Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Thrift shopping is going digital
Goodwill posting goods online on OfferUp
Bargain hunters can now go thrift shopping on their smartphones thanks to a new partnership between Goodwill and OfferUp.com.
More than 100 nonprofit Goodwill stores in South Florida, New York and San Francisco, among other locations, are now posting “gently used” designer goods, jewelry, clothes, toys, collectibles and furniture for sale in the online marketplace and on the free OfferUp app, the companies announced.
That means “thrifty finds can be found easily in the palm of your hand,” according to an OfferUp blog post.
Browse items by visiting OfferUp.com and typing “Goodwill” into the search bar to see what’s for sale locally or nationwide. Shoppers can purchase items for the listed price, make an offer or ask questions. Thrifters can pick up purchases in stores for free or have them shipped for a 9.9 percent fee tacked on the sale price. Not all items offered for sale can be shipped.
“Goodwill items will be uploaded daily on OfferUp and listed under regional Goodwill location handles,” according to the blog post. “You’ll know you’ve found a participating Goodwill via the handy Verified Business badge displayed on each profile.”
OfferUp is similar to Craigslist.org, acting as a online middleman hooking up local buyers and sellers of new and used goods.
Recent items for sale at Goodwill stores in Pembroke Pines and Miami included a used wicker garden chair for $30, several bikes for kids and adults for $8 to $25, along with cheap HDTVs, mini fridges and bookcases.
A few Goodwill stores began uploading merchandise to the site in January. Now, stores in New Jersey, San Mateo and Marin counties, Detroit, San Antonio, and Central and Southern Indiana are also posting offers.
Seattle-based Offerup is the largest U.S. mobile marketplaces for local buyers and sellers. Goodwill Industries provides job training, employment placement services, and other community-based programs for people who have barriers preventing them from otherwise obtaining a job.