One of Thrifting’s OGs Is Getting Into the Digital Resale Game
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Goodwill is taking aim at re-commerce players like Poshmark and ThredUp with the launch of its own online secondhand site.
The 120-year-old nonprofit new GoodwillFinds.com platform offers a curated assortment apparel, footwear and accessories as well as books, home décor and other items. Items from Ralph Lauren, Levi’s, Lululemon, New Balance, Adidas, Nike, Gucci, Prada, and Versace are shoppable through the platform.
More from Sourcing Journal
The site, operating separately from Goodwill Industries International Inc., funnels net proceeds to fund social service programs serving the regions and neighborhoods where items were donated. It supports Goodwill’s mission to advance professional training, job placement and youth mentorship efforts.
The site launched with 100,000 products and aims to reach 1 million by next year, a GoodwillFinds spokesperson told Sourcing Journal. It cherry-picks items that it believes have the best chance of selling online from donations from its 3,300-store network. “We want to maximize the opportunity for shoppers by encouraging thrifting in both channels—in-store an online,” the rep said. Items can be shipped to customers in the U.S. and Canada. They are dispatched directly from the local Goodwill where they were donated, usually via FedEx. GoodwillFinds operates independently of Goodwill’s auction site, ShopGoodwill.com.
Premium items are donated with certificates of authenticity, and Goodwill’s AI pricing module determines how they are priced based on historical data, the rep said, while authenticated items command higher prices.
The platform is still figuring out post-donation authentication. GoodwillFinds isn’t “going in the closet and working with brands” to authenticate goods that come into its possession right now, the spokesperson said. “Instead, what we’re doing is digitizing the inventory coming into Goodwills today,” en route to eventually “adding authentication services.” The website claims certain items are verified by “an outside service” and photographed with certificates of authenticity.
The platform may still be finding its footing in luxury resale, but its recent chief executive appointment suggests it’s serious about competing with established players. Goodwill tapped Matthew A. Kaness, a veteran of Walmart, Urban Outfitters, ModCloth and Afterpay, to serve as CEO and oversee the platform’s launch and expansion. Kaness’ two decades of leadership experience in e-commerce and direct-to-consumer brand-building will help him lead a remote team facilitating the platform’s integration with Goodwill’s stores and donation centers.
GoodwillFinds.com has been in the works for some and addresses Goodwill members’ interest in further supporting their local communities. Kaness said GoodwillFinds offers eco-conscious shoppers a guilt-free outlet for consumption. “Our new social enterprise makes it easier for the conscious consumer to shop sustainably online while heightening the thrifting experience they’ve come to love at Goodwill,” he said.
“I’m confident that this venture will accelerate Goodwill’s mission of transforming lives through the dignity of work, raise awareness of the immense sustainability impact of thrifting at Goodwill, and increase net donations to each Goodwill region,” he added.
Goodwill Industries International CEO Steve Preston said the project offers “a modern online shopping experience—backed by a century-old philosophy—to harness resale with purpose.”
“This is an exciting inflection point for the organization, as GoodwillFinds expands the thrifting alternatives to existing supporters and brand new visitors,” he added.
