Wanted: Part-Time e-Bay Coordinator for Goodwill. Your Thoughts?

 My book reseller pal Joe took these pictures at a local Goodwill yesterday. He writes:

 "Thursday, October 18th, 2012 - Left: a pic of Goodwill employees taking down their bookshelves. Goodwill Corporate is stopping the flow of treasure to the floor where a small community of resellers harvest goods in bulk to resell online. Right: Salvation Army, too, is hiring e-commerce specialists to evaluate trinkets and bric-a-brac and manage their eBay and Amazon stores. A subculture of resellers who make their living frequenting thrift stores are about to be sent hurtling into oblivion, scavenging daily to beat thrift businesses to the punch."

Thrift stores across the nation continue to raise prices and sell vintage valuables on eBay. One of Goodwill's missions is raise funds and create jobs, and selling wares online is a good way to do that. Are they really ready to change their brick and mortar set-up, and instead become warehouses to house eBay goods until they sell? Sure, treasures will slip through the cracks of their system but thrifting is a treasure hunt, and the appeal will diminish when we stop finding $60.00 scores for $5.00. I avoid thrift stores for my reselling needs these days, and the sign Joe captured gives me more reason to.

How do you feel about Goodwill's eBay sales and rising thrift store prices? With thrift stores only stocking "junk" with no resell value, will "thrifting" become a thing of the past?

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The Goodwill Pound Store Experience: Great Scores for Pocket Change

We've had chats about how thrift store prices are too high. I hunt at flea markets, and I've been spoiled by the pocket-change prices. For the majority of the year the most I spent on a second-hand item was $6.99 for a vintage car bike rack and even that felt outrageous.

Perhaps the local Goodwill Pound Store (Also known as a Goodwill Outlet Store), which charges by weight, can be a solution for the hyper-frugal hunter? Let's take a look at the pros and cons based on my experience:

Pros: - You can't beat the prices on light items.  - My friend bought 28 paperbacks and 14 hardcovers for $7.22! - Once I left with a tidy stack of books for $5 and resold some immediately at a book store to earn back my investment.

Cons:  - They've hired security guards to control the fighting! - Items get broken while people aggressively hunt. - Employees bought items out in huge carts; you dig for deals! - When a new cart is bought out you cannot explore it until security gives the word, then hunters pounce it in unison! - Heavy items will cost more and must be avoided.

The Verdict: I've gotten 10, 25, and 50 cent deals at flea markets and yard sales many times. Just look at how much I got for one dollar at a favorite flea stop! So is making the pit stop at the pound store worth it? Ah, what the hell, it doesn't hurt to have another source for lower-priced merchandise. As a bonus, it's fun to stand back and watch the carnage as people rush to be the first to pick through each bin! ;)

Hunting in a Goodwill Pound Store/Goodwill Outlet Store is a unique experience that makes you feel like a real Vintage Vulture! It's a cute vintage hunter term of endearment Dabito (Old Brand New) uses.

Have you ever shopped at a Goodwill Pound Store? What's your source for low-priced thrift finds?

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter and Facebook.