ShopGoodwill.com is an auction site that is owned and operated by the Goodwill of Orange County nonprofit organization. They list items for auction from Goodwill stores across the United States from the donated goods they have received. The site was voted one of Time.com’s 50 best websites of 2009. ShopGoodwill.com has been active since 1999. The Goodwill network helps people become independent by offering donated items at affordable prices. Many auction sites allow individuals to list items for sale. ShopGoodwill.com lists items currently housed in the inventory of one of their many locations. Users are invited to bid on items only, not to list them. The site works well and is not difficult to navigate. It is visually pleasing with no advertising to distract from content. Most items are used and have detailed descriptions of any defects. Each item has several pictures from varied angles. Some clothing items do not include “new” or “used” designation. Items for sale are divided into categories, but there is no function for limiting searches. For example, a search of women’s shoes yields 910 results with no option for sorting by size, color, or style. This holds true for all clothing. Similarly, DVDs are lumped into one category with no designation for genre. The only options to narrow searches are “New Today”, “Ending Today”, “Going going gone”, “Buy Now!” and “Hot 50”. This can be frustrating when browsing through hundreds of items. The search function offers little assistance unless the item title contains the search terms entered. There are literally thousands of items for auction on the site. Some categories are more easily searched than others. New users are invited to select their country from a dropdown menu. An email address, full name, address, and full telephone number are required. A confirmation code will be sent via email to complete registration. ShopGoodwill.com is free to use. Fees are associated with purchases, including purchase prices, shipping, handling, and tax. This is a site for anyone seeking a good deal and is willing to spend some time browsing the site to find what they want. Ideally, this site is meant for those going through difficult financial times to assist them in being able to obtain the items necessary for independence.

• Auction platform
• Free to use
• Thousands of items up for bids
• Simple, free registration
• Run by nonprofit organization
• Thorough listings
• Detailed photos

http://www.shopgoodwill.com/