Goodwill is a non-profit organization that helps needy people and ensures environmental sustainability by reusing old furniture products.
Does Goodwill Buy Used Furniture? Goodwill can buy used furniture when it is in good condition, requires minimum maintenance, and is easy to repair. In addition, they do not purchase furniture that requires extra transportation, has a bad smell, and is without a warranty.
Goodwill buys used products at low cost from people moving to other places or those who have added a new sofa or table in their house.
Furthermore, it resells purchased items after cleaning and packaging to gain some profit that is used for the welfare of humanity.
What type of furniture does Goodwill buy?
Generally, Goodwill does not prefer to buy used furniture, as most people sell damaged products that are of no use to it. However, it does not mean it is not interested in purchasing used beds and sofas.
However, it does not accept heavily used and damaged items that are not usable without any major repairs. In addition, it needs small furniture items that can fit into a donation bin and are easier to carry.
You cannot sell them items that are worn out and damaged as they are only meant for recycling, not for selling or use.
Currently, it does not accept large exercise equipment and other items, including dressers, bookcases, desks, tables, couches, and stools.
Furthermore, it will buy shoes, books, clothing, household items, appliances, computers, domestic items, towels and sheets, and a few furniture items.
Why does Goodwill not buy used furniture?
It prefers to purchase products that can be used without significant investment, which means it will not buy heavily used wooden and upholstered furniture.
Presence of bugs and insects
Used furniture items usually have bugs inside them, like old mattresses, and wooden frames have hidden bed bugs due to poor maintenance that are not good for you.
These blood-sucking insects can infest items like clothes and shoes when placed inside the home. In addition, fleas, termites, beetles, and mites can also be present in used couches and beds.
It is challenging to remove these tiny creatures as they are living inside narrow cracks and holes within wooden bed and sofa frames.
Moreover, Goodwill has to hire professional pest exterminators to deal with these pests in a better manner, as only steaming cannot help get rid of the tiny insects.
It adds to the cost of the item and requires efforts and time to fix the problem; that’s why it avoids getting such furniture items that are heavily loaded with germs.
Due to the bad smell
Most commonly, old furniture items have a bad odor that smells musky and stale. In addition, the presence of bacteria and germs inside wood can make them smell bad or like decaying wood.
This musty odor can spread to other household items and makes the environment comfortable.
The buyers will not be attracted to those items having a bad smell that makes it difficult for Goodwill to deal with them.
Therefore, it does not accept old items giving off a pungent smell that can cause a problem later when selling them through online auctions and in-store.
Damaged furniture
A broken bed frame and a sofa with a missing leg need to be repaired before selling to get reasonable money; otherwise, it will not help make a good profit.
They do not prefer buying products that need costly repairs as it reduces its profit margin or even makes it zero sometimes.
It will not benefit the organization as it has to pay for repairs from the paid amount and get fewer chances to grab more money from customers.
Therefore, it decides not to accept the heavily used products as they are less durable or have some hidden damages that remain unnoticeable at the time of purchase.
Less or no warranty
The used furniture items have less or no warranty, which decreases the product’s value. In addition, it does not cover repairs and refurbishing to make them new.
Buying a damaged or heavily used sofa without any warranty is a loss as the organization has to pay for the repair cost yourself.
It is better to avoid such products; that’s why Goodwill does not purchase furniture items that need to be repaired having expired warranties.
Transportation cost
This company prefers to purchase only smaller furniture items like tables, chairs, and appliances as these can be easily transported by the sellers.
However, larger items like beds, sofas, and exercise equipment are difficult to load and drop at the donation centers.
The organization employees have to reach the seller’s house to pick the larger products. The transportation cost will be added, increasing the product’s overall cost.
So, it chooses products for purchase based on easier dropping at its donation centers to reduce the transportation cost.
How can you sell used furniture to Goodwill?
There are different ways to sell furniture to Goodwill, as you can do it yourself or avail of their pickup services. Haul the products in your vehicle and drop them off at a donation center.
More than 3000 Goodwill stores in the United States are present, which makes it easy to find their location.
Check the closest Donation Centers before packing a sofa or bed, as it helps save your time and effort to find the center after leaving home.
Take new or lightly used furniture at their stores for selling purposes and get a reasonable amount according to condition.
Moreover, you can contact them to get information about their pickup services, as they can help bring heavy items to their trucks.
Make a schedule for pick up and wait for them to avoid any inconvenience. It tries to make donations easy for you and pick up the furniture from your doorstep.
How much does Goodwill pay for used furniture?
It is better not to expect much from Goodwill as they are not going to make you rich for a used furniture item, particularly when it needs repairs.
Most commonly, it will pay less than half the amount for a product that is somehow better than leaving a product for dust and termites.
You can sell a coffee table and end table for almost $20 to $100 and $15 to $70. In addition, it will purchase floor and table lamps for around $10 to $35 and $5 to $20.
Moreover, you will get only $10 to $78 for a dresser and almost $40 to $130 for a kitchen set.
You can look for a charity organization like Goodwill to donate or sell your old furniture items to become a part of their efforts and help the needy.
It allows you to get rid of an old heavy sofa or stuffed chair for $45 to $400 and $15 to $760 when you move to a new place.
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