What’s Goodwill Online Auctions – Complete Guide to Find the Best Deals

Goodwill was started in 1902. It is the first auction site. It is developed, possessed and run by an unprofitable organization. Goodwill conducts retail stores to establish money for disabled people who need a helping hand for their living. If you are searching antique items or anything else and looking for best deals online, you can get on Goodwill online auctions. ShopGoodwill.com is the online auction site of Goodwill.

It was founded by Goodwill of Orange County in Santa Ana, Calif in 1999. Goodwill organization has initiated goodwill online auctions to offer an influential range of all kind of products. It is a bidding site, selling astonishing types of tools, sports equipment, cameras, cars, clothing, jewellery, books and homes at bargain prices. 

Shopgoodwill.com is a considerable place to bargain and shop from the comfort of your home. Goodwill is considered as the ruler of economy stores. Goodwill auctions sell its generous stuff online also through other websites (e.g. eBay and Amazon). Many regional stores have also conspired with goodwill. Goodwill online auction is an excellent place to expand your collection at very affordable prices. You can buy special and unique items here from a broad range of collectables and antiquities.

The money earned by these goodwill online auctions is used for a strong cause. So by shopping at shopgoodwill.com you can contribute to help thousands of disabled people who actually need help. Income from the goodwill auctions finances for education and job placement programs for people having ailments and other hurdles. 

Variety of categories you can choose from:

Antiques, collectibles, musical instruments, tableware and kitchen ware, art, computer and electronics, office supplies, tools, bath and body, crafts and hobbies, pet supplies, toys/games, books, home, religious items, transportation, bulk, glass, science and education, luggage, cameras and camcorders, jewelry and gemstones, seasonal and holiday, wedding, clothing, miscellaneous and sports.

Best categories to shop on goodwill online auctions :

• uncommon items to exclusive interest
• Pop culture valuables
• Expensive décor and furniture
• Highly advanced electronics
• Superior toys
• High-end apparel, jewellery and accessories

Basic things you should know before you start with shopgoodwill.com:

Shopgoodwill.com has over 94 million users all over the world. Auctioned products come from donations given at goodwill auctions stores. You are not allowed to sell your products at shopgoodwill.com. You don’t have to pay any signup or bidding fee here. Bidding and buying at goodwill auctions online are fairly easy.

Everything on the website is easy to navigate. You can enhance your purchasing experience using “my shop goodwill” on the homepage where you can view the auctions you are involved in. Here you can also add the information about a particular product you are looking for, and goodwill will notify you through the mail if similar kind of item is posted on the website. So you can consider goodwill online auctions as a shopper-friendly online shopping platform.

Now the question is how to find the best deals at goodwill online auctions? You should know some pretty essential ways of bidding and buying to pick the best deals when shopping on shopgoodwill.com. 

Here I have shared some amazing tips and tricks which can help you grab the best deals at goodwill auctions online.

• Anyone can open the website and see available stuff. But to bid and buy at shopgoodwill.com you have to sign up first. It is free of cost. Create your account at shopgoodwill.com to get registered. Now you can start the interesting bargain hunting. If you are a new user, you can bid on up to 15 listings at once.

• There are many ways to find the items of your interest on the goodwill auction site. You can browse the items by categories or you can simply search for a particular item you are looking for.

• If you want to explore more items in a specific category, then you can browse by categories. To precise your choices in that particular category you can apply filters. By applying filters you can set a price range (minimum to maximum). “Seller box” filter option allow you to choose a location if you want to buy the items offered by a particular goodwill location.

• If you are someone who prefer to browse by search method when shopping online. Then at shopgoodwill.com you can go for “advanced search” option (available just below the search box). With advanced search feature you can search within a specific category, browse products sold by a particular seller location and set your preferred price range. You can browse by feature that means website will show you the items with inarguable offers like “buy it now products”, “pick up only products”, “hide pickup only products” and “1 cent shipping item only”. With advanced search option you can also find the auctions which gives international shipping.

• Add desired products to your “watch list”. In this way you can stay updated about the stuff you are watching. When you hold a product in the watch list, you can track the progress of proposals without placing any bids.

• You can also use “personal shopper” feature. To use this option click “my ShopGoodwill “ at the top (right side) of the main page then choose “personal shopper” and click “add to list”. Apply the filters as per your requirement and choose an email frequency and duration then click “save”. “My ShopGoodwill” also give you access to all your open and shipped orders, closed and in progress auctions you have bid on, your watch list and your saved searches. 

• Never bid in a hurry. Have patience. Always wait before you bid. Visit the website during the last 15 minutes of auction. When you bid during the last 5 minutes, you can surely get some mind-blowing steal deals.

• If you can’t wait, then another option is, checkout the items with “buy it now” feature. These are the items which are not sold in past auctions so goodwill has put those on sale with “buy it now” listing. So you can get an awesome deal. 

• If possible, then check out the auction when the auction is about to end. Because last minute bid can definitely help you get what you desire at amazing price.

• Make sure that you are bidding on the stuff that belongs to a renowned company to avoid the quality issues. Always check the details of the product carefully to get best deals.

• Check out the auctions in prime times. Visit the goodwill online auctions during the ending of a season. At that time, there are chances to get new stuff and bigger selection at cheap prices. 

• You may have seen various listings (last chance and going, ending today or going gone) on the main page of goodwill website. Bidding on these specific listings can be an efficient way to become more familiar with the site. It can also increase the chances to grab your most desired items. But firstly it is important to know the difference between these 3 listings. Ending today (ending within 24 hours), going gone (ending within 5 hours) and last chance and going (ending within 30 minutes and having one bid on them). 

• Browse regularly. If you love shopping at thrift stores and you want to grab excellent deals at goodwill online auction then you should browse frequently at different times. This is how you can holdup considerable items just before the end of biding. When you check regularly there are more chances to get steal deals. You never know when you will get all your desired stuff at awesome prices so keep checking repeatedly.
• Look for the items you know very well. When you are shopping at goodwill online auction, you can see a lot of stuff. So don’t get confused. First of all go for the item you actually know about. For e.g. I look for books, kids clothing and women clothing because I know the quality and which size will fit me or my kids.

• Go for the listings with “one cent shipping” feature. The listings include many kinds of items at different prices but probably the shipping price is almost same. These listings have low shipping rates so you can bid for required products with less shipping amount.

• Always checkout the shipping options carefully before you bid for a product. Shipping is an essential part of online shopping. Shipping prices and options vary depending on weight of the package, type of packaging and shipping method etc. You can see a shipping cost estimator for every listing. You can use that to know that the product would be an inexpensive buy for you or not.

• When you shop at shopgoodwill.com, usually your orders are shipped within 5 working days of the payment. Many sellers offer products to be picked up (by buyer) from their locations. If you love the listings of a goodwill auction seller, and that seller lives near your location then make sure to call the seller before you bid, to ask about the pickup option. If the option is available then you can select “pickup item” as shipping option during the payment.

• If you are buying more than one (multiple) products from same goodwill seller within a week, then you can request for the combined order (all products can be shipped together). It may help you get some rebate in shipping cost. In that case you have to do the payment for all items at the same time. For such type of combined orders there is a limit of 20 pounds weight. If your order contains fragile products then these products may need to be shipped individually. So make sure to check everything carefully when you are placing a combined order. 

• When browsing goodwill online auction, make sure you refer to all details of listings before you place a bid. If a product does not match the information mentioned on the site then you can refund it within seven days of delivery but you will not get the refund if the product is damaged or product information include untested. 

• You can research the product to make yourself satisfied about the price. Search for the same item online. Check how many similar item sold on eBay or other website and at what price and also properly read about the product. It can help you be sure about the product you are buying, that the product is treasure and you are getting at unbeatable price. 

Conclusion: 

Shopping at saving stores is very exciting. It is just like a gem hunt because here you can get the secret treasures at unbelievable prices. Goodwill online auctions offer endless treasures to find and bid on.  The things available for bids at shopgoodwill.com come from engaging goodwill locations around the country. All the sellers are member management of goodwill industries. So there is no need to take tension about unethical sellers or fraud listings. Goodwill online auctions have got positive feedbacks. So don’t worry and shop with assurance because your buys are managed by well informed and mature employees of goodwill.