‘It’s more than eBay’: New Jersey woman buys $20 teapot from Goodwill. Then she goes to another Goodwill for the matching cups—and sees what they cost
Thrifting is supposed to be the one place you beat the system, not where the system beats you. Imagine snagging a $20 teapot for $8.99 at Goodwill and leaving the place riding the high of acquiring new aesthetic pottery. Feeling like you want to stretch the feeling, you drive to another Goodwill only four miles down the road to get the matching cups. The only problem? They’re priced like they come with a trust fund. This is how one New Jersey woman’s Goodwill glow-up turned into shock real fast when she realized the nonprofit was charging more than eBay for secondhand teacups.
‘Corporate Greed is Astounding’
A TikToker under the name @healthybeans1971 has shared her first-hand experience of Goodwill’s ‘corporate greed.’ She is one voice joining the many who are now discussing Goodwill’s pricing system.
Her three-minute clip already has 70,000 views and almost 700 comments. She begins the video by saying, “So, I am no longer going to be donating anything to Goodwill because their greedy business practices have gone too far.”
The creator explains how she recently bought a new teapot and cup set at Goodwill for $8.99. She gets home, does a Google image reverse search and finds that it’s worth $20. She then goes to a second Goodwill, four miles away from the first one, and realized they have the matching cups.
The creator says she “really wanted these cups” so she drove 45 minutes from her house to the second Goodwill to get them, without knowing the prices. She gets there, takes a picture of the price tag and shows it to TikTok. Even better, she overlays the eBay price right beside it, comparing the two. Goodwill? $69.99. Ebay? $65.
‘I was Disgusted’
The creator says she has experience reselling before the pandemic and even that was tough.
“$20 would be expensive in my book. But to mark them at 69.99 is disgusting. I just couldn’t bring myself to buy them,” she reveals. “I mean, nor do I have $70 just to spend on them but I was just disgusted.”
She also shares that Goodwill used to have the colors on sale for $1, but now even that is only on Sundays and are now at $2 and $3. “They’re just so greedy,” she adds.
The TikToker says she has a whole box of stuff to donate but she won’t go to Goodwill, but rather a church or independent thrift store. She ends the clip by asking the viewers to share their experiences with Goodwill.
Are Goodwill Prices Increasing?
This creator’s gripe is not a new phenomenon. In 2023, Yahoo posted how Goodwill prices are surpassing Walmart’s. They attribute the price hike to higher end items, rent prices, and wages. Other people call it money-hunger.
A Reddit post from seven months ago on the r/Goodwill subreddit asks the question: “Since when has goodwill gotten so expensive?” The Mary Sue has covered many stories also on the topic. One example was when Goodwill was selling secondhand Walmart shorts for $5. It may sound cheap, but Walmart had it marked for $1. Another woman ranted about Goodwill selling curtains priced at $15 and $20 when it was probably salvaged and defective. The stories keep adding up.
@healthybeans1971 @Goodwill Industries Intl. @Goodwill Official ♬ original sound – healthybeans1971
What Does Goodwill Say?
One journalist, Patrice from Flying on a Dime, took it upon herself to ask Goodwill their thoughts on the discourse. She says she contacted Goodwill branches in the New York and New Jersey area. This was their response:
“As far as pricing goes, the stores’ profits support Goodwill’s mission – a dedication to providing opportunities to those outside the economic mainstream. You can learn all about that mission at our programs/services blog, Where the Goodwill Goes, detailing our youth programs (like ballet lessons, summer camp, after-school activities), veteran programs (like Goodwill Suits Vets, giving out a free interview-appropriate outfit to veterans on special holiday weekends), recycling initiatives, rehabilitation programs (like PROS), and many, many more. While our stores serve to fund our programs and provide jobs for those otherwise facing barriers to the economic mainstream (including visible and non-visible disabilities), we also aim to provide an interesting array of like-new clothes at affordable prices at our Goodwill stores.”
What do the Viewers Share as Their Experiences?
Under the TikTok creator’s clip, viewers unload their own grievances. One viewer says, “GO ANYWHERE BUT GREEDWILL.” While another shares, “Mind you, they got it for free…”
A third viewer states, “It does depend on where you live. I live in a small town and our prices are not like that. Driving 45 min past me to the bigger city can be iffy there on pricing and quality.” The creator replies, “I totally get that. This is in a town in NJ, not a city. And poor town at that. So sad.”
One viewer says, “My store was selling a used, empty mustard jar. The standard jar from the store, not a cute jar to put mustard in. It was priced higher than a new, full jar costs at the supermarket.”
Another one says, “I visited a goodwill for the 1st time recently. i was blown away at how high things were priced. they charged $5 for stuff that would be .99cents at my local thrift store. why would I pay retail prices for used items?”
The Mary Sue reached out to Goodwill PR via email and to the creator via TikTok direct message.
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