t cost an arm and a leg.

For the most part I don’t go to Goodwill any more (and really haven’t much since 2004). Yes, I stop in about once or twice a year just to see if something has change, but it has only gotten worse with time. Post crash systems (i.e. Atari 7800, NES, SMS) barely ever showed up at Goodwill and when they did the pricing was just stupid.

Ebay killed thrifting locally (flee markets & garage sales too). Now everybody checks eBay for their pricing. Sure deals come up from time to time, but not like it was just 10 or so years ago. No more can you find good video game stuff for change every week. Now you are lucky if you get a $10.00-$12.00 game (eBay price) for just $7.00 in the wild. That’s considered a great find!

One of my best Goodwill finds happen around 2000. I picked up an Odyssey 300 for $3.00 and it worked and looked great. Goodwill didn’t know what it was, so they just put a few dollars on it. In reality everything I got back then was a great find. I remember a 5200 4 port with controllers, RF, power for $10.00. And yes the controller storage door was still on it and it looked great. I picked up all ten 5200 game carts (carts only) Goodwill had on another shelf for $1.00 each. This was the kind of finds I would have at least every week in a half or so back then.

[+GoldLeader]

I think $35 for the HDMI Out version is a steal! I paid much more for mine (but mine was boxed, like NEW)...Our Goodwill had a boxed SD version ATGames Genesis for $35 which I thought was high...

 

I've seen NES, SNES and Genesis games at $4, but always sports games that are awful anyway...usually they don't have anything that good, but they may someday...

 

I agree with everyone who says keep in mind Goodwill Is a Charity! I donate on occasion, I buy on occasion, and maybe I even overpay on occasion, but I figure it's a charity...Do they spend the money on jobs and overhead, and a ridiculous CEO? Probably, but that's past my point of purchase if you catch my drift. I try to help out, how they spend my former money is not my concern,...I've done my part.

[Keatah]

I wonder how much price increases in retail/charity/thrift and shops like goodwill is due to improved and improving business analytics?