GoodwillFinds.com, the online marketplace operated under a license agreement with Goodwill Industries, has ceased operations. A message on the platform’s homepage states that the site has stopped accepting orders as of March 28, and redirects customers to the auction-style resale site ShopGoodwill.com.
Complicated Competitive Dynamics
GoodwillFinds.com was launched in October 2022 in a bid by the 120-year-old thrift store chain to grab a larger piece of the growing online resale market. The site was operated as a B2B2C marketplace where participating local Goodwills would list items on the site and ship the inventory directly to customers. This model can often provide better margins for operators than an Ebay-style auction marketplace like ShopGoodwill.com.
But it appears that the new marketplace failed to find traction, both within the Goodwill organization and among consumers, who have complained in recent months about unreasonably high prices and expensive shipping costs.
Because Goodwill Industries operates under a federated store model — essentially the nonprofit equivalent of a franchise system — it was up to each of the 150+ regional Goodwill affiliates across the country to decide if they wanted to participate in the new venture. Many of them already were selling via ShopGoodwill.com, which was launched 25 years ago by Goodwill of Orange County and now boasts participation from more than 130 local Goodwills around the country. A little under three years in, GoodwillFinds had not yet come near to that level of organizational participation in its marketplace.
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“We want to express our sincere gratitude for your loyalty and support of GoodwillFinds over the past few years,” reads the message on the site’s homepage. “Goodwill shoppers can continue to go to www.ShopGoodwill.com for great finds from 130+ Goodwill sellers. You can also keep supporting Goodwill by shopping at your local Goodwill store.”
All outstanding orders from GoodwillFinds will still be fulfilled, according to the website.
Online Resale is a Tough Nut to Crack
It’s no secret that online resale on the lower end of the price point spectrum is challenging to run profitably. GoodwillFinds faced many of the same challenges as its peers while also contending with the complicated nuances of being a nonprofit and the unique structure of the Goodwill organization.