# Is Goodwill bins flipping worth it? What a haul really pays per hour

Source: https://rushilo.com/blog/goodwill-bins-flipping-worth-it
By om.assets, Rushilo. Updated 2026-11-03.

> Goodwill bins flipping is worth it for resellers who live close, go at opening, and buy only categories with fast eBay sold comps: branded clothing, shoes, linens like quilts, cookware and books. Outlets charge roughly $1.29 to $2.99 per pound, so cost is rarely the problem. Time is: a realistic trip works out to around $15 to $25 an hour once listing and shipping are counted.

You have heard the stories: a quilt bought for under $10 that sold for $495, Brooks Brothers shoes bought for $1 that sold for $200. Then you go to the Goodwill bins once, get elbowed by someone grabbing armfuls of books, leave with a cart of maybe-stuff, and wonder whether anyone actually makes money here.

They do. But the bins reward a specific kind of reseller, and the honest answer depends on three things: how close you live, when you go, and what you are willing to dig for.

This guide gives you the per-pound prices, a worked per-hour example, the categories that make the trip pay, and the mistakes that turn a cheap haul into a closet of dead stock.

## Is Goodwill bins flipping worth it?

**Yes, if the outlet is within about 30 minutes, you go at opening, and you buy only items with proven sold comps.** Inventory is so cheap that cost of goods almost never sinks you. Your hours do. A realistic part-time bins operation pays roughly $15 to $25 an hour after listing and shipping, with occasional big hits on top.

It is not worth it if the nearest outlet is an hour away, if you hate crowds and dirt, or if you plan to buy anything that looks interesting and figure it out later.

The "bins" are Goodwill outlet stores: donated goods that did not sell (or were never shelved) in regular Goodwill stores get dumped into large blue bins and sold by weight. Fresh bins roll out through the day, and shoppers dig.

## How do Goodwill bins prices work?

**Most outlets charge by the pound, with books, media and bulky items priced per piece.** Each regional Goodwill sets its own rates, so prices vary a lot.

| Source | Hard goods | Clothing and textiles | Books and media |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evergreen Goodwill (official, effective Sept 2024) | $1.49/lb | $2.29/lb | Books $0.69 each, CDs and DVDs $1.49 each |
| Goodwill Silicon Valley (official) | $1.29/lb electronics | $2.99/lb | $1.00 per item for CDs, DVDs, records |
| Shoppers on r/GoodwillBins (2026) | $1.19 to $2.69/lb | $1.89 to $2.99/lb flat | Often $0.50 each |

Prices are climbing. One r/GoodwillBins shopper said their rate went from $1.29 to $1.99 a pound in a year; another in Virginia reported $2.59, up from $1.49 two years earlier. Some outlets now charge per item for anything over 5 pounds, which can make a heavy, broken radio cost $22.

Even at $2.99 a pound, a shirt weighing half a pound costs about $1.50. A reseller writing at Hustle and Slow estimates about $1 per item for their own records. **Cost per item is the easy part of the math.**

## What does a bins haul really pay per hour?

**A typical trip works out to about $15 to $25 an hour once every hour is counted.** The numbers below are an illustration built from the prices above and eBay's fees, not a promise. Your sell-through and prices will differ.

Assume a 2.5 hour trip (including the drive) where you buy 25 items weighing 12 pounds at $2 a pound.

| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Inventory cost (12 lb at $2) | $24 |
| Items that sell within 60 days (60% of 25) | 15 |
| Average sale price | $22 |
| Gross sales | $330 |
| eBay fees (13.6% plus $0.40 per order) | about $51 |
| Shipping supplies | about $15 |
| **Net profit** | **about $240** |

Now the hours:

- Sourcing trip: 2.5 hours
- Washing, steaming, photographing and listing 25 items at about 15 minutes each: 6.25 hours
- Packing and dropping off 15 orders at about 10 minutes each: 2.5 hours

That is about 11.25 hours for $240, or **roughly $21 an hour**. Buy only 10 sellable items and spend the same 2.5 hours digging, and you drop toward $12. Find one $300 quilt, and that trip jumps to $40 or more.

> **Tip:** The 10 unsold items are not zero. They sell later or get bundled. But do not count them as profit until they ship.

Notice where the hours go: the bins trip is less than a quarter of the work. **Listing speed matters more than digging speed.** If you want more on realistic part-time earnings, see [how much you can make reselling part time](/blog/how-much-make-reselling-part-time).

## Which categories make the bins worth the trip?

**Light, branded, fast-selling items pay best because you buy by the pound and sell by the brand.** Heavy items get expensive and cost more to ship.

1. **Branded clothing and outerwear.** Patagonia, Pendleton, Brooks Brothers, quality workwear, and vintage band or event tees. Light, cheap, and the deepest category at most outlets.
2. **Shoes.** Quality leather shoes and boots can sell for $60 to $200. Check soles and insoles before you buy.
3. **Quilts and vintage linens.** One r/GoodwillBins seller paid $9.88 for a king quilt and sold it for $495. At outlets that price linens low, this is a strong category.
4. **Cookware.** Cast iron, enameled pots and branded kitchen tools sell steadily, though weight raises the cost.
5. **Niche nonfiction books.** Cookbooks, textbooks and technical titles, at 50 cents to $1 each. A r/Flipping reseller reported books bought for 25 cents that they expected to clear about $10 each.
6. **Medical and specialty items.** The same reseller found new diabetic-friendly leggings at under $1 a pound that sell for $60. Specialty goods are often ignored by casual shoppers.

For a broader list with comps for each category, see [the best things to resell from thrift stores](/blog/best-things-resell-thrift-stores). The [Reselling pack](/reselling) adds a sourcing checklist and the comp-checking routine to run on your phone before anything goes in your cart.

### What to skip

- Generic fast fashion (sells for less than the time to list it)
- Bulky decor and furniture (per-item pricing, painful shipping)
- Untested electronics (high return risk unless you can test on site)
- Anything stained, smelly or damaged that you would not wear or use yourself

## Who should not flip the Goodwill bins?

**If the outlet is far, the crowd stresses you, or you do not sell clothing, the bins are probably a poor fit.** These are the objections resellers raise most on r/Flipping:

- **Distance.** One poster has three outlets, all an hour or more away and mostly clothing. They rarely go and now source online instead. A two-hour round trip can wipe out the margin on a whole haul.
- **The crowd.** Several r/Flipping commenters describe "Black Friday levels of pushing and grabbing" and quit for yard sales, pawn shops and regular thrift stores.
- **Quality is pulled first.** A top r/Flipping comment says the bins got worse once Goodwill started pulling quality items for retail stores and its online auction site. The bins are what is left after that.
- **Dirt.** Expect gloves, dust and the occasional unpleasant surprise.

None of these are dealbreakers if you plan around them. They are why the bins are cheap.

## How to run a bins trip that pays

**Go early, carry a scanner, set a buy rule, and cap your time.** Here is a routine that works.

1. **Check the rotation.** Call or ask staff when bins rotate. Being there at opening or right as fresh bins roll out matters more than total time spent.
2. **Bring gloves, a phone with the eBay app, and a battery pack.** Scan anything uncertain against sold listings, not active ones.
3. **Set a buy rule before you walk in.** For example: it must sell for at least $15, have at least 5 sales in the last 90 days, and weigh under 2 pounds.
4. **Do a first pass for brands and fabrics, then a second pass to scan.** Toss maybes into your cart, then cull before checkout.
5. **Cap the trip at 2 hours.** The marginal hour rarely finds as much as the first.
6. **List within 48 hours.** Unlisted inventory earns nothing, and backlogs are the most common reason bins resellers quit.
7. **Track every trip.** Cost, items, hours, and what sold. After five trips you will know your real hourly rate.

> **Watch out:** Some outlets ban scanning in the aisle or limit cart size. Read the posted rules before your first visit.

## Mistakes that kill bins profits

**The biggest mistake is buying because it is cheap, not because it sells.** At $2 a pound, everything feels like a bargain. Most of it is not.

- **Overbuying.** A cart of 80 items sounds productive until you face 20 hours of listing. Buy fewer, better items.
- **Ignoring weight on heavy goods.** A cast iron pan at $2 a pound and 6 pounds is $12 before shipping. Know your outlet's heavy-item rules.
- **Going midday.** By then the obvious wins are gone and the crowd is thick.
- **Counting the trip, not the hours.** If you only measure trip time, every haul looks great. Count listing and shipping too.
- **Skipping cleaning.** A quick wash or steam can double what a garment sells for. Photos sell bins finds.
- **Chasing viral finds.** The $1,300 handbag story is real, but you cannot plan income around it. Plan around the steady $15 to $40 items.

For a wider look at whether reselling in general is worth your time, read [is reselling worth it](/blog/is-reselling-worth-it).

## Where to go from here

1. Visit your nearest outlet once at opening on a weekday, with gloves and the eBay app, and buy nothing you have not scanned.
2. Pick two categories from the list above and learn their brands well.
3. List everything within 48 hours and time yourself.
4. After five trips, calculate your real hourly rate and drop the categories that do not earn it.
5. Decide whether the bins stay your main source or become one stop alongside yard sales and regular thrift stores.

The [Reselling pack](/reselling) gives you the full step by step for $19: 24 lessons across 6 modules, the sourcing and comp checklists, listing templates, and the traps resellers on Reddit paid to learn. All 16 Money Printer packs are $39.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can you make money reselling from Goodwill bins?

Yes. Items cost cents to a few dollars by the pound, so a $20 shirt or a $60 pair of shoes is almost all margin. The catch is time: sorting, cleaning, photographing and shipping. Most part-time bins resellers who track their hours land somewhere around $15 to $25 an hour, and results vary widely by location.

### How much do Goodwill bins charge per pound?

It depends on the regional Goodwill. Evergreen Goodwill lists $1.49 a pound for hard goods and $2.29 for textiles, Goodwill Silicon Valley lists $1.29 for electronics and $2.99 for textiles, and shoppers on r/GoodwillBins report flat rates from $1.89 to $2.99. Books and media are often priced per item instead.

### What is the best time to go to the Goodwill bins?

Opening time and the first fresh bin rotation of the day. Resellers on r/Flipping say the first hour has the least competition and the best untouched stock, while midday can feel like Black Friday. Ask staff how often they rotate bins, since some outlets roll out new bins every hour or so.

### What sells best from Goodwill bins?

Branded clothing and outerwear, quality shoes, quilts and vintage linens, cookware, and niche nonfiction books sell most reliably. These have many recent sold listings on eBay and weigh little, so they cost little. Bulky decor and generic fast fashion usually sit unsold, so skip them even when they look cheap.

### Are Goodwill bins worth it if you don't sell clothes?

Sometimes, but it is harder. Many outlets are mostly clothing, and r/Flipping posters who skip clothes say the trip rarely pays unless it is close. If yours has decent housewares, books and media, it can still work. Visit once on a weekday morning before you commit to a routine.

### What is the best way to learn Goodwill bins flipping?

The Rushilo Reselling pack is the best structured option at $19: 24 lessons across 6 modules covering sourcing, comps, listing and shipping, with checklists you can use at the bins. Pair it with a few cheap trips where you scan everything before buying, since practice on real bins teaches faster than videos.

## Sources

- [Goodwill bins, r/Flipping](https://www.reddit.com/r/Flipping/comments/v073gd/goodwill_bins/)
- [What's the prices at yall bins?, r/GoodwillBins](https://www.reddit.com/r/GoodwillBins/comments/1renx7u/whats_the_prices_at_yall_bins/)
- [What's your best find at the bins?, r/GoodwillBins](https://www.reddit.com/r/GoodwillBins/comments/1ihyka8/whats_your_best_find_by_far_and_so_far_at_the_bins/)
- [Outlet Pricing, Evergreen Goodwill](https://evergreengoodwill.org/outlet-pricing/)
- [7 things to know before visiting a Goodwill Outlet, Goodwill Silicon Valley](https://goodwillsv.org/7-things-to-know-before-visiting-a-goodwill-outlet-or-bins-store/)
- [Selling fees, eBay](https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/selling-fees?id=4822)