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Im rethinking my anger towards Goodwill prices.


Dripfree

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I walk into Goodwill and check the case I see lots of Genesis and Sega cd games. There is a guy sorta boxing out the case with a cart and I'm watching him check prices of the games on Ebay. I couldn't get in to see anything and looking at the rest of his cart it was fair to assume he was an Ebay reseller. I got frustrated and then I thought if I go get an associate to open the case for me while he's price checking I would essentially have dibs. So I did. I told them I'd like to see the games and I took my time going through them in front of him. He scoffed at me audibly and visually. Not surprisingly all the games were high end Ebay prices. Most loose games had boxed prices. I said it was more then I was looking to pay and put them back. The other gentleman grabbed them up and passed on every one of them also. One and a half weeks later every game was still there. I assume they went on Sunday when that color ticket was half off, but it still would not be a steal. I have been considering that in the long term this may be a good thing. It seems Goodwill has made it very hard for the middle man. Although I was frustrated that I was not able to aquire these games I found satisfaction in the idea that the reseller could not profit by scooping up all the games. Perhaps it is a good thing that Goodwill is killing off the secondary market. Maybe I'm reading too much into this but it seems to me like resellers buy from Goodwill to sell on ebay and ebay dictates the prices that Goodwill sells for. At some point that has to stop working right?

Edited by Dripfree
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Goodwill isn't good for reseller these days. When I find XBox and PS2 console, they are often priced like a complete used set even if they have only console, no controller, video cable, or anything else. When they get in WiiU, XBox One, and PS4 game, they are priced almost at retail price. The only thing that goes cheap are PS2 and Genesis sport titles, and at $5 each, it is not good when I can get one less off eBay. As far as video game, good luck! Other items like LEGO (and all clones like Megablock) tended to cost too much as well.

 

Now and then I do find something. Not too long ago I scored a salmon pink Club Aluminum 8 quart pot for $4.99. They go for a lot on eBay since pink is a rare color, and a large 8 quart pot with matching lid is pretty hard to find. Also picked up a nice condition oil rain lamp for 9.99, similar rain lamps goes for $100 easy.

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He may have suspected you of being a reseller as well! I check ebay prices while I thrift all the time. Usually I have a good idea of what the games I want go for but every now and then I have to check, no one wants to get ripped off and even if they have flat prices you can still get ripped off sometimes. For example, I don't usually collect PC games unless it's a big box of something I really like but I seriously own less than 5 or so. Then a few days ago I saw almost an entire rack of big box PC games, most of them still sealed, some with crumpled boxes, for $5 each. I thought it was a windfall and I was ready to grab as many as I could carry but then I decided to see what they go for on ebay and I saw it really wasn't a steal. A lot of the games were very common and not worth holding onto. It's not like I was ready to sell them all on ebay, but I do like to gift stuff like that to friends and knowing I got a good deal to pass on to them feels awesome. I ended up leaving with a sealed copy of X-wing v. Tie Fighter.

 

I suspect a lot of people suspect I'm a reseller when I check my phone for prices but I don't care, I know I'm not reselling this stuff and I don't owe them an explanation. It's a competitive collecting market and resellers are going to be out there. I agree with you that prices like these help dissuade resellers but at the same time it also turns off people like me who might not be super into a certain game but will find it a good home with someone who does later down the line.

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I thought most Goodwills sent their "collectibles" to their auction site http://www.shopgoodwill.com/but I guess not all do. There are never any games of interest at the store near me so I've stopped visiting.

 

I think the price is the price, and if there are consequences or knock-on effects to the game market, that's just the world we live in. Might as well be "angry" at the laws of physics or the weather. Damn that pesky gravity!

 

Everyone's allowed to check prices, everyone has the potential to be a reseller, there's no reason to pay more than fair market value for anything. Goodwill wants to make money too, though given some of their practices, I'd just as soon buy stuff from private eBay sellers.

 

https://nfb.org//americans-disabilities-protest-goodwill%E2%80%99s-subminimum-wages

 

I've done my fair share of "showrooming" in all kinds of stores ..."hey, here's that same thing that caught my eye here in the store, but it's 40% with free shipping on eBay/Amazon etc"... (touches Buy Now on phone)

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Goodwill wants to make money too, though given some of their practices, I'd just as soon buy stuff from private eBay sellers.

 

https://nfb.org//americans-disabilities-protest-goodwill%E2%80%99s-subminimum-wages

 

 

 

That article presents an incomplete picture. Goodwill runs employment training programs for many people who have trouble finding jobs (disabled, immigrants, never had a job, don't speak the language, etc). These people spend time in both classroom settings and getting practical training in things like operating cash registers, making change, sorting donations, stocking shelves, etc. They're partly employees and partly students, but the article implies they should be paid as employees even when receiving training. Goodwill isn't training them to be Goodwill employees - they want them to 'graduate' to jobs at other businesses so they can start helping the next group. 60-80% of them find other jobs within a year.

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You're the only person who isn't reselling stuff ... YET

 

You'll purge it eventually, one way or another. :D :skull:

 

Actually, I give my unwanted stuff back to Goodwill. In the past year alone, I have donated a CIB Colecovision console, several PS 2 games, a Digital TV decoder + antenna, numerous books, DVDs, CDs, and even the occasional article of clothing.

 

It is far easier to take it the few blocks to the local Goodwill donation depot than it is to try and sell stuff -- online or otherwise. I would not make enough money to justify the time spent.

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I collect and resell. I like many other collectors will not pay going prices. There are very FEW items I want bad enough to pay market value for, as such I collect at reseller prices. Therefore I also buy to resell.

 

I rarely have to check my phone for a price at goodwill as I already know it is market value. Now and then I will run across something that "appears" to be a good deal... check my phone just to see it is at or above market value and it will sit there.

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I thought the same way for a long time but when I buy in bulk at times I have no need for extra so there it goes. out my door one way or another.

That's different, though--even if it is the literal definition of "reselling." You're trimming excess. You aren't speculating.

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That's different, though--even if it is the literal definition of "reselling." You're trimming excess. You aren't speculating.

 

LOL that's being a hypocrite right there. You buy bulk with the sole intentions on reselling what you do not want/already have. Your intentions when you buy bulk is to resell some of it. There is not much difference between buying 5 games to resell or buying 10 games and keep 5 and resell 5.

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Need to go to real stores. Especially privately owned ones. Don't know how others do it but I typically buy for 10-25% of market (which is still a hell of a lot more than packing up and driving to gamestop somewhere) and often work with people who bother to ask.

Good tip. I've got a small privately owned store near me. I love shopping there they have very fair prices, often have big sales, even a rewards program. They are completely owned and staffed by one family. I have developed a relationship with the owner and he lets me know about stuff thats not on the floor and has even given me price cuts without me asking. I actually feel very good about giving this store my money. If you have a store like this near you its definitely the way to go.

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I get angry with any store that uses eBay prices. There is a difference between the most the highest bidder is willing to pay out of everyone looking at Genesis and Sega CD games on eBay and the small handful of people looking at Genesis and Sega CD games at their local Goodwill. The big eBay group and the small local Goodwill group are two different markets.

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Even if you buy at eBay prices, you save on shipping if you get the items from the Goodwill store you're anyhow visiting. I've witnessed the same over here, usually they look up prices before setting their own. The problem is if they look for highest asked price on eBay, instead of highest actually sold. Then again I see nearly zero retro gaming items in any second hand shop, except for a few pirated PS1 games every now and then. I nearly had my heart do a double beat a few years ago when I found both a boxed Amiga 1200 and a loose Atari 1040STFM in the same store. Neither were priced as bargains, but at least the Amiga was priced fairly enough to be worth picking up instead of getting one from online auctions.

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LOL that's being a hypocrite right there. You buy bulk with the sole intentions on reselling what you do not want/already have. Your intentions when you buy bulk is to resell some of it. There is not much difference between buying 5 games to resell or buying 10 games and keep 5 and resell 5.

This is true and not true though since there are times I just scan a box not going through it all and buy it. If I see a couple of things I want I will take the whole thing then divvy among my friends for what they want and send the rest to fire sale. But I also admit there are times when I can see everything and offer for the whole lot with intentions of parting with what I don't need. The good things is I have many local folks who love to trade for stuff and that is where the majority of my extra tends to go.

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You're the only person who isn't reselling stuff ... YET

 

You'll purge it eventually, one way or another. :D :skull:

 

Idunno, maybe I would consider it if I ever saw something really valuable that I already have, but knowing me, depending on what it is, I'd probably keep it for parts, or give it away to a friend.

 

I mean heck, I have extra Model-M keyboards laying around that I haven't gotten rid of yet...

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Pretty sad and pathetic that people are going to Goodwill looking to resell their merchandise.

 

lol you don't honestly think only people in need go there do you? Honestly the real needy can't afford most goodwill prices. On any given day I go to goodwill I always see $40,000 cars in the parking lot and people inside wearing $300 leather coats and $500 iphones and everything else.

 

Not sure how your Goodwills are but I would say mine are just 90% resellers. The likeliness that someone in need buys anything at all there instead of a reseller is not very common at my locations.

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Yes ... especially in affluent areas, where there's sometimes better stuff. All of my relatively-well-off neighbors get a lot of kids' clothes from the Value Village, they're usually things that were outgrown before they were worn out, and sometimes have designer brands. The kids enjoy the hunt. We give VV a lot of stuff, too -- it's easier to take a tax deduction than have a garage sale for most low-value things.

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