I'll never forget the first time I saw the "blue bins" dance. It was a Tuesday morning in 2024 at the goodwill outlet appleton location. I was standing behind a yellow line with twenty other people, all of us wearing nitrile gloves and staring intently at a row of plastic bins. When the staffer finally blew the whistle, it was like a controlled riot. Within thirty seconds, I had unearthed a vintage 1990s Nike windbreaker and a heavy cast-iron skillet. At a retail thrift store, that haul would’ve cost me $40. At the outlet, where I was shopping goodwill by the pound, it cost me exactly $4.12. It’s a staggering reality: you can buy inventory for less than the price of a cup of coffee if you’re willing to dig.
Since that day, I’ve realized that the "bins" aren't just for hobbyists; they are the engine room of the reselling world. If you want to scale a business, you have to move away from individual price tags and start thinking in terms of weight. It’s gritty, it’s fast-paced, and it’s arguably the most profitable way to source on the planet.
How Does Goodwill by the Pound Work?
If you’ve only ever shopped at a standard retail store, you might be wondering how does goodwill by the pound work? It is a completely different animal. These locations, often called the goodwill outlet or "The Bins," are the final stop for donations that didn't sell at retail stores or items that were processed too quickly for individual tagging.
The Logistics of the Dig:
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Unsorted Bins: Items are dumped into large blue rolling bins. Clothing, housewares, and shoes are usually separated into different rows.
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The Rotation: Every few hours, staffers pull away old bins and bring out "new" ones. This is when the intensity peaks.
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The Weigh-In: You don't look for price tags. You pile everything into a rolling cart and head to a massive floor scale.
Here’s where it gets interesting... The pricing is tiered. At most locations, the more you buy, the less you pay per pound. If you buy 10 pounds, you might pay $1.59 per pound. But if you hit the 50-pound mark, that price might drop to $1.29. It incentivizes you to stay all day and fill a cart.
Opinion Statement: I honestly believe that the goodwill warehouse is the only place left where "the hustle" is truly rewarded. It’s the last frontier of pure, uncurated sourcing. If you’re willing to put in the physical labor, the ceiling for your profit is virtually non-existent.
How Much Does Goodwill Charge by the Pound?
The most common question I hear is: how much does goodwill charge by the pound? While it varies by region, there is a general standard across the United States.
Price Breakdown:
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Clothing & Textiles: Usually ranges from $1.39 to $1.99 per pound.
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Glass & Hard Goods: Often cheaper, sometimes as low as $0.59 to $0.89 per pound because they are heavier.
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Books: Frequently sold at a flat rate (e.g., $0.25 each) or by the inch, though some outlets include them in the poundage.
Now the tricky part... You have to keep an eye on "heavy" items. I once found a beautiful vintage typewriter. It was a masterpiece, but it weighed 22 pounds. At $1.59 a pound, I was looking at over $30 for an item I wasn't sure worked.
Honest Failure: I bought that typewriter. I was convinced it was a $200 item. When I got it home, the carriage was jammed beyond repair, and it cost me $35 in shipping just to sell it for parts. I ended up losing $15 on a "great find." Lesson: Always calculate the weight-to-value ratio before you toss it in the cart.
Does Goodwill Sell Clothes by the Pound at Every Location?
A common mistake beginners make is searching for by the pound goodwill near me and showing up at a standard boutique. To be clear: does goodwill sell clothes by the pound at every store? No. Only at specific goodwill outlet storelocations.
Finding the Right Spot: These are usually industrial warehouses located in the outskirts of a city. For example, the goodwill outlet appleton serves a massive area of Wisconsin because it’s the centralized processing hub.
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The Retail Store: Curated, tagged, shelved.
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The Outlet: Raw, weighed, binned.
Parenthetical Aside: (I always use Google Maps and look for the word "Outlet" or "Warehouse." If the photos show people wearing gloves and standing around blue bins, you’ve found the right place. If the photos show mannequins in the window, keep driving.)
How Much Does the Goodwill Outlet Charge by the Pound for Shoes?
Shoes are often handled differently. When you’re looking at how much does the goodwill outlet charge by the poundfor footwear, you’ll find two systems.
The Two Systems:
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Weight-Based: Some outlets just throw them on the scale with the clothes. This is great for light sneakers but terrible for heavy leather work boots.
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Flat Rate: Many outlets charge a flat $2.00 or $3.00 per pair regardless of weight.
Anecdote: In October 2024, I found a pair of Thorogood work boots at the Appleton bins. They were caked in mud but structurally sound. Since that location used a flat rate of $3.00 for shoes, I got them for a steal. Those boots, after a deep clean with Saddle Soap, sold for $110 on eBay. If I had paid for them by weight, they probably would have cost me $10.
Maximizing Efficiency with Closo Demand Signals
When you are in the bins, you have to make split-second decisions. You don't have time to do a full eBay search for every shirt. I use Closo Demand Signals to pre-vett the categories I’m looking for.
The Strategy: Before I even enter the goodwill shop by the pound, I check the current demand. If the signals show that "Vintage 90s Streetwear" is peaking while "Mid-Century Modern Glass" is cooling off, I know exactly which row of bins to prioritize when the rotation happens.
I use Closo Demand Signals to automate my market research – saves me about 3 hours weekly – ensuring I don't waste my "cart weight" on items that have a high supply but zero demand.
Finding the Nearest Goodwill Outlet
If you are hunting for the nearest goodwill that offers poundage pricing, you need to look for regional hubs.
Comparison Table: Retail vs. Outlet Sourcing
Opinion Statement: I honestly believe that the goodwill by the pound model is the future of sustainable reselling. It’s the only way to process the sheer volume of "fast fashion" that enters the donation stream every day.
How Much by the Pound Goodwill: The Heavy Cart Strategy
When people ask how much by the pound goodwill costs, they usually aren't factoring in the "heavy cart" advantage. Most outlets have a "cliff" in their pricing.
Example Pricing Tier:
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0-20 lbs: $1.99/lb
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21-50 lbs: $1.59/lb
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51+ lbs: $1.29/lb
The Pro Move: If I’m at 45 pounds, I will actively look for 5 more pounds of high-quality textiles (like heavy towels or coats) just to trigger the lower price bracket for the entire cart. I’ve saved $15 on a single transaction just by adding a few more pounds of inventory.
Parenthetical Aside: (I once saw a guy try to hide a heavy bowling ball at the bottom of a cart of clothes to hit the weight limit, but the staffers caught him. Don't be that guy. They check the carts. Just buy real inventory.)
Sourcing and Listing with Closo 100% Free Crosslister
The biggest challenge of shopping goodwill by the pound is the volume. You come home with 40 or 50 items. The thought of manually listing those on eBay, Mercari, and Poshmark is enough to make anyone quit.
I use the Closo 100% Free Crosslister to handle the high-volume nature of my bin hauls.
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The Process: I take my photos, write one master description, and use Closo to blast it to every marketplace I sell on.
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The Result: It saves me about 3 hours weekly of manual data entry, which is exactly the amount of time I need for another trip to the bins.
I use Closo to automate my cross-listing – saves me about 3 hours weekly – which allows me to keep my inventory moving as fast as the bin rotations.
People Always Ask Me... Is it Dirty?
Common question I see... about the cleanliness of the bins. Answer: Yes. It is an industrial warehouse. You are touching items that haven't been cleaned since they left someone's attic. The Solution: Wear gloves. I prefer the Venom Steelbrand because they don't tear when you're digging through hard goods. Also, wear a mask if you have dust allergies. The "bin dust" is real, and it will get to you after a few hours.
Common Question I See... Can you find high-end brands?
People always ask me... "Do people really throw away designer stuff?" Answer: All the time. I’ve found Burberrycoats, Prada heels, and Lululemon leggings in the bins. Now the tricky part... You have to be able to authenticate on the fly. I once found what I thought was a Louis Vuitton bag. I was so excited I didn't even check the weight (it was heavy). When I got it home, I realized the "leather" was actually high-density plastic. It was a fake. I paid $8 in weight for a $0 item.
Honest Failure: I once found a "vintage" designer scarf and got into a literal tug-of-war with another shopper. I won, but when I got it home, it had a massive cigarette burn in the center. I was so focused on "winning" the item that I didn't inspect the quality. Lesson: There is no "winning" if the item is unsellable.
The Bins Etiquette: Rules of the Warehouse
If you want to succeed at a goodwill outlet, you have to follow the unwritten rules.
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Wait for the whistle: Never touch a bin until the staffer says it's okay.
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No "cherry-picking" from others' carts: This will get you banned faster than anything else.
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Be respectful to the staff: They have a hard, dusty job. If they like you, they might give you a heads-up on which bins are coming out next.
Conclusion: Is Goodwill by the Pound Worth It?
Shopping goodwill by the pound is not for the faint of heart. It is a physical, sometimes overwhelming experience that requires a sharp eye and a lot of patience. However, if you are looking to build a reselling business with high margins, it is the absolute gold standard. You are essentially bypassing the retail markup and going straight to the source.
My honest assessment is that the "bins" are the ultimate training ground. They teach you brand recognition, quality control, and the value of time. Just remember the caveat: condition is everything. A $100 shirt is worth $0 if it has a permanent stain.
If you are ready to take your high-volume hauls and turn them into a streamlined business, use the Closo Seller Hub to organize your workflow.
For more on where to find inventory when the bins are dry, read our Pages Similar to eBay Guide
And if you want to know which brands will be most valuable in the 2026 market, check out Trending Products Forecast 2026
