eBay

stonevintage · ‎09-08-2017

Seems like the thrift stores are getting a little greedy. Price increases averaging 15% per year for the last 3 years, especially on general clothing and speciality or NWT items.

A used pullover sweatshirt or pair of used sweatpants here was 3.95 three years ago. Now, they're all asking 5.95-6.95. Run of the mill, no name brands.

Decor items.. with the Ross "compare at 9.99 stickers", yours for a great bargin of 4.99. I guess here, half price of what item was new - is their best deal to offer. Apparently, items fallen out of trend have no impact on their pricing considerations. Lots of owl and elephant figurines of all shapes and sizes getting donated now cause they're over - but still marked at on trend prices.

Don't they know, before these new items were donated - they were likely offered at half price or better in the retail store before they did their shelf pull and donated them???

Anyone else notice yet another price jump in the last month or so? The winter clothes just coming out now have about a 30% jump in last years pricing:(

stonevintage · ‎09-08-2017

Bubbleman, people have been complaining about this since these social programs were started decades ago. I'm just thinking there are better places to express your attitudes towards people. It's a social problem really not related to exploring the price increases or selling format of thrift stores.

Common now... put on your big boy pants and carry on.

retrose1 · ‎09-08-2017

@sg51 wrote:
Every week they fill one of those big rectangle outside roll-off dumpsters (or whatever you call it)
that they have to bring a truck to take away and drop an empty one.

Goodwill anyway sells that stuff by the bundle. They don't throw it away, but neither do they let it clog the operation up.

A couple of my ex-employees worked at Goodwill and they do indeed throw away tons of perfectly good items. They go through it and send the good stuff to their auction site, put newer mall merchandise on the racks and if it looks interesting, and there is one close, they might ship a few loads to the Goodwill pound stores, but well over half their donations go to the dumpster, no matter nhow hard their employees point out that it's not a good idea to waste perfectly good stuff.

Salvation Army, on the other hand, at least tries to get the most out of the most. They put it out and try and then marke down and then down again to move it out rather than dumpster it.

And one of the employees at SA told me that donations are way, way down, and I can see it as they have removed over a dozen clothing racks out of their main store and spread out the rest. With the hurricanes and people in the donating mood, it's a sure bet that donations to thrifts will be way, way down in the coming year. And of course prices will go up.

(*Bleep*)

deep-garnet-red · ‎09-08-2017

@nowthatsjustducky wrote:
@divwido wrote:
They are there to make a profit. Why does that surprise you?
We have one thrift store here, the Salvation Army. Their prime directive is helping the needy, not profit. Granted, they frequently get noob employees there who do not understand that the majority of their buyer base is resellers, and if they start coming even remotely close to eBay prices, then their stuff is just going to keep racking up until they have a huge discount sale on everything in the store.

Despite the occasional periods of trying to get eBay prices locally, they do tend to keep their prices down, and still manage to help those who need it. Heck, quite often, they end up having to put out carts of donated foods (often really high quality stuff) for anyone who wants it. So apparently charging sane prices in their store is not hurting their ability to fulfill their primary purpose.

The SA here is, and has always been, way overpriced even at end user prices.

phcd1 · ‎09-08-2017

Find another Thrift Store. No one is forcing you to buy there.

stonevintage · ‎09-08-2017

Hey! Another post with deep insight. Thanks for your comment:)

emerald40 · ‎09-08-2017

@nowthatsjustducky wrote:
@dakotasmoke wrote:
Most of our thrift store prices are in line with what you would pay on eBay. Especially purses and Jewelry it makes it almost impossible to buy for resale now and their reasoning is is that if people are unable to buy for resale it's more likely to go to people that actually need it.
They must have forgotten that the local people who need it are likely not going to pay eBay prices, because they either can't afford the asking price, or they would prefer to buy from a site where they may be able to return the item if has undisclosed issues or other problems.

Hard place to be in. Priced too low and the ebay resellers grab them first. Priced too high and the people to whom these items are specifically donated to, cannot afford it.

And that is why imo separate needs from wants. The needs should be for those who truely need it - where doumentation supports it. What is left then can be up for grabs.

The wants should be priced a bit below ebay pricing, to still entice resellers, but to maximize profit for the poor.

If that happened I would donate again.

emerald40 · ‎09-08-2017

@shoppingbomc2014 wrote:
Since they get their merchandise for free, there is a difference between making a profit and gouging the customers.

I would rather the thrift make money so they can help the poor then the ebay resellers.

I certainly did not donate with the intent so sellers here can run their business, and I am certain others did not as well.

emerald40 · ‎09-08-2017

@fab_finds4u wrote:
The Salvation Army thrift store near me has also gone up on clothes--3.50-5.00 for faded t-shirts, some with bad stains and HOLES. 5-7.50 for worn tired jeans. All the good stuff is plucked out before it ever hits the racks.

I believe the prices are so high becase every time I'm there I see people paying for clothes with clothes vouchers from social services. Those buyers don't really care what it costs because all the clothes are basically free to them. The thrift stores know they're going to get the prices when they turn in the vouchers. I'm not putting down the people that get the vouchers, just making an observation.......

Then imo the items are going exactly where they should - to the people who need them.

Wish they had that set up around me because I would gladly donate to them.

stonevintage · ‎09-08-2017

Emerald, the last time this conversation came up (about 3-4 months ago) I mentioned it to the manager here of one chain thrift (33 stores, hers here is the 2nd largest in the state) and then a couple of days later mentioned it to a friend that is now a manager at our local Goodwill. Monday, I got into a discussion about it with the owner of the non-profit thrift across the street.

Response from chain thrift manager "Oh we love the resellers and count on their income to fulfill our mission. They are a steady source of income.

From the manager at Goodwill. "That's such a shame - you know that we don't pitch items in the trash, our bailing reselling program is still going strong".

The independent thrift store owner on Monday that brought up the topic... "It's such a shame that people are badmouthing places like Goodwill and telling people not to donate". Then he and I went into a long discussion what our local Goodwill does for our state and community. They literally run the Idaho job education program training. They run distribution of disability funds for those unable to handle their own financial affairs. They are one of the most vital players in our community.

You're asking me to believe they're all lying. That they don't do the good works that I know they do. We are connected and all information can be verified thru the state of Idaho. It's harmfull and not right when posters make a blanket statement to not shop or donate to a whole chain of charity stores nationwide. That's just silly but some will buy into it, hurting their local charities regardless of how upstanding and beneficial to the local community they may be. False witness...

sg51 · ‎09-08-2017

A couple of my ex-employees worked at Goodwill and they do indeed throw away tons of perfectly good items. They go through it and send the good stuff to their auction site, put newer mall merchandise on the racks and if it looks interesting, and there is one close, they might ship a few loads to the Goodwill pound stores, but well over half their donations go to the dumpster, no matter nhow hard their employees point out that it's not a good idea to waste perfectly good stuff.

Goodwills are fairly independent, region to region. Some do it one way, some another.

faithandbutterflies · ‎09-08-2017

Our local Goodwill & thrift store clothing prices have gone up and up in the past few years. At our Goodwill a shirt is almost $6. But, they do special color sellers so if the color of the day is green then every item with a green tag is half off. So when we shop at Goodwill we almost always buy things half off. Other than that we can get the same price or even lower at Walmart.

emerald40 · ‎09-08-2017

Stone, I was very specific when this conversation came up months ago that they lied to me.

They told me that donations went to people who lost everything in a fire or battered women who had to flee their homes.

When my brother passed, they tole me all his suits shoes, dress shirts, et. would go to men trying to enter the work force.

And I saw first hand when I dropped off some items that it was a free for all with people who were grabbing up items, checking them on their I phones, and then just tossing what they did not want.

emerald40 · ‎09-08-2017

Response from chain thrift manager "Oh we love the resellers and count on their income to fulfill our mission. They are a steady source of income.

_____________________________________________________

As to one of Roses finds, how can pricing an item for $ that she was able to sell for $$$, be anything but stupidity on their part.Whose mission does that benefit?

Why donate that item when you can sell it yourself and give them the money instead?

emerald40 · ‎09-08-2017

You're asking me to believe they're all lying. That they don't do the good works that I know they do. We are connected and all information can be verified thru the state of Idaho. It's harmfull and not right when posters make a blanket statement to not shop or donate to a whole chain of charity stores nationwide. That's just silly but some will buy into it, hurting their local charities regardless of how upstanding and beneficial to the local community they may be. False witness...

__________________________________________________________

It is you making a blanket statement. You are talking about a store in Idaho and I am talking about one in Rhode Island. Do you honestly believe they are all run the same.

.

getitright1234 · ‎09-08-2017

@the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth wrote:
Are the items overpriced for the final market or overpriced for Ebay sellers to resell?

A smart thirft store should price their item for both the end user (and) reseller, (Both) are giving you their business. A resellar will go in a thrift store almost daily while an end user might go in 1-2 times a week. If you do not leave any meat on the bone, the reseller will not buy and the average (in need) end user will not or can not afford the higher price.