Gotta love Goodwill!!

I'm confused ... I'm not aware of an online version for my area, I only know of the national Goodwill selling websites. What I've bought from them has come from all over the US.

 

The auction site is made up of all the locals, and they're responsible for individually listing, customer servicing, and shipping their local finds. You can find the listed local (which can sometimes combine shipping) on the listing details.

You can click on the Advanced Search and choose to only search the stuff in your local. Especially useful when your local allows free local pickup. The BIN site is only a a few major metro locals and initial CS is through Corp HQ.

There's also the locals that use e bay of course.

 

The Goodwill executives around where I live were mostly extending the goodwill towards each other. The whole chain got shut down.

 

Sadly during Covid,they closed all the smaller 'satellite stores' in my area & concentrated all the merch into larger more posh 'Super Stores'.Here's our classification of Oregon Good Will levels-
1. GW Superstores- (brick & mortar)
2. GW Boutiques - (brick & mortar but higher-end fashion,glassware,pottery-nicer outlet mall stuff)
3. GW Online-(basically GW Ebay)
*PS-The small satellite stores were the old uncurated Mom & Pop venues (some great finds).

 

Oh, I see what you mean. Yes, I was aware that on the national GW sale websites one could filter one's search by location and thereby show only one's local GW items in order to save on paying any shipping fees. Got to admit that I never bothered doing that.

I thought you had meant that your local store had it's own website.

 

Over the years I've found a number of decent pieces at Goodwill and Sal Army...although recently, it has become harder... I think there are more pickers. That said; I still hit local thrifts... and still DO find good stuff!
Cheerio Leslie

 

Ditto & Ditto Leslie-lots more pickers.I noticed an early surge in the 90's as folks experienced Ebay awareness.
If you glance at some of the older Posts you'll see 'found for a few bob' or 'a dollar or two' . It seems recently w/ inflation most things at my local Thrifts begin at $3-$5 & up.
It's still great fun though !

 

Ha, Saturday I was browsing while holding a large hand-blown vase (nothing spectacular I don't think, probably 1990s Dept store, but I liked the look).

A very sun-worn older gent came up to me and started telling me that it was a nice vase and probably worth something, because he had a friend who buys things at gw and sells them online for "$400-500/wk just messin' around!" So now he was in, clearly trying to do the same and win the lotto on his limited knowledge. House painter by trade.

I was pleasant, but he kept following me around trying to give me advice.... I had to gently tell him I'd been selling on e bay since the 90s. That stopped him....he thought I was a lot younger than I am (I get that often... Which is great other than in these type of situations...).

Then he tried to tell me about how E. Musk is a genius (??) and I veered towards the purses to shake him off... Luckily that did the trick, because my hands were too full to text my husband to come loom politely.

I don't mind a chat normally, but not when it's a wannabe picker trying to follow me around!

 

Hahahahaha!

In my defense, I only sold things already in the family in the 90s. I didn't do thrifting until 2010ish.

 

Mirana-Forget the Vermeers,congrats on still lookin' young ! My skin held-up til about 70,then kaput ! Easy fix though-I just get up & immediately iron my face.

 

LOL thanks. I've no complaints on the look, it's just that I get a higher number of dudes who do not think I am a professional or knowledgeable in my fields. It is endlessly annoying to be on a set and have other people think you are one of the college-age interns and not leading a whole on-set department!

The interns asking me out thinking I'm their age is a still a trip too. I've got wrinkles! I should try the ironing! Or maybe steaming?

 

I used to have a similar problem when I had my bricks and mortar antiques shop. I was in my early-mid 20s but looked younger. When I went to buy stock, some traders would say that I wouldn't be able to afford it on my pocket money.
And owners of other antiques shops and collectors (all men!) would quiz me on their specialties, thinking a pretty young girl (aka 'air head') couldn't possibly know anything. Some of them admitted that I really did know what I was talking about, and even sent customers my way.

Definitely steaming.

 

I've gotten a quite few good deals on Goodwill.com, some for resale. The only thing I hate is their astronomical shipping costs. They only use UPS, so you can get a nice piece of jewelry for $10 that would fit in an envelope or small flat rate box, but after shipping, handling and taxes, pay over $20.

When you look at the shipping to get an estimate, it will say "actual weight 8 oz., shipping weight 4 lbs. I would otherwise purchase a lot more from them. I've complained to deaf ears.

 

Yes! And being "pretty" makes it worse because they think talking down to you is a way to ask you out. I'm glad it turned into business for you, though!

Now they think I'm 25 consistently.... I enjoy telling the interns I'm old enough to be their mother.

Yeah, they don't get paid to care...or to change the weight on any listings. The BIN site is always $10+tax on tiny things. The only time I complained was when I went to check out on a $30 necklace and the shipping was $60! What?? That's some old e Bay scam nonsense. They never changed it. I've seen $25-30 shipping on jewelry too. Now when I shop, I assume +$13 and always check before finalizing. The auction site is better... 1cent shipping, $4, etc.

 

Mirana- What shows do you work on ? Please feel totally free not to answer & sorry if I'm being intrusive.

 

I try to keep my (admittedly minimal ) privacy online and not have that muck with my "real life," especially since I have to sign NDAs. But Messages are open about past stuff.

 

I think shipping is killing just about everyone! AGGH! I've had a few people follow me around also... and are shocked that I've been buying and selling since about 1971! Of course, some venues are newer than others! Still, I think that if you come from a family that treasures family heirlooms that it helps develop an interest in such things. Unfortunately, my daughters ONLY have interest in things that are genuinely family. Still, I'm not complaining as many in this generation aren't interested in ANY older stuff.

I have had great luck at "donation" sales and garage sales and family run Estate Sales - who didn't bother to ask any questions of a professional... either a) thinking there was nothing of value or b) really didn't care what it was worth anyway or c) didn't have time or money to deal with a professional - like "Gramma died last October; we live out of town/out of state and we put the house on the market right away because the realtor said that it would sell better with furniture in the house and now - OMG! The house sold and we have a week to vacate"!

Yes, these things do happen! Being in the right place at the right time helps! It doesn't happen often; but often enough!

I also had an instance of a local auctioneer (who by the way I can't stand) who was doing an auction of a little cottage on my very quiet short street with 10 houses in a "tourist destination" area. As rule, I am never the first person in the door at a sale.

Don't like fighting other people, it's "full price", too much stuff at that point to see stuff... just MUCH easier to wait. So THIS was the exception. The cottage was owned by a local gent of notoriety; although they didn't live here... they did visit. He passed and his wife went in a nursing home - no children. Years passed and the cottage sat untouched. One 4th of July weekend - we were headed out for a day of fun and LO and BEHOLD... there is a HUGE dumpster in the drive. When we came home late after dark...apparently there had been crew there... as the dumpster was HEAPING.

As I said; my location is very quiet...no one lived on our street- not even street lights...and it hadn't rained. You better believe I went dumpster diving! Got a huge pile of local memorabilia, vintage fabric, souvenir items, artist supplies (the lady had been a local artist), and more! So a few days later there is a little "for sale" sign up in the yard....stating something to the effect of "cottage auction on such and such a day" and in tiny print under it "cottage open for questions and open house on such and such a day" and in even TINIER letters under that was "house contents for sale on the day after open house". Cool! I never saw ANY public notice anywhere, except the sign in front of the cottage...even though that cottage was 4 cottages from a busy road.

Well, I certainly went to the open house. It seems like most of the people I saw there WERE interested in buying the cottage. There wasn't "alot" in terms of contents, but some furniture, paintings by the lady, beautiful old metal Sears industrial 40's sewing machine in a cabinet, Christmas, vintage clothing, books, kitchen was full of vintage whatnots and cookware/china, and the basement had lots of "stuff"... which reeked of oil which apparently, was leaking from the old oil furnace. So, it appears that the auction house just went in and slapped prepriced stickers on everything they didn't haul out to the dumpster. The most expensive thing I saw was $10.

I resolved then and there... that I would make an exception to MY rule and be in line first! In fact, I took a lawn chair and camped out by 4 am. Hubby came to relieve me and I took a pit stop and came back to claim my spot. By the time a few minutes to 6 happened, hubby was waiting with me and we had taken the chair home. (I'm 4 doors down). There was one VERY aggressive man who wanted in the door FIRST in the worst sort of way and I wasn't about to let him get his elbowed way in.

I had told my hubby what to bee line to - and I belined the other way (this was a little tiny 2 bedroom cottage). I did get the item I was after - a French Country antique curved cleaver/knife in the shape of a fox - the tail being the handle for $5. The 'man' offered me $50 - I declined as I knew it was worth more. Later saw one in a magazine valued at $2,000 and mine was nicer. Hubby went for the old 60's jewelry box with a $10 price tag and it was full of jewelry... including the lady's Deco 5 diamond wedding band. Never found the engagement ring; but the beautiful black enamel and chrome presentation box I found in the dumpster. Unfortunately, I sold it before I realized I had the ring that belonged in it. Sigh.

The upshot is that the following day...day of the cottage auction...we strolled down to see if we knew who would win the bid on the house. MR "Dude" auctioneer was strolling about in cowboy boots, hat and "dude" gold jewelry barking out commands to his staff and having a royal hissy fit because the little old man who lived down the street had marked off the grass with flags (he did the lawn maintenance and probably never spoke to the auctioneer - but didn't want people driving all over the grass)... Dude, then went in the house and had a royal screaming match with the ladies inside because there was still stuff in the house. He said: (and I quote); "Get all this g--d--- s--- out of here! Take it to the garage... give it away...I could care less! I don't want to see any of it in 10 minutes!!!!" Hubby ran home and got the truck... and we loaded up the truck with all her paintings, the Sears sewing machine which sews like a dream, Christmas, craft supplies, fabric... more and more! All I can say was that I felt bad for his staff AND the heirs as he truly did not do justice with the contents!

I went to one of his sales years before this one - waited all day in the rain for ONE item (a suitcase full of lace) to go up for auction. There was a lady who got to choose any item from the table for "high bid" of $5... and so she stood there and chose... the helper continued to take items from UNDER the table and load the table... and she continued to pick... including the suitcase. We took our complaint to him later and you can imagine his response - basically and I quote: "I don't give a f---!" I honestly don't understand why he's even in business! Nasty man.

Anyway, there still are deals to be found.

Cheerio,
Leslie

 

What an amazing story!! I bet you were buzzing on that win for years!

My family had lots of "heirlooms" that were things like great-grandma's entire collection of coupon dishware from the grocer. Not exactly high-dollar items or even hand-crafted items to find when everyone came from the mid-west depression, and grandma lived in a one-room shack with no running water or even electricity. My sister and I have kept the hand-made quilts, though most of those are second-half 20th c.

I like antiques because I'm an artist so I love things from a time when they were hand made and more unique. Even the Industrial Revolution era stuff has a certain ingenuity and charm compared to modern trash.

I didn't like the aesthetic in my youth though. Probably because I grew up in a maximalist house with faux antique revival furniture. I went minimal for a long time after that.

 

When I opened my Gallery , my Dad would hang around , helping where he could ... ( the time he took the deposits over to the bank, and got a gun pointed at his face as he'd walked in on a robbery...) or just enjoying his son go about his business.

But , I never wore a suit and tie....far from it, so when he was there folks would walk right by me and up to him, asking questions about the art that he couldn't answer, so he'd point them in my direction saying " that's the owner ! "

Some engaged me...others were too embarrassed . and walked out !!

 

That was definitely a "Get the truck" situation, and one I'd still be dreaming about. As for that auctioneer, his twin brother minus gold jewelry, operates here in CT. Can't figure out how he's still in business either. When I see one of his sales advertised I stay home or go the other way.