Fashion

[bbluvr]

On 12/22/2014 inallsincerity said:

Hi. I can totally understand your frustration about people buying things there and selling on ebay. Regarding goodwill selling items, they use approximately 83 cents of each dollar earned for programs and services including job training. Essentially, the items we donate are not necessarily about the "fish", but sometimes are about "teaching them how to fish".

Yes, that is exactly right. Goodwill is about giving jobs and job training. They don't pretend to be about selling to the "underprivileged" but to help them get on their own feet.

But thank you OP for your generous donation. That was truly a sacrifice. Have faith that someone is loving those dolls!

[Kathlen]

On 12/22/2014 Fona said:

Cookie06: Similarly, I often donate to Goodwill. However, recently (like you) I was flabbergasted to read an article that said Goodwill sell many items on e-bay and also that the Goodwill organization is worth many billions of dollars. I was under the impression that donated items were sold for very low prices in Goodwill stores so that poor people could benefit. Now, also like you, I am wondering where to donate. I am sure these organizations initially were started with good intentions but somehow greed always wins.

Why does it matter if Goodwill sells things on e-bay? They can probably get a higher price there than in the store.

I buy out-of-print books and occasionally I buy them from Goodwill ... online at various used and out-of-print book sites.

[millieshops]

The day after you make a big donation to a shop, your items may well not be out front for purchase. Takes time for organization, pricing, bookkeeping, etc.

That said, plenty of donations do end up on ebay just as lots of what's sold at estate sales and even local yard sales ends up there. One way to look at our donations is to remember that when Goodwill or whoever sells those items, they have the money to carry on their mission - the person who buys the items can do whatever they wish once they've paid for them even if we were hoping for a different home for our gifts. Turn-over is the only way they really make money.

I'd never thought too much about this until a few years back I had a friend who went to estate sales and bought all kinds of items and resold them. Her own house was smoke-free and spotless, but that certainly wasn't true of most of the homes we visited as she searched for saleable things. Made me look at all those claims about clean,smoke-free houses in a totally new light.

[CalminHeart]

On 12/22/2014 YorkieonmyPillow said:

That's just the point, the OP assumed by donating to the charity she was helping the underprivileged, not supplying items to be sold on eBay. So I don't think she needs to "get over herself," but rather find a more direct way to help the needy.

Once you donate something, it's no longer yours. The charity sells items and anyone can buy them. What they do with them is not the donator's concern, the person who donated them has no right to say what should or shouldn't be done.

Stop and look at what the charity does with the money from selling the donated items. That is why the donation was made.

There will always be people who take advantage. To not donate is to throw the baby out with the bath water.

[goodstuff]

I suggest you ask someone at St. Vincent de Paul what was done with your dolls. It could be that they just hadn't been processed to the sales floor yet, or that they were moved to another store where they would be more likely to sell well, or that someone had already purchased them. Many thrift stores have a special "designer" area where higher-end, special merchandise is displayed behind a counter and priced higher than most of the items onthe regular sales floor. Your dolls may have gone to one of these.

People who donate to charities should realize that all kinds of people (not just the "unfortunate") shop in these stores. They are extremely popular nowadays. Suburban moms shopping for affordable kids' clothes, teenagers looking for a bargain prom dress, women looking for fashionabl e clothing, people looking for home furnishings and accessories to update their home decor, business people looking to resell on eBay or in secondhand stores, and the poor who can't afford to shop elsewhere -- all shop together, and all benefit, as does the charity running the store. It's possible that a doll collector picked up all of your dolls or that someone bought them to resell on eBay. Nothing wrong with either!

I love to shop thrift stores for wonderful bargains, as do smart shoppers from all socioeconomic backgrounds. It is a huge misconception that only the poor shop in thrift stores, or that no one else should shop there. All are welcome. I recently visited Goodwill and parked between a new Beemer and a Jaguar.......with old beaters parked nearby, indicative of the wide range of people patronizing the store. Everyone loves a bargain, and regardless of who buys, the proceeds go to the charity. A win-win.

[curlywhitedog]

Cookie06:

My first impression was to say that once the goods left your hands you no longer exercised any control over how they were used but then I found myself thinking "hey, wait just a minute, it's not about supporting Good Will with donations that generate money, it's about providing people with an opportunity to buy things for themselves they might not necessarily be able to afford on the open market" so bah humbug to those who take advantage of the generosity of others to line their own pockets.

Maria

[goodstuff]

On 12/22/2014 curlywhitedog said:

Cookie06:

My first impression was to say that once the goods left your hands you no longer exercised any control over how they were used but then I found myself thinking "hey, wait just a minute, it's not about supporting Good Will with donations that generate money, it's about providing people with an opportunity to buy things for themselves they might not necessarily be able to afford on the open market" so bah humbug to those who take advantage of the generosity of others to line their own pockets.

Maria

I strongly disagree. Although the needy certainly benefit from the low prices at thrift stores -- and that is part of the stores' mission -- nothing keeps others from shopping in these stores, and regardless of who buys, the charity benefits and is able to go forward with programs that provide job training, emergency funds in crisis situations, whatever their ministries are. These stores are open to all, and savvy, well-heeled shoppers (like me!) love to snag bargains there. There's plenty for everyone. I also donate freely and have a good relationship with the staff at my local St. Vincent de Paul and Goodwill, who are delighted to have all kinds of shoppers in their stores and rejoice with us higher-end shoppers when we come to the cash register with a choice find. It really is a win-win. It's lots of fun, too!

[GCR18]

That was a very generous donation. Hopefully there was a processing delay getting the dolls on the shelf.

[curlywhitedog]

On 12/22/2014 GoodStuff said:

On 12/22/2014 curlywhitedog said:

Cookie06:

My first impression was to say that once the goods left your hands you no longer exercised any control over how they were used but then I found myself thinking "hey, wait just a minute, it's not about supporting Good Will with donations that generate money, it's about providing people with an opportunity to buy things for themselves they might not necessarily be able to afford on the open market" so bah humbug to those who take advantage of the generosity of others to line their own pockets.

Maria

I strongly disagree. Although the needy certainly benefit from the low prices at thrift stores -- and that is part of the stores' mission -- nothing keeps others from shopping in these stores, and regardless of who buys, the charity benefits and is able to go forward with programs that provide job training, emergency funds in crisis situations, whatever their ministries are. These stores are open to all, and savvy, well-heeled shoppers (like me!) love to snag bargains there. I also donate freely and have a good relationship with the staff at my local St. Vincent de Paul and Goodwill, who are delighted to have all kinds of shoppers in their stores and rejoice with me when I come to the cash register with a choice find. It really is a win-win. It's lots of fun, too!

And that's your right to disagree. I never said there was or should be anything that stops people from shopping at a Goodwill store and the OP's post bears out the fact that many do, and for many different reasons apparently. While I respect your opinion, mine is that the main purpose of these stores is to provide the needy with goods and services otherwise out of their reach. While ultimately the charity benefits whenever any item is sold, the people who need the items the most are bypassed by those who buy up stock for their own profit.

You're free to disagree but even if both of us were right, it wouldn't make the other one wrong...it's all in our interpretation of the purpose of the store.

Merry Christmas...

Maria

[goodstuff]

On 12/22/2014 curlywhitedog said:

On 12/22/2014 GoodStuff said:

On 12/22/2014 curlywhitedog said:

Cookie06:

My first impression was to say that once the goods left your hands you no longer exercised any control over how they were used but then I found myself thinking "hey, wait just a minute, it's not about supporting Good Will with donations that generate money, it's about providing people with an opportunity to buy things for themselves they might not necessarily be able to afford on the open market" so bah humbug to those who take advantage of the generosity of others to line their own pockets.

Maria

I strongly disagree. Although the needy certainly benefit from the low prices at thrift stores -- and that is part of the stores' mission -- nothing keeps others from shopping in these stores, and regardless of who buys, the charity benefits and is able to go forward with programs that provide job training, emergency funds in crisis situations, whatever their ministries are. These stores are open to all, and savvy, well-heeled shoppers (like me!) love to snag bargains there. I also donate freely and have a good relationship with the staff at my local St. Vincent de Paul and Goodwill, who are delighted to have all kinds of shoppers in their stores and rejoice with me when I come to the cash register with a choice find. It really is a win-win. It's lots of fun, too!

And that's your right to disagree. I never said there was or should be anything that stops people from shopping at a Goodwill store and the OP's post bears out the fact that many do, and for many different reasons apparently. While I respect your opinion, mine is that the main purpose of these stores is to provide the needy with goods and services otherwise out of their reach. While ultimately the charity benefits whenever any item is sold, the people who need the items the most are bypassed by those who buy up stock for their own profit.

You're free to disagree but even if both of us were right, it wouldn't make the other one wrong...it's all in our interpretation of the purpose of the store.

Merry Christmas...

Maria

Actually, needy people certainly do shop in these stores right alongside other kinds of shoppers -- and no one is bypassed. There is no shortage of merchandise for all. These stores sell free, donated merchandise to raise money for the ministies their charity is involved in, and everyone who shops is part of that fundraising effort. I'm glad to donate, glad to buy, glad to see my shopping dollars go to a good cause -- and absolutely thrilled to pick up Eileen Fisher, Jones New York, or Ralph Lauren for a few dollars! Yippee! Thrift shopping is one of my very favorite sports!

Merry Christmas to you, also, CWD!