Went To Goodwill And.....

[wheelhorseman]

............came home with this like new Murray for 8.00. The bike was covered in dust from storage but cleaned up in minutes. Will probably flip for around 20.00 hopefully. Not much money but its fun to sell.

These Goodwills and Salvation Armys make me mad sometimes. Most stuff is old junk and overpriced. They had another bike there that was a rusty piece of junk for the same price. They WILL NOT negotiate and the staff there acted like i was bothering them . They had a girls bike that was there last week and still there today for 8.00 also which i thought was too much. 5.00 was being generous.They said only the manager could discuss lowering the price and that she was in back and WOULD NOT come out to talk with me. Anyway i think i did ok for my money..i just hate the way they do buisness. Everything is givin to them for free so everything they make is profit.

 

[g-ratter]

wife and I had a similar experience. She was buying some pieces of cloth from them. Three of them were marked $1.99 each the 4th one did not have a price tag on it. What would one assume the price was???? Would not sell it to us until a manager could mark it and they were gone for the day. No common sense.

 

[Jawon]

I'm sure everyone has had a bad experience with those orgs, but technically, the money they make is not "profit" since they are non-profits. The money they make from us is to support the org's mission of providing job training and aiding people who are on their last dime.

I've never run across a bike I'd want for myself there but have bought many other things, so I just think of it as supporting a good cause And I think some of the people working on the floor are in the process of being trained and on a journey of bettering their situation, so we might want to cut them some slack. After all, their name is Good Will

 

[outskirtscustoms]

At $8 if the tires and tubes are good go ahead and buy it. If you are that concerned about $8 save the recept and write it off in taxes as a donation to goodwill. :lol:

 

[ozzmonaut]

I have gotten so many great deals in the past from goodwill but now they seem to go overboard pricing. I got a like new Schwinn supermatic bmx with only a tear in the seat and the Target tag still on it for $1.99. I bought an old 79 scrambler canti all OG for $5. But now I see NEXT junk that has already been ridden into the ground priced for more than it goes for at Walmart. They had a like new Huffy for $200! It was a $99 bike new. It seems like a little common sense is needed in the backroom. I worked there once in a community service capacity I got to see how they priced things. They are just guessing blind.

 

[old_skool]

I've picked up a few really great bargains at our local Goodwill stores, but sometimes their bikes and other things are overpriced. There doesn't seem to be a consistent method to how they price anything.

Either way as pointed out above, Goodwill is a private non-profit that provides job training and housing to the developmentally disabled, physically challenged, and to folks with other special needs. In our region (the Florida Panhandle) they provide services to about 5,000 people at any given time - without any tax dollars. In this tough economy, their thrift stores are helping lots of people save real money on clothes, housewares, etc.

 

[Toeslider]

Can't really complain too much about Goodwill. Sometimes it's a crapshoot, but it's for a good cause. Last time I was in there they had a 26" NEXT bike, ready to ride, for $75, and A Bianchi 26" mountain bike with no seat or chain for $20. See if you can guess which one I immediately snapped up... :mrgreen:

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Can't really complain too much about Goodwill. Sometimes it's a crapshoot, but it's for a good cause. Last time I was in there they had a 26" NEXT bike, ready to ride, for $75, and A Bianchi 26" mountain bike with no seat or chain for $20. See if you can guess which one I immediately snapped up... :mrgreen:

Yeah those prices sound right just got the tags switched around... :lol:

 

[ratcycle]

I used to work as a donation clerk at one here in madison, wi. You would be suprised at how me bikes that could easy be fixed up got thrown out.

 

[kngtmat]

That is a nice little 80's looking Murray for $8 is a good price.


I would be glad to pay $8 for bikes no matter what they are as long as they have good parts if they are not worth fixing, about the lowest price I have seen in Lakeland & Winter Haven Fl is around $20 plus way more if they have any bikes at all.


There are some Pawn shops here but about 1 actually has bikes that are are asking over $20, some are nice but others are for around $50 to $80 that have parts like the brakes are broken and I tried to sell a bike there they would only give me $10 for it in great condition so it make me wonder how they could sell the broken bikes for so much of a price.