According to an article posted today on thedenverchannel.com (the website of ABC’s Denver, Colorado affiliate), Goodwill is currently trying to overhaul their image. This includes stocking more high-end, brand name merchandise, as well as giving the stores themselves makeovers. The idea is to bring Goodwill stores more in line with other retail stores and to distance themselves with the low-end reputation of traditional thrift stores.
The article quotes Rick Berninzoni, the vice president of marketing for Goodwill Denver, as saying that along with the other changes, Goodwill is moving into selling items online, specifically mentioning that Berninzoni “hopes to soon sell books online.”
Goodwill already operates their own online auctions at shopgoodwill.com, where buyers can bid on items in a process similar to Ebay’s. However, this change in focus may mean that Goodwill will be placing an increased emphasis on determining the value of their books, and could result in a lot more of them being listed online, either through their existing auction site, or through some new channel.
I have mentioned the value of thrift stores as a good source for books to sell online. How that fact is affected by these changes at Goodwill remains to be seen.
It is possible that, at least in the case of Goodwill, the books with the greatest resale potential will be cherry-picked for sale online and will no longer be on the shelves of their stores. It is also possible that some of the other large thrift store chains may follow suit.
It’s too early to tell what will come of all this, but it’s definitely something that’s worth keeping your eye on.
Tags: goodwill, selling books online, thrift store