I had an interesting conversation on Twitter this week with someone who saw one of my eBay items tweeted:
Hey, I was just doing some innocent marketing and then...
Someone tagged me and tweeted, "I personally wouldn't do that. It's taking good clothes from someone who may need it for an interview, in my opinion."
My reply, "No, it's putting money into the economy, supporting a charity and being self sufficient."
Her reply," I cannot agree, given the purpose of the charity, in my opinion." Then she went on with several more tweets on her on feed about the situation....
"Well I think they are more than that. But anyway, you don't need to explain your position. I'm not donating to them anymore."
"There are people who are proud of buying something nice at places like Goodwill then reselling it for multiples of what they paid for it"
"I personally have a problem with that. I think it's one of the reasons why you can't find anything but junk at Goodwill."
"And if you know people are just using Goodwill to find resellables, why would you donate your stuff that you could re-sell yourself?"
"Instead of someone who needs a nice suit for an interview being able to find one at a good price, some reseller's going to get it?"
"My days of donating my nice things to Goodwill and places like them are over! It's a shame greedy folk ruin the whole idea of these places."
I would like to make my position (and that of most online resellers) on this issue very clear, here in this blog post. This topic comes up frequently so all you sellers out there who hear it, please point people here to read this post.
1. Our business as resellers fuels the economy - it keeps money circulating, empowers people, and we provide a service of matching up cast-off things with the people who want them.
2. Goodwill is NOT in the business of offering low-priced goods to the needy. Their focus is job training and education to empower people to be as self-sufficient as possible. Their mission statement is, "Goodwill works to enhance the dignity and quality of life of individuals and families by strengthening communities, eliminating barriers to opportunity, and helping people in need reach their full potential through learning and the power of work." Read it here on the Goodwill website if you want to see for yourself. This is a common misconception - that Goodwill stores exist to sell items to low-income people.
3. Almost everything in a Goodwill store is DONATED by the general public. Goodwill purchases a few items from retailers like Target for resale. Their cost of inventory is practically nothing.
4. When resellers purchase from Goodwill (and many other charity thrift stores) we are HELPING that charity. We are putting money into their charity, that then helps provide job training and education for people who need it. I would love to know how many dollars eBay and Amazon sellers put into Goodwill Industries annually. I'm sure we would all be shocked. Goodwill wins!
5. Resellers who make money doing this business are being self-sufficient and using the resources around them wisely. I personally have helped several people get off government assistance by helping them start an eBay business including young mothers, temporarily disabled folks, and some people who just have had an unexpected life crisis and had to use government assistance. In my opinion, the eBay/Amazon resale business not only generates money for the reseller, but it takes some burden off of public assistance programs. Other resellers have improved their lives with the money generated by an at home eBay business - they have been able to leave dead-end jobs, spend time with young children, or care for an elderly parent or ill child. eBay is the perfect business for people suffering from illnesses like Fibromyalgia, MS, Crohn's Disease, or Cancer who can't hold a "regular" job because they don't know what kind of day they might have. With eBay, these people can work when they feel up to it and still generate an income to pay their bills. By shopping at Goodwill, people have learned how to use the resources convenient and available to them to make money in all kinds of different situations. The seller wins!
6. When we buy from Goodwill for resale, eBay makes money. They get their cut and our selling platform stays in business, so we can continue to enjoy the freedom and the lifestyle eBay selling provides. eBay wins!
7. We give a lot of business to the USPS when we use the mail system to ship our orders. Again, I would love to know how many dollars annually are pumped into the USPS because of online sellers. Again, I bet it is astounding. The USPS (government) wins!
8. Customers get what they want. I can't even tell you the number of feedbacks I have received over the last 10 years from buyers expressing their appreciation, thanking me for helping them replace a broken item, providing a hard to find item, providing a unique gift for someone, or finding an item similar to one they had in their childhood that was lost or destroyed. In fact, read the comments yourself. There are over 12,000 of them. We provide a valuable service and buyers love it. The customers win!
So, this is a win-win-win-win-win situation!
We live in a world of abundance. The Goodwill stores I shop in are gigantic - maybe 5,000 items on the sales floor at a time. There is no way on earth I am taking things away from anybody - I am a cog in the wheel of enterprise that helps a charity make money and a buyer get what they want. It is unfortunate that not everyone sees it this way, and more unfortunate that people aren't educated about the mission of Goodwill Industries. And I am sorry that people think that because of us, there is nothing but "junk" in the Goodwill stores. Ironically, "junk" is exactly what I am looking for and what sells the best online. Somebody else's trash is definitely my treasure.
And frankly, I think this person on Twitter is a tad bit late to the party. She is just now realizing that people do this? This statement puzzles me, "And if you know people are just using Goodwill to find resellables, why would you donate your stuff that you could re-sell yourself?" Exactly - so, why not sell it yourself?
I would love your input on this commentary. And I think we need to stand together on this issue and educate the public that what we do is a good thing for a lot of people, not just ourselves. Please share this article on Facebook, Twitter, and in your groups and forums.
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I agree with every point you make. I want to stress ABUNDANCE. There is more crap being made and thrown into landfills, and yes, donated, than this person is capable of imagining, apparently. You could multiply resellers by a million and still the stores would be just crammed with it. I know of thrift stores that have to give their overflow to OTHER thrift stores.
ReplyDeleteWhat a silly little person. And to then say, "well, I just won't donate anymore." Knock yourself out, honey. There is plenty to go around with out you.
Well said! It's amazing how little some people know and understand about resellers. I often have people ask me if I'm "allowed to do that" when I tell them what we do! I ask them what they think a typical brick & mortar retail store does, pointing out that they buy products from a supplier and mark them up for profit as well. And believe me, we pay plenty of taxes to the government too!
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Suzanne,
ReplyDeleteExcellent article. I can't add a thing except to say I agree with you completely.
Thank you for speaking up for us eBayers and Amazoners :D
GREAT post! And what about the environmental benefits of keeping some things out of the landfills, and keeping something already in existence in circulation, which reduces the environmental impact of creating something "new"?
ReplyDeletePeople are taught to think now that ppl who sell to make a profit are greedy and inherently evil. Heck we help the economy too.....if i didnt do this I'd probably be on unemployment :) but then you will never make e erroneous happy ignore the haters :)
ReplyDeleteNot to mention that Goodwill themselves are now selling online, I just bought a book from a GW in Tennesse. And believe me if there had been a similar book from an independent reseller, I would have bought that one! Anyway, abundance is the keyword here, NOBODY corners the market on used items...and I'm like a lot of other resellers...some people go into a thrift store and see junk...I see little piles of money... it's just in how you look at it and what you do with it. weI don't need the stuff of someone who doesn't like what we do with it...
ReplyDeleteI'm confused. Why would you criticize someone for creating their own job? We've been in a recession for how long now? - Miriam at The eBay Life Blog
ReplyDeleteWell said. The main point you brought up is that Goodwill (and all other thrift stores, church rummage sales, etc.) are more interested in the money the stores produce than providing to low-income folks. That misconception comes from the idea that only "poor" folk shop at thrift stores because that's all they can afford. Having said that, some folks have an altruistic attitude about the "good" items they donate. They want the items to directly benefit folks who can really use them; and resent folks who will take donated items for their business. I recently had an experience where I was the recipient of a free freezer from FREECYCLE. I mentioned to the donor that I was surprised the freezer was still available when I contacted her. She said someone else had first contacted her, but she knew this person was a re-seller and she didn't want them to have it. No, I did not mention I was reseller too since I definitely was using the freezer for my family and had no intention of reselling it ... at least not for the moment :)
ReplyDeleteGoodwill is making TONS of money. I used to shop on their website to buy things to resell on ebay but not anymore. The prices are sky high and their shipping prices are astronomical!! I wish though that the items in the stores were as good as the stuff online.
ReplyDeleteI mostly shop in the Goodwill outlet stores - where SUPPOSEDLY all the "unsellable/unsold" items go to die...I find awesome stuff there. Additionally, I ALWAYS show my tax ID so I don't get charged tax, and the workers there ALL know that a lot of the people there - you know, the ones with 8 carts lined up by the wall - are all resellers. No mystery or upset from them.
ReplyDeleteAnd BTW, I also use my sales tax number at regular Goodwills and other thrift stores. And have for many years.
I couldn't agree with you more. Obviously your critic is a cranky curmudgeon who likes to sit around and judge other people.
ReplyDeleteLet's go with her idiotic theory for a moment.I suppose the "job applicant" couldn't simply walk around the Goodwill store (like the rest of us do) and find something else suitable to wear to the interview? Also, is there something magical about a cashmere coat that would have absolutely landed her that so-called job too, as opposed to another coat?
Dumb, dumb, dumb....Some people are unbelievable!
Dude @ MoneyintheGarage.com
Amen! Thank you for thoroughly and eloquently defending what we do.
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