Goodwill has a lot of good bargains and hidden treasures, to be sure—but I’ll let you in on a little secret. You can find many of the same items, at rock-bottom prices, by visiting a Goodwill outlet. Now, you might be asking, “What’s a Goodwill outlet?” and “How do I know if there’s a Goodwill outlet near me?”

Find Goodwill Outlets Nearby

You’ll find everything you need to know about Goodwill outlets in this post, including answers to all of the following questions:

• What is a Goodwill outlet, and how is it different from a regular Goodwill store?
• What is this “pay-by-the-pound” thing, and how much does Goodwill charge?
• Where is the nearest Goodwill outlet to me?
• How many Goodwill outlets are there?

If you’re a regular Goodwill shopper, this post is going to be life-changing. (And if you aren’t a regular Goodwill shopper—can I ask, “Why not?” I promise, while it can sometimes take some digging, you can score a ton of amazing finds for very little money by visiting Goodwill stores and Goodwill outlets.)

Let’s get into it!

What are Goodwill Outlets?

First, you need to know what a Goodwill outlet is and why it’s different from a regular Goodwill store.

You’re probably already somewhat familiar with Goodwill, even if you’ve never been inside. A regular Goodwill store is like your nearest thrift or secondhand store: they take donations from people, sort them, price them, organize them on the shop floor, and sell them to you. You buy items individually, and there’s a price tag on everything.

Goodwill has outlets just like regular retail chains (J.Crew, Coach, Nike, etc.): these outlets are the place where unsold items go to be sold at a deep discount.

At Goodwill outlets, however, things work a little differently. Not only can you buy individual items at the slashed sticker price, you can also buy items by the pound. Yes, you read correctly: by the pound!

Buying items by the pound works exactly like it sounds: Goodwill sets up a certain price per pound, you pick the items you want, and then you weigh your items at checkout. Price x weight = what you spend.

How much does a Goodwill outlet charge per pound? Well, that depends on the specific outlet.

In Indiana, for example, Goodwill prices are:

• $0.50 per paperback book
• $0.75 per hardback book
• $1.29/lb. for all other items

You can expect prices wherever you are to be pretty cheap: remember that Goodwill is trying to get rid of these items, so the price per pound won’t be too high. Also, remember that most items (except furniture) don’t weight very much at all. (Think of a t-shirt: it doesn’t even weigh a single pound!)

What Can You Find at Goodwill Outlets?

You can find just about everything under the sun at Goodwill outlets: clothing, housewares, glass and tableware, linens, shoes, furniture, knick-knacks, decorative items, media, books, toys, and more! Whatever you’re looking for, I can almost guarantee you can find something you’ll like at the nearest Goodwill outlet.

There is one thing I should note: Goodwill outlets are often not as organized as regular Goodwill stores. Instead of items placed on shelves, you might find a lot of bins full of merchandise. This requires you to do a bit of digging.

Still, I think it is more than worth it to find a Goodwill outlet near you. Shopping there takes a bit of patience, but it’s so easy to strike gold!

Goodwill outlets are constantly getting new merchandise, and they put out their merchandise throughout the day. For those reasons, it’s always a good idea to go when you have a few hours to really look through your options in the bins.

Please note: If you can’t make it a Goodwill outlet location there are online consignment shops like thredUP. ThredUP is my favorite! Whether you are looking for cheap maternity clothes, kids’ clothes, purses, dresses, shoes, or accessories thredUp has a good selection. I have ordered from them numerous times and always been happy with my purchases. If you want to check out thredUP, here’s my referral link which will score you a FREE $10 to use on your first order!