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keziak · ‎10-11-2017

I drive past a Goodwill at least twice a day but haven't stopped in for, what, 15 years? (we donate from time to time). I decided to see what books they had. I was quite surprised. I immediately found some bowls I wanted and there was a lot of nice china but I know nothing about that (or clothes or collectibles).

The book and media sections were pretty good. I tend to use "thrift store" as shorthand for old and crummy books and this wasn't fair about this store. Quite a lot of nice things. As a Friend of the library I wish people would donate to us instead, though!

There was a problem with the high prices , especially since I'm used to the buck-a-book pricing libraries tend to use. For example I found some Game of Thrones paperbacks. I would have paid 50 cents for them but they were marked $1.50. There were some DVD sets but priced high. The hardcovers were kind of high. I hasten to add that as a charity they should try to get the best prices but I have no idea if their books just sit due to high prices. I plan to check back from time to time. They explained they have a color system in which every week some things are half off. I signed up to get email alerts.

keziak · ‎10-11-2017

@pantlandia wrote:
For resale, I find very little at Goodwill, even on their 50% off tags.
Personally, I buy the family's clothes there and usually can find a board game or something like that.

I have 3 individual thrift stores that I frequent for reselling.

The problem here is thrift stores working with dealers. A friend has the commission with the big Salvation Army so no books worth buying there. He describes going through tons of books. Why oh why don't people with books think of donating to the library? We give tax receipts too!

Anyway there is also a hospital auxiliary shop in town but some time ago I heard that they use a dealer to sell for them also. I don't know about the Goodwill, maybe they are selling their valuable books that way, too, or sending them to a central location for them to sell online.

gramophone-georg · ‎10-11-2017

Thrift stores in my area are so crazy on prices my wife and I joke about hitting the thrift for inspiration and then the antique malls for a discounted price. Lots of times their beat used donated stuff is barely less than or sometimes even more than the exact item new at a retail store. Crack pipe pricing at its finest...

Chaos is NOT an "industry standard".

tunicaslot · ‎10-11-2017

I don't think a lot of people know what to do with books besides donate them to Goodwill or SA. With so many having kindles now - they don't even sell well a garage sales. I've been donating mine to the library they have in the Senior Apts where my cousin lives. They're for low income seniors. That's also where I donate many of my clothing items if they sit too long - they are gone within minutes as many of these seniors live on nothing more than SS.

retrose1 · ‎10-11-2017

Our Goodwills here are mostly in high end strip malls and sell newer mall merchandise at high prices. If it is older, they throw it away. If they are color coded, I haven't heard about it.

The Salvation Armys are a different matter. They will throw away damaged items but put out most of their stuff. Their prices vary from one extreme to another but are usually cheaper than GW, The color code, put out every day, and have half of xx color after time. Plus on Sat, the half off color is 49cents to clear it out while still making money. All summer long I buy high end bulky and Chrstmas sweaters and nice coats for 49 cents and now I have loads of stock to list for only a little risk.

And we have a few consignment shops and auctions that have some great sales. I scored big last weekend on a high end consignment shop clearance. A friend of mine and myself hit up at least one different thrift a week just to see what's there. Sometimes we will make an afternoon of it and hit 3 or 4. Half of them go out of business after a few months, but always a SA every few weeks.

(*Bleep*)

llllady · ‎10-11-2017

@tunicaslot wrote:
I don't think a lot of people know what to do with books besides donate them to Goodwill or SA. With so many having kindles now - they don't even sell well a garage sales. I've been donating mine to the library they have in the Senior Apts where my cousin lives. They're for low income seniors. That's also where I donate many of my clothing items if they sit too long - they are gone within minutes as many of these seniors live on nothing more than SS.

You really need to come to g-sales in NJ! It's almost impossible to hit a g-sale here where there aren't boxes and boxes of books. The "going rate" is $0.50 for paperback and $1.00 for hard cover (and sometimes only $0.50 there, too).

“It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent” ― Madeleine K. Albright

Great! 45.8% down over the same time last year with 2x+ items listed. Are you impressed? I'm certainly not!

pingpong517 · ‎10-11-2017

Well i have been going to Thrift stores the last 5/6 years very often....

yes the prices have gone up a bit...BUT there are lots of us "picker" and resellers in there getting the "good stuff"

if you haven't seen the new stores , goodwill, has upgraded the look and there are many more thrift store too...

my point: yep prices went up...because of and lots of buyers going in ---they are pretty smart running most of them--they caught on too. then overall costs -due to employee benefits, min wage and store improvements. And last they do do a lot of "sales" / sehnior days, etc...SO things are priced a bit more, but often can /will get the on sale....

really do you blame them? I don't. I've made plenty( not a millionair) but plenty buying from them...

fair is fair , and I do hope they have used it as they advertize to help other...

tunicaslot · ‎10-11-2017

Heck - I was selling mine for 25 cents each - 5/$1 and didn't sell one! I have a kindle but love having an actual book in my hands - besides all the freebie downloads for the kindles are mostly series these days - so they get me hooked on the first book and I'm spending $3.99 for each other in the series.

I should be good for awhile now with that box I just got!

llllady · ‎10-11-2017

Agree on having the book in the hands. Don't even have a remote interest in a Kindle. Besides, if you tote a cheap book somewhere with you and you leave it there, who cares!?!?

“It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent” ― Madeleine K. Albright

Great! 45.8% down over the same time last year with 2x+ items listed. Are you impressed? I'm certainly not!

retrose1 · ‎10-11-2017

@tunicaslot wrote:
But many people don't bother putting their ad in the local paper as one woman told me it cost her $30 to advertise her 2 day sale.

I hit church sales and one year I got a call at my B&M store from a church I always hit and they know who I am and what I did with the stuff I bought. They wanted to know if something happened to me since I didn't show up at their sale that morning. I said that I didn't know, they did not have their normal ad in the paper. The nice church lady said that the commitee decided to save the money on the ad since it costs $30.

I then asked her how much I usually spend on the first day and would come back on the second day for bag sale. She responded at least $50 on the first day. So this time, they are only getting bag sale money off me and most of the stuff I buy no one else wants so a lot of the stuff they could have gotten prime money from me, they are geting maybe a quarter a piece for it in the bag.

They always put an ad in the paper now. And I am counting on the ads now more than ever, the newspaper with the fundraising section in it has closed.

(*Bleep*)

keziak · ‎10-11-2017

@pingpong517 wrote:
Well i have been going to Thrift stores the last 5/6 years very often....

yes the prices have gone up a bit...BUT there are lots of us "picker" and resellers in there getting the "good stuff"

The situation here with pickers in books and media is unclear. My friend who works for SA actually lives quite far away but apparently it's worth the drive a time or two a week. He works with volume I will never approach. When I go to library booksales in the wider area I have never found anyone admitting to living in this town.

I have an important source for books and as far as I can tell I am the only dealer maximizing my use of the source. I don't have an arrangement with them but I get lots of saleable books anyway and that is my bread and butter. That, and library sales.

knode89 · ‎10-11-2017

Goodwill is great for glassware, toys and some electronics and things because most items have a set price and they just mark it and go. So I find hard to find toys for .99 or 1.91 all the time because they just see a toy and mark it and out it goes. I also find it funny that at the 5 GW that I used to go to on a weekly basis how their DVD set prices varied widely. Lowest was4.95 highest is 8.95 no matter what kind if dvd set it was.

bonnie-lass · ‎10-11-2017

Besides all the above things about Goodwill...they use indelible markers to price things.

I understand why, having worked in a for profit thrift store, but it can be hell/impossible to get that marker off any thing beside glass.

luckythewinner · ‎10-11-2017

I hasten to add that as a charity they should try to get the best prices but I have no idea if their books just sit due to high prices

I bet they have a pretty good idea.

reallynicestamps · ‎10-11-2017

but haven't stopped in for, what, 15 years?

Prices on everything have risen in 15 years.

That was 2002, after all.

The money a well-run charity thrift earns goes to their programs. Their customers are not necessarily poor. Many eBay sellers are their best customers. I was out thrifting myself yesterday, none too successfully although there have been times I needed an extra bag to carry home my loot.

Interestingly, two years ago, DVDs were behind the counter and CD cases were empty (the clerks had those behind the counter too). Now both are out with the VHS and cassette tapes. I guess people download instead and they are a glut.

Game of Thrones are newish and were originally fairly pricey because George RR Martin may be a slooooooow writer, but he writes big books. So you are getting a $10-$15 paperback for your $1.50.

mistwomandancing · ‎10-11-2017

Another here who loves *real* books. No Kindle here. Shelves on three walls of our den with the books I can't part with. Best garage sale I hit several years ago was another person like me, who was moving into a nursing home. Her kids didn't want her thousands of books so were just dumping them cheap at the garage sale. I hauled home so many in every nook and cranny of my car that it's tires were nearly flat under the weight and I had to just creep slowly home. Lots of great antique volumes that I now treasure too. Wonder what my own kids will do when my time comes...