Mastering The Goodwill Outlet/Bins Part 1: How To Prepare And What To Know BEFORE You Go Sourcing
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- čas přidán 15. 06. 2024
- In this video, I'll give you all the tips & tricks you need to know to prepare for your first (or next) goodwill outlet visit!
**This will be a series of goodwill outlet tips and tricks!**
My name is Bethany - welcome to our channel! My husband Sean and I run Trash Pandas Thrift, a 6 figure reselling business. You can follow us on Instagram & Whatnot @ Trash Pandas Thrift!
How To Find Us:
Instagram: / trashpandasthrift
#reseller #resellercommunity #fashion #poshmark #poshmarkseller #ebay #ebayseller #depopseller #whatnot #reselling #goodwillbins #goodwillbins #goodwill
+ hand sanitizing wipes!
This is a great one too!
Sometimes when they change the bins, they have people move to the front of the store. You have to either return your items to the bins of check out, which can catch you off guard if you haven't made decisions or checked over your items yet. I like getting in the zone and time flies when sorting through the bins. I love being able to learn about items low risk or get 'bread and butter' at low cost.
Thank you so much for your comment! This is a great point too - so many bins have different rules :)
I agree, time disappears when I’m “digging” , almost a form of meditation. Then the work at home, cleaning, etc,
It totally is a form of meditation! Great way of describing it :)
I ❤ the bins too! I go there for my birthday AND Mother’s Day and I would go everyday in between if I could 😂
Haha I totally get this! Sean thinks I’m a bit crazy (which maybe he’s right?) but I love it too!
@@TrashPandasThrift #truth! And sounds like we have the same bins uniform 😂. Tide pen is a genius idea! If there’s no carts available, the first thing I grab is some sort of receptacle (laundry basket, suitcase or duffel bag) and bonus points if it has wheels. It just needs to get me thru until the carts show back up.
My husband is out of town so I need to take my 11yo with me next week 😬. Will go one of 2 ways. He’s gonna grab all the big bulky crap he can’t live without OR he’s gonna nag me relentlessly to leave (or both). It’s gonna be hours and I feel like I’ll be preparing for a cross country flight with a toddler 😂
It is the best place to shop for yourself
Another engaging video from Trash Pandas. When you think everything about the bins has been said, Bethany compellingly describes the blissful state few reach at a high strung environment like the Goodwill outlet. A true Zen Master finding her flow state in the mist of anxiousness and competition. All of that while staying hydrated and centered, taking care of your mind and your body. Listen to this girl, a true leader!!!
Aw patty you’re too sweet! Thank you so much for the kind comment and for always being so supportive!
Right ,I feel the same about being an anxious person yet feeling so calm at the crazy outlet. I feel alone while so many people around me and I love it! I just do my thing and mentally focus. It's interesting to hear it's the same for others! Plus the treasure hunt is so rewarding!
I completely agree! I’m totally that person and the chaotic energy brings out my peace somehow lol
This was a great video. Sadly our bin has horrible reviews, and rightfully so. One of my daughters and my self went for the first time, and it was soooo stressful. The reviews didnt lie! There were kids everywhere, throwing cards out of board games all over the floor, with no parents in sight. It is in a really bad neighborhood. People would line up for the new bins and the worker would be screaming "dont touch until i lock the wheels" over and over. Then people would push me out of the way and grab an entire 5 ft mound and walk to their cart. I am not timid at all, and was shocked .It was not a great experience! I wish i were near one that wasn't so absolutely horrible. We put the couple things we had back and left. If your review stars are less that two, believe them. I went on a weekday, not at the line forming time. If you are in Richmond area, the reviews are accurate!!! I am okay with the noise and crowd, but not the disregard for the items. Thank you for the video! I wish i had your experience!!❤
Hi! Our experience in Austin was VERY similar to yours - the pushing, the sometimes crazy behavior, etc. so I totally understand.
One great thing to consider is: If there’s competition, and it’s fierce, it’s probably for a reason!
It’s definitely not for everyone which I completely get - and it’s been our best way of keeping our COGs low and volume high!
I only recently had my first bins experience in Austin. I knew what to expect. I told my daughter-in-law it would be like dumpster diving on Black Friday. I feel like it lived up to my expectations! So much fun, and my DIL found some awesome things. I was so glad she was with me.
Haha that’s a new way of saying it - and probably pretty accurate! So happy you had a good time and it’s always better if we can have someone we know with us trying something new for sure
Dumpster diving on Black Friday 🤣accurate.
I bring my wagon too! It's the best, and the IKEA bags fit so nicely in it. I also love that I can grab a sheet and cover it up so I can walk away from it for short spurts of time. The Tide pen is genius.
The sheet is a staple! Haha
Thank you so much for this. I am new to thrifting and I am planning my first bins trip this week. So helpful!😊
So happy this was helpful for you! Thanks for watching and commenting :)
Thanks for such an informative video
Thank you for watching and commenting!
My first bin experience was in Austin. It was around 2017 and I don’t remember it being terrible. I do remember at that time we did not have any bins in Houston and I heard a lot of rumors about why that was the case. I sort of figured there were deaths involved but they have them again in Houston so that’s nice I guess. Houston is already a great place to source. There are a lot of really great thrift options.
The bins in Houston are great! We frequented them over the last few years and really like them a lot - great quality and good rotation schedules!
@@TrashPandasThriftI’m glad they got them back. They have at least one other super cheap chain called family thrift. I’ve gotten some great stuff both on their regular and outlet store. Brand new Loro piana trench, great western stuff
Hello! just found your channel!!! Love it! ❤
Hi! Thank you so much for watching and commenting we appreciate you! :)
I’ve been frequenting the bins for years and have yet to commit to bringing a snack lol I also had to learn my Birkenstocks are not bins friendly. I’ve gotten to the point I only stay for two hours 😅
Haha I get you on the Birkenstock thing - Sean is crazy! Snacks definitely have been a hack for sure for us
hey girl, hey!
Flow State is a good tip. I would rather source without ear buds i like to hear whats going on around me so im more relaxed, my daughter has ear buds it calms her she has anxiety and it helps her focus, she does really good she takes her time looking at fabric, tags, stitching and she always comes out with really good clothes, thank you keep up the good work!
Definitely depend on what your preference is! I totally get you though and I’m similar to you for sure in not using headphones often. Thank you for watching!
I get mentally burnt out from scanning hundreds of items. Bringing spot treatment is a great idea.
I totally get this! It’s DEFINITELY a wear on the body - hopefully some of the tips mentioned could be a bit helpful in your next trip! They help us for sure
thats a good idea
In San Diego is $2 per piece or $27 for 15 piece (including jackets, maxi dresses)
Great very helpful. Headed there this week. I’m newbie in Austin We’ll see 😮
That’s so exciting! We built our entire business in Austin - have a great time!!
❤❤❤
This video came at the right time. I wanted to go to the bins within the next 2 weeks. I live in northeast PA and the 2 nearest bins are 2 hours away. One is near Philly and the other in NJ, both are competitive. I'll probably go to the one in South Hackensack
Hi! I’ve heard good things about the northeast bins - Sean and I are originally from Brooklyn NY! Thanks so much for watching and commenting and let us know how your first trip goes!!
This is really helpful as a new reseller but an established seller (selling my own clothes). I went to a Goodwill bins in Denver with my friend back in 2018 when we were gathering stuff for the homeless. I thought it was so gross but we got so many jackets and blankets for like 60 bucks. There is one 27 minutes away from me in Phoenix. I would love to check it out but I think I'll go after the summer when it cools down and for now just stick to my local bin store and goodwill store which are a mile down the road for sourcing lol 😂
Haha I definitely get the not wanting to dig in hot weather - in Austin it was consistently over 100 degrees and sometimes the AC didn’t work…
For us, the best part about the bins is the low COGs and volume we’re able to get.
@@TrashPandasThrift yes! Here in AZ it's been 107 to 112 most days. I can imagine how much cheaper it is to go to the Goodwill bins. I'll try my local bin store tomorrow it's 3.00 day and we don't have a lot of competition yet luckily so maybe I'll find some good stuff again.
I'm in Australia - no bins on that scale at all in my capital city. I'm fascinated by the US bins and love the extent of detail you've provided.
Australia!? I find it so awesome and fascinating someone from Australia is watching our videos! Thank you for watching and commenting and I’m glad it was informative and insightful!
I’ve walked into the Goodwill Outlet/Bins twice in San Antonio and walked out because I was so overwhelmed. I’ve been trying to educate myself to prepare for the Austin bins. I’ve heard there is two locations. If you have any recommendations on which is better- I would love to hear it. They seem relatively close to one another. My husband is super supportive and said we should just go, so we’re hoping to go within the next month or so.😊
I totally get this! Goodwill outlets/bins can certainly be overwhelming, which is one of the reasons why I’m putting out this series to hopefully help others prepare for the environment a bit better! Best of luck on your first trip - the Austin bins have great stuff for sure!
Thanks for this intro. Have been wanting to try the bins, but its a 1.5 hour drive and heard mixed things. Look forward to video on first visit!
Thanks so much for watching! The bins really are a unique experience depending on where you are but we’ve always lined them and are yet to find a bin we don’t love. :)
This was so helpful, I’m ready for more! I’m in metro area of 8M people and ONE bins store! I don’t know what to expect because a lot of people in this area are aggressive anyway, but at least I feel better prepared. Thank you!
Haha I totally get this! We used to live in NYC and the bins in queens were something for sure. Great stuff though! It’s the best way we know of to get low COGs AND high volume :)
I struggle liking the South Austin Bins. I know that it is necessary to learn to like it if I want to grow my business. I struggle with the aggressive nature of people at this bins in particular. I am going to try to use your husbands method and play music in my ears to help. The north Austin bins doesn't have nearly as good of deals as the South Austin Bins. Recently, the South Austin Bins has been putting in LOTS of furniture which takes up space for more bins. I am not a fan of all the furniture there. It mostly serves as a place for people to sit and lounge on the couches! Great video!
Thank you so much for watching and commenting! I totally hear you on the south Austin bins - we built our entire business on them! Honestly, yes the aggression can be a bit much sometimes. I will say though that making friends made a WORLD of a difference for us. So many of the people there really truly are the kindest people you can ever meet, and we still have friends from there even after moving!
Also, the Sean earbud method can also be super helpful!!
Both Austin bins are getting scary! You definitely have to watch elbows there 😂 Waco has become my spot because it’s not as busy there. Not as much good stuff but I like the slower pace.
The waco bins are fun too! Also the Austin bins have been crazy for years lol I totally agree to watch the elbows but even going in rotations after the craziness is over we’ve found INSANE pieces!
The headphones are a great idea went once they screamed at the customers like we were children I also took gloves and they were so gross after the first rotation I regret only taking 1 pair but I left anyway. Considering going back to bring my COG down great advice ty
Haha the Sean headphone method is definitely a useful one at a lot of locations! And gloves can be a great tip too!
Everyone finds therapy in strange ways. My therapy is mowing the yard. We have 3 acres. I'm going to try the ear buds suggestion. I'm looking forward to part 2.
Haha I totally get that! thank you so much for watching :)
Omg I was so overwhelmed and pissed at the worker yelling at everyone!
#thriftinginqueensny
Good finds tho lol
I get that! Some places can be a little more strict than others but I’m glad you found some great finds!!
Oh yeah, I take my grandma cart to the bins.
Haha I love the grandma carts!
Just out of curiosity, did y'all prefer the downtown bins or north county bins more??
They rarely rotate shoes in at the north county bins. I went downtown once and it was a Saturday and it was chaos! But maybe because it was Saturday. I think i could get used to it if there are better items there as far as style and brands go.
North country feels chill but i feel like i should be leaving wirh more and dont because of whats available or a lot of it is ruined wirh liquids 🤢
Wondering if y'all had a preference or if you went to one location for specific items and the other location for other items.
I just find it very weird that there aren't many shoes in North county. Whereas when I watch other resellers on CZcams, their bins have tons of rows of shoes.
Hi! We personally didn’t sell tons of shoes so I can’t speak to the shoes part, but we exclusively sourced at the South bins. We tried several times to go to the north bins but weren’t able to get the volume we needed at the time.
I’m preferring to start my online business, please share any advice for beginners. I would take all the advise thank you
Hi! That’s very exciting - we have some content on our channel that should be super valuable if you’re just starting our reselling and there are other great content creators in the niche too!
How about bathrooms? Is there a "spot" you have or could lose? Can you grab things; take them to the side and look them up and put them back later???
Robert, I've been to two bins in my area. They had bathrooms in another area of the building. I also was able to find spots that were pretty much out of the way to edit what I had and run comps. It is exhausting, though, but fun.
@@debbiekennedy6030 thanks Debbie, what part of the country are you in? I feel like I've heard of all of these rules at the bins and that people are pushy and get wild. I just don't want to deal with a lot of BS and was hoping the ones near me aren't like that.
Hi Robert! Great questions.
First, a lot of bins have a bathroom - if not, there’s usually a McDonald’s or something nearby that you can use the restroom at.
As far as your other questions, they are VERY location dependent. My best piece of advice which I’ll also expand on in the next video on this series is to ask someone when you get there what the rules are around “parking” your cart, when the rotations start, what items you can touch or not, etc. we’ve been to many different bins and most of the time they all have different rules, spoken and unspoken
@@Robert1546_Sea I'm in NC. One of the bins I have gone to was very active, but I didnt get pushed. I tend to talk to people wherever I am, so I met a couple of really nice folks who gave a rundown of how things work, and some helpful hints. The other one didn't have as many people, but when new bins rolled out I didn't even try to get near them until they cleared out. I was finding things where I was, so I didn't want to squeeze in while they were all crowded around. It's kinda fascinating observing the people there. Some are very friendly, but the young guys are not so nice. They are pretty focused.
@@debbiekennedy6030 that's what i worry about, the aggressive people. I'm not a small guy, so i don't want to have to push people who are crowding me.
I'm going to give it another try. Be more prepared with my gloves, mask, and keep my eyes on the bin bullies
I’m so glad to hear it! I definitely think it may deserve another try :)
I like to go to the bins and go several times a week, but I have to say there are some of the rudest people ever at the bins. When they put out a new row, people act like rabid animals.
I hear you on that for sure - there can be a few bad apples ruining it for the rest. I’ve definitely found that the vast majority of people I meet at the bins are kind, hard working people though!
The bin in my area are so stressful. I actually snapped at someone :( not happy about that but I was pushed for the last time. I had my baby and was stuck in a corner just trying to stay calm already and a lady was so irritated that she could not get around me and told me to move for her. I snapped and told her NO and to just walk around the bin. People in my area are very disrespectful like pigs in a pig pen there is NO regard to humanity at all. Why does it get this way? why do people forget who they are in the bins? I did not have to snap but I dont get why common sense just disappears in peoples brains at this place! She just had to walk around I was already pinned in a corner and before that pushed.
I’m sorry to hear about your negative experience! There are always a few bad apples no matter where we are or what we’re doing for sure and that always sucks.
Personally, having been to bins across the country, I’ve found that most people are competitive but still genuinely kind people overall.
@@TrashPandasThrift Yes I agree, I go 2x a week and you just never know what kind of people you will run into. I love going still :)
You're not allowed food or drinks at our Goodwill outlet.
Some outlets don’t allow food or drink inside including our current one - we just leave our lunchbox in our car and go out to snack/drink when we need to :)
I sent you guys an email I hope you'll respond soon HAPPY THRIFTING