If you are in need of money but don’t want to be too hasty about selling your belongings, Goodwill might be the place for you. They typically buy items at a reduced price and resell them for profit. However, there are some things they do not take. This article will cover what is accepted by the store, as well as what is not accepted so that you can make an informed decision before donating your furniture.
Goodwill doesn’t typically buy used furniture. They usually only take appliances, electronics, and clothing. If you have a couch or bed that is in good condition but not necessarily brand new it might be accepted, however, they will most likely give you a reduced price for it rather than buying it outright.
If your items are too large to fit into a Goodwill donation bin then there’s no need to worry about taking them somewhere else because sometimes even if an organization won’t pay money for the item they’ll still take donations of big things like sofas and beds if someone can come to pick them up. So don’t feel bad asking friends & family who have room in their vehicle-it’s better than having these items sit around collecting dust when someone could be enjoying them.
If you have a mattress that’s stained or ripped, it is likely not going to be accepted by Goodwill since they will need to spend money on getting it cleaned or repaired before reselling it. If your furniture has been damaged for any reason, even if the damage isn’t very apparent at first glance, there’s a chance that Goodwill won’t accept those items either. The last thing anyone wants is used furniture with bed bugs! On top of all this, anything that smells musty might also get rejected as well because these odors can seep into other items and cause problems in their store.
Even though some types of household goods are typically turned down when offered as donations by most non-profit organizations like Goodwill, there are still some places that will take any type of household furniture. A family-run donation center might even give you more money for your items because they don’t have the same overhead costs as a large organization like Goodwill would. Also always call first before bringing in big things since not all non-profits can come to pick them up and others may need some time to clear out space so someone can swing by with their truck/van/SUV.
All information presented here is not meant as legal or health advice but rather an overview of what this specific business accepts vs doesn’t accept when it comes to household goods donations. Be sure to do further research on your own if needed so that you how best to proceed with whatever you are hoping to donate.
Donations Goodwill Doesn’t Accept
There are several donations that get declined by Goodwill. However, this doesn’t mean that you give up on donating what you needed to donate or sell it at a reduced price as we will guide you on where to do this.
Generally, Goodwill doesn’t accept used furniture. Other items that are not accepted include jewelry, underwear, and socks, purses/bags with side straps or handles, damaged items including stained mattresses
Goodwill doesn’t typically buy used furniture either so if you have a couch or bed in good condition but not necessarily brand new it might be accepted. They will most likely give you a reduced price for your item instead of buying it outright from you though so don’t expect to get rich selling them old couches! This may seem like an odd rule since donating clothes is one of the main reasons people go to Goodwill stores in the first place. However, they only take lightly worn clothing at this time because too many customers were asking where their donated clothing was going.
Some of the donations Goodwill will not take include;
a) Items that are not in good condition. If your items have been damaged for any reason, even if the damage isn’t very apparent at first glance, there’s a chance that Goodwill won’t accept those items either. The last thing anyone wants is used furniture with bed bugs! On top of all this, anything that smells musty might also get rejected as well because these odors can seep into other items and cause problems in their store.
b) Anything that is very old. Goodwill typically does not accept dated items unless it’s a rare find or antique of some type.
c) Stained mattresses and bedding are also turned down for donations by this company, which makes sense since they wouldn’t be able to sell them with these stains on them anyway-and who wants used stained sheets?
d) Clothing that is torn or stained.
e) Jewelry, purses/bags with side straps or handles, and anything else like this will not be bought by Goodwill either unless they are in good condition without odors. Otherwise, these items will typically only be accepted as discounted donations if at all.
f) Anything that smells musty might also get rejected because the odor can seep into other items which may cause problems for them to sell later on since no one wants smelly clothes!
g) Used underwear and socks.
Donations Goodwill Does Accept
There are several donations that do get accepted by Goodwill, so if you have any of these items to donate feel free to bring them in! The best thing about this company is they do accept most donated items even if it’s not listed below or on their website because every location might be different-so always call first before bringing anything in just to make sure they can take your donation. This way there won’t be a wasted trip for either one of you! Here is what some places will buy;
a) Books (including old textbooks), CDs, DVDs, and VHS tapes which must all include their case/cover art as well. If the item doesn’t include this they will be turned down.
b) Clothing and shoes in good condition, especially lightly worn clothing items since these are the most popular type of donated item for them to buy from people like you!
c) Computers, printers, and other office equipment/hardware which all must work properly or else it won’t be accepted even if there is nothing wrong with your computer don’t bother donating it unless it works 100%.
d) Dishes, pots, pans, and small appliances as long as they aren’t damaged. Stained dishes are fine even though broken ones would typically not get bought by Goodwill at this time because too many customers were asking where their donated items went that didn’t sell. This became a huge problem for them since they had to tell people that their donated items were in the dumpster and not even available anymore!
e) Furniture (such as desks, chairs, and tables), especially couches with or without matching loveseats/chairs too. This company will accept most working appliances but this is up to each individual location’s discretion-so check first before bringing anything like a fridge in. On top of all this, it must be clean and not smelly either since these odors can seep into other products when Goodwill stores dry out carpets during deep cleaning days several times per year which makes selling any new items hard if they smell bad from previous ones donated by you or someone else previously.
f) Household decorations including pictures, curtains, wall hangings, and other home decors too.
g) Bicycles which must be in good condition with working gears/brakes-if, not Goodwill won’t accept them no matter what because the bikes are much harder to sell this way since they aren’t as popular if anything at all.
h) Kitchenware including dinner wear, appliances, and other cooking utensils.
Kindly note that every single location has different requirements so call first before bringing anything in unless you see something listed above like household decorations, clothing, and shoes. F
Some non-profits will take almost any household good you have laying around if it’s in reasonably decent condition and not too old or broken down. These types of organizations usually ask for tax deductions but won’t give money directly to the person offering up their items through donations, so always double-check these details with them before bringing anything over since they may also charge fees depending on what type of goods are being offered.
Even though some types of household goods are typically turned down when offered as donations by most non-profit organizations like Goodwill, there are still some places that will take any type of household furniture. A family-run donation center might even give you a donation receipt for your tax purposes if you offer up a nice couch, loveseat, or other large pieces of furniture.
In the end, it’s always best to call ahead before bringing in any items to be donated since most places will turn down anything that isn’t working correctly since they won’t resell something like this either, and sending them back is too expensive.
Places to Donate Furniture
If you are looking for an organization to donate your items, then keep reading to see the places you can donate your furniture.
Remember that all locations might not take up any of these household goods so always contact them first before bringing anything in. Also, many non-profit organizations can be strict about what they will and won’t accept as donations depending on the location due to space constraints or other reasons too.
The following is a list of charities that may even give you tax deductions if you choose to donate furniture with some being quite picky while others are much less selective when it comes down to what type of furniture they want to be offered by people like yourself (for example). As stated above though, almost every single charity has different donation requirements since Goodwill only accepts certain types/sizes/shapes of household furniture and appliances, for example.
Household Furniture Donations to Places like Goodwill and Other Charities in Your Area:
a) The Salvation Army – This will accept almost all types/sizes/shapes of any working or non-working items so this is a great place to donate regardless if you live near one location or many too. Since they are such large organization with several locations everywhere, there’s always plenty of room when it comes down to accepting your donations no matter what type of stuff you have lying around the house that needs to be gone ASAP!
b) ReStore – This place only accepts certain items though so call before bringing over any type of household good if they don’t want what you have even if it’s working because chances are something isn’t going to work out correctly when donating without calling first before walking all the way there with your stuff which won’t do either party much good.
c) Habitat for Humanity – This is another great organization that accepts any working or non-working items as donations though it can be difficult to find a location near you since they don’t have too many locations. However, if you live in an area where this charity operates then definitely consider them next time around when thinking about donating household goods and furniture without Goodwill taking anything like this either.
d) Services For Seniors (SFS) – If you are looking for somewhere to donate your household good and furniture, SFS may even take beds/mattresses along with other types of stuff such as appliances etc.. The only downside here is that most places do not offer tax deductions unless the items) has been used recently or are in perfect working order which might not be the case for your items.
e) Community Action Agency – If you have any broken household goods or furniture that just need going ASAP then this is another place to consider offering up what you don’t want anymore since they tend to accept most types of stuff including appliances even if they aren’t fully functioning as new ones would be too. This also includes beds/mattresses and other large pieces of furniture such as couches, dressers, etc. A lot of their locations only offer tax deductions when it comes down to certain things though so call ahead before bringing anything with them especially non-working items (for example).
f) Local Charities – Most local charities in your area will accept pretty much anything too when it comes down to donating household goods and furniture like the ones above though not all of them offer tax deductions for this type of donation. If you are short on time when thinking about where to donate then give a call before heading out if they do or don’t want what you’re offering up for free since most places won’t mind either way (for example).
g) Goodwill Donation Pick Up Service – Finally, if there’s no other place that wants any items such as couches, dressers, etc. besides Goodwill even with calling ahead first before coming over which is one thing we recommend always doing whenever possible, try hiring their donation pick up service at least once to see if they are interested in anything you have before calling it quits.
Lastly, if you still can’t find any places that want your household goods and furniture after calling them all then consider selling some of the items online to make back at least part of what you spent on it in order to recoup some costs for yourself. This is definitely not the first option to go with but something else you can think about if nothing else works out.
With the different places to donate household goods and furniture out there, you should have no problem finding something to take off your hands when it comes down to getting rid of what you aren’t using anymore.
