Goodwill launches new online thrift store

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) -Thrifters who flock to Goodwill stores will now be able to do more of their treasure hunting online.

The 120-year-old nonprofit organization on Tuesday launched GoodwillFinds, a newly incorporated shopping venture that is making roughly 100,000 donated items available for purchase online and expanding Goodwill’s internet presence that until now had been limited to auction sites like ShopGoodwill.com or individual stores selling donations online via eBay and Amazon.

GoodwillFinds’ goal is to have 1 million items on its site in a few years, said Matthew Kannes, newly appointed CEO of the online shopping arm, which features search tools that let shoppers browse by category. Eventually GoodwillFinds will be able to be personalized based on a customer’s past purchases.

GoodwillFinds is a separate entity from Goodwill Industries International Inc. but it will support the larger organization by helping fund its community-based programs across the U.S. provide professional training, job placement and youth mentorship. It should also increase donations, while also helping to expand its base of customers.

Unlike rivals like Thredup and Poshmark, customers cannot use GoodwillFinds to make donations and will still have to visit one of the organization’s 3,300 U.S. and Canadian Goodwill stores to drop them off — for now. But Kaness said that as the business expands, Goodwill will eventually offer that service.

The move comes as the second-hand clothing business is expected to grow 16 times faster than the broader retail clothing sector by 2026, according to a report by research firm GlobalData for Thredup. It’s also happening at a time when surging inflation is pushing shoppers to be thriftier.

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