I knew a girl that used to work for The ARC. She said clothing that did not sell was shipped to poor areas of foreign countries....like Africa, Guatemala...

A girl currently working there said they got raises based on the stores sales.

When we tried to donate a 12" black & white TV they refused to take it. Said it was not sellable & offered us the dumpster.

This doesn't answer all your questions...but hope it helps.

Chemocurl has a good idea!
Our thrift store is run by the local 7th Day Advents. I don't know exactly how they do their donations.

They don't keep stained things I know that, but I am talking clothing. They could though in my opinion stuff a bag full and either do like Chemocurl says give it away free or sell for a quarter a bag as cleaning rags. The local garages and lots of business's need rags. This one tries out everything electrical large or small if it doesn't work it goes out the door. The one here in my town just went a total revamping, new paint and better organized and cheaper prices which is great to me. I like to go occasionally just to see what is in there. I stocked my kids college cupboards with casseroles and some of their furniture for the apartments from the thrift store. I am choosy though on what I buy. No mattresses or couches or chairs! LOL
There have been families that have had fires and lost everything that has found plenty there for free or reduced prices. The same also for someone say leaving their abusive husband....they will give you almost everything you want.

There's a famous dumpster diver on these forums who no longer even shops at thrift stores;
she says they have better stuff in the dumpsters!

One day I was shocked to see a charity thrift store's cashier hand a vase & a hammer to a volunteer & tell him to break the vase into the dumpster.

I asked her why on earth...
& she said that if the vase were intact people would boost their kids into the dumpster to get it.

& I may be dense, but I couldn't figure out why they didn't just put it at the curb with a "free" sign.

Had I been the person who had donated that vase, I'd have been very angry.

Our Goodwill store no longer accepts TVs. I found out when I tried to give them a little analog set that worked great, just would need a cable connection to bring in reception. The guy said they began receiving too many tvs that didn't work and they have no way of recycling them. Same with computers.

I don't know if you could ever really get an answer to your question since it will vary so much. One day they might throw nearly everything and another day it could be all good stuff in their opinion. I'm surprised about the vase and suitcase. Something used will look used, have a nick, dent, scratch or stain, or a lot of them A lot of times theater groups will go there to find old stuff for props for their plays.

We used to buy "rags" from Goodwill. Buy them 10-20 bags at a time because the secretaries all went shopping there when the bags came in. There'd be new and near-new clothes in there. Plus sweaters and things weren't good for rags anyway. Started to specify t-shirts, diapers and towels only but they upped the price so much that we could buy cheap towels for less.

Part of the idea used to be to teach people to work on things and repair them. But I do understand the issue with TVs now. Analog requires a converter box, cable or satellite and few people want a B&W TV. Used to be the "kids tv" but now they want color TV on their cell phones!

The main Goodwill here has a drive up dock where you bring stuff and they sort it there and tell you whether they'll take it or not. Salvation Army, Goodwill and others used to have drop sites but people would literally dump their garbage in them so they quit with those.

I think Goodwill is getting a little spoiled with Target giving them so much stuff. When they put something on clearance they have a time limit after which it's sent to Goodwill. I have some mixed feelings about that. Personally I'd rather they just kept discounting it in the store, since I shop those clearance endcaps a lot and it *will* sell, for the right price, but I know they want to free up the shelf space for the next promotion. And OT, I know, but really, Christmas stuff being put out in AUGUST???? I draw the line there. Two months before Halloween is just too early!

Just a thought! Write to Target and let them know. Maybe they will change their practice. If Target does this, Walmart? KMart?

I worked for Ragstock years ago in Minneapolis. They'd get giant bales of clothing (6'x 6' or larger, tightly bound with steel straps) and workers at the sides of a conveyor belt would pick through the open bales for the "good" stuff to sell in Ragstock stores. I don't know where the bales originated from. The stuff that didn't meet Ragstock's needs was baled up again and sold on down the line, and often to 3rd world countries.

I wonder if they don't want to give stuff away because they're afraid people will take it but then donate it back again when they realize they didn't want the free item after all. They don't want to deal with it over and over.

Giant retailers like Target and Walmart don't want to use their valuable shelf space for clearance items when the same shelves can be used for new full-priced items. They donate the clearance stuff and take a tax write-off and fill their shelves with new stuff and make us think we need to buy it!

The big retailers get a better tax break if they dump the stuff vs. donating it. My brother-in-law used to work at a landfill and Kohls and Walmart would bring stuff in by the truckload. All brand new stuff in the packages.
The workers used to be able to take the stuff home. But to many of them had rummage sales (this was before Craigs List) and then they weren't allowed to take anything anymore. I can't tell you how many comforters, rugs, clothing, etc. he brought home and asked if we wanted anything. Sad day when you get a better deal dumping something over donating it!!!

The waste in our society really pains me.

Timely Post, I have a dear friend who asked me how to donate and get a tax credit. She has 12 new, in the boxes, candy dispenser machines. Do you know if you set the prices to get the credit or do they? They were bought for $3,000 12 years ago.
Thanks, Marcy

I donated some things to a thrift store once, went in and shopped for awhile. Came back out and saw some of the employees putting some of donated items into their cars. I didn't care IF I thought they had paid... but who knows?

I gave my old TV's away free on Craigslist. People are nuts about the free stuff on CL... they won't pay $10. for something, but when it is free they will line up! lol I had a guy drive out from St. Louis (over an hours drive) to get a cheap brass finished headboard. I had it listed for $10. for weeks.. no interest from anyone until it was free.

Marcy, I've always been told to claim the value of the item, irregardless of what they actually sell it for.

When MIL died, we went thru her house looking to empty it so it could be sold. Family members took a few pieces of furniture, but a lot remained. Called Salvation army, they sent a truck. The driver and one helper showed up, took next to nothing. They would not accept her books or dishes, wicker furniture, upholstered furniture, nor anything electric-no lamps, sewing machine. Too much trouble. The rest went into a dumpster. Sad experience.

Marcy: Do you have any small/family restaurants in your area? I don't think you will get much donated to anywhere, and probably can't sell them for much. Youth groups like local ballparks might use them, maybe small bars, private schools, and maybe others might have more suggestions.

Marcy, it doesn't matter what they cost years ago, it's the fair value of the item now, so what can they be sold for is the question. The IRS has a lot of regulations on donations. The place receiving the donation should give you a receipt for it for tax purposes. If the value to them is $3k great, but I doubt it will be that much. State laws vary too so you might be able to deduct on Federal and not on State in some areas so a tax consultant familiar with their situation would be best. When I donated my truck, I had a choice I had to make when they picked it up. I could either take $500 flat deduction, or I could wait until they sold it and get the sale price as my donation. Although I might have been better off the other way I didn't want to mess around with waiting on it so I took the flat amount.

I remember seeing a man get a leather belt out of a dumpster once. The store employee told them if they tooks things out of the dumpster they could/would call the police because it was considered stealing.

In many situations it costs $20 a pop to dispose of computers, tv, large electronics. It isn't in Goodwill's etc. best interest to spend money disposing of other people's broken items. This is YOUR garbage you are complaining about how others don't do enough with, correct? If it bothers you so have your own garage sale, but a FREE box at the end of your driveway. Or better yet quit replacing perfectly good stuff just so you have the newest and best thing going.

I now donate my clothing to my town's welfare office. The salvation army near me is too expensive.

Sheryl

Or better yet quit replacing perfectly good stuff just so you have the newest and best thing going.. How do you know she didn't replace it with another B&W TV?

You are just so warm and fuzzy Arcy. lol

If it's me Arcy is questioning, I understand why Goodwill doesn't except TVs. Why wouldn't I understand they don't want to pay to recycle them? I was just passing on info that Goodwills in my area don't accept tvs anymore.

The tv was given to me by my aunt before I remodeled my bedroom, afterward I no longer wanted a set in there (even tho the cable is still there if I ever change my mind); I was going to set it out under the pine tree near the road with a FREE sign (like I do with many things) but my aunt said she'd rather have it back.

Why am I explaining all this? ha.

I have to agree with arcy - take your old electronics to the "materials recovery" centers that are generally connected with your municipality's dump, pay the nominal dumping fee and get the stuff out of your life without giving Goodwill the burden of paying for its disposal. Shoving crap off is tantamount to heaving it from your moving car and is hardly charitable.

We have a wonderful place for donations of clothing, accessories, some small appliances (that work), and some household goods - things are always given away free and a section of clothing is maintained for office attire for job interviews, etc. They do such good work there, I almost can't imagine donating to Goodwill where they turn around and sell.

People are in need, but even so, they don't deserve tattered, stained clothing or things that should go out with the trash or recycling. It's just me and it will probably irritate some of you, but I don't look at my stuff and see tax deductions twirling around in my head.

I've started giving everything I want to get rid of on Freecycle. If you have this in your area, it's a marvelous way to give your things away. I will put a post on there, for instance, that I have a bag of ladies size 16 pants to give away. The moderators look at the post and if approved put it on their site. Within an hour I usually will get 7 or 8 people who want the stuff and will come get it. I generally tell them they can pick it up where I work, and it works out very well. I've given away a ton of stuff that way.

I like the idea that someone who actually wants what you have to give will come and get it, and it costs them nothing.

When I hear about taking truckloads of new stuff to the landfill ... I cry a bit.

I live within a couple of miles of a "landfill" (double four-letter word for a "dump" - also a four-letter word, as you may notice).

A couple of years ago the local owner of a "landfill" had its capacity licence increased from 9 million to 17 million tons ... and I figured at the time that I knew what'd be coming next, as the City of Toronto, 2.5 million or so, has been taking flack for years for shipping their garbage to a site near Detroit. A year or so ago Toronto bought this dump ... for $220 million. They've been shipping something like 140 semi-s a day over the border, and will soon ship them next door. The site is right beside the freeway from Toronto to Detroit, so I expect them to build a new exit ramp ... right into the dump!

Could you spare a tear or two for my predicament?

ole joyfilled (usually)

P.S. Being frugal (having helped folks who'd left their former lives in just the clothes that they wore, get their lives back together in an area recently visited by war), I hate seeing useful things scrapped. And did so long before the recent furore over the expansion of the local dump.

o j

Thanks you guys!