ShopGoodwill.com to Complement your eBay Addiction
By Jan Sherrell
In my role at Metro United Way, reviewing the agencies we invest in – I’m seeing an openness to change in the agencies like never before. Times are tough, budgets are down and needs are up. I’m seeing agencies building a board of savvy business-minded professionals that bring their business acumen to nonprofits. Nonprofit boards and directors are working to run the agency like a business to guarantee its survival in these tough economic times. I’m also seeing them embrace technology as a better way to meet their needs and needs of their clients. Goodwill Bridgepointe Services in Southern Indiana is pursuing both of the above changes.
Goodwill operates Children’s Academy, an early childhood center; Career Services, a job training and placement for adults with disabilities and several other programs vital to the community. Their budget is 86% funded by sales at their thrift stores. Goodwill has recognized that some items of value are being sold dirt cheap in their stores and that the internet could help put those items in front of a broader audience. Hence the creation of ShopGoodwill.com. The site works like eBay and items can be sorted by category, store or ending bid date. Everything you purchase is coming from a Goodwill store to support their services. Don’t worry- there are still plenty of deals waiting for you in the stores also!
Beth Hammond, a college student, is in charge of ShopGoodwill in Southern Indiana. She operates out of the Clarksville Goodwill store, and communicates with all eleven Southern Indiana Goodwill stores. ShopGoodwill encourages Goodwill stores to send them donations that are of higher caliber than your typical Goodwill fare- jewelry, artwork, instruments, designer clothing. They are looking for items that could sell for a lot more than five or ten dollar items on the sales floor.
ShopGoodwill associates then do their research. Beth spends hours every day scouring Google and eBay for information regarding the things she gets sent. Beth said,
I actually find that the most enjoyable part of the job- I always feel like Indiana Jones when I discover something really interesting. For example, last week one store sent me up a couple of tiny red bottles. They were carved and had Chinese characters on the bottom. After an extensive search, it turns out these were Cinnabar snuff bottles, detailed in ancient Chinese, that were popular back in Imperial China. So you never know what you are going to find.
After researching, the associate will list the item. They take pictures, measure it, and clean it; anything that needs to be done to make sure the item is presentable. They list it on the site with appropriate information, and sit back and watch! “I always love the day that items come down. Around here, we call it the bid-war. Especially with the more popular items, every time you refresh the page, the bid has gone up! It’s a lot of fun to watch” Beth shared.
ShopGoodwill buyers are encouraged to contact the sellers before purchasing anything to ask questions. Beth spends time conversing with different customers, describing each item in minute detail, sending additional pictures, or just taking care of problems. With the goal of making sure each customer is satisfied, not only with the product, but also with the information given them about it.
Besides increased revenue, the stores are rewarded with a prize ribbon. It’s a simple thing, really, but the stores love competing with each other to send in the most expensive item or make the most money for the month. Last month Southern Indiana Goodwill’s highest item was a Tenor Saxophone that sold for over five hundred dollars. I’m sure the buyer was thrilled with the purchase and Goodwill had more funds to better serve the community and their clients. So again, change is what keeps us alive, so in addition to eBay – check out ShopGoodwill.com next time you go online for a little “retail therapy.”