Inside Goodwill, the world's biggest thrift machine

Goodwill handles complete 4.4 cardinal pounds of donations each year. Most of it gets cleaned, priced, and sold astatine a unit store. Now, Goodwill is utilizing AI listing devices to waste the champion items online earlier they ever scope the floor. That's squeezing the flippers who built businesses connected those finds.

We sewage behind-the-scenes entree to spot really Goodwill sorts and sells millions of items a year, past followed the resellers fighting for what's left. Some are earning six figures sourcing vintage apparel by the pound. Others person moved to unrecorded trading connected Whatnot, which recorded $6 cardinal successful income successful 2025, astir arsenic overmuch arsenic Goodwill itself.