Goodwill Central Coast's e-commerce team expands -- feeding into nonprofit's mission of creating jobs
SALINAS, Calif., Dec. 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- There's a buzz of activity on the top floor of the Goodwill Central Coast headquarters on Moffett Street in Salinas. Hand-picked specialists from the e-commerce team sort through the most coveted donated items to put up for sale at shopgoodwill.com. The website represents the first e-commerce auction platform created, owned and operated by a nonprofit.
Since Goodwill Central Coast opened its centralized facility in July of 2017, the burgeoning e-commerce division has grown from five employees to 15.
It's effectively a job creator within a job creator.
"The question is: How many more people can we get jobs for?" said Alan Martinson, vice president of retail for Goodwill Central Coast. "I see 30 people (in e-commerce) in a few years. The growth potential is off the charts, and it fits our mission, reinvesting in jobs."
Goodwill designed the virtual marketplace to provide an engaging online shopping destination that would further the Goodwill mission.
Shoppers enjoy what Goodwill calls "guilt-free retail therapy," knowing every purchase supports job training programs and promotes reuse, keeping items out of landfills and reducing the need for scarce natural resources.
Martinson hand-picked his team, store associates with experience and a sharp eye who could cull specialty items from the tons of donations, separate them, tag them, photograph them, process them, upload them, and ship them — all in one facility.
Today, more than 130 Goodwill organizations from across the country list and auction unique items on the shopgoodwill.com site.
The Salinas team ships 400 to 500 items each day, from gold jewelry to clothing, musical instruments and more.
"We once sold a $15,000 Rolex," Martinson said. "The oddest, craziest stuff you can imagine."
Not long ago they auctioned off a rare, signed Fantastic Four comic strip for $7,500. "People are crazy for Legos, and we sold six pounds for $200," he said. "I have a woman just sorting Legos."
Jewelry remains the best-selling category on the site.
Working in a special room with tight security, team members sort, identify and value donated jewelry. They are trained to identify genuine jewelry, using visual marks, magnets, loupes and a $15,000 precious metal testing machine. Once identified as high-end jewelry, workers have the difficult task of writing an accurate, concise description of each piece and taking clear, detailed photographs.
Books are another big seller, with Goodwill selling roughly $50,000 worth each month.
Goodwill nationwide has generated more than $560 million in online sales since launching the site in 1999. Goodwill Central Coast's e-commerce division sees roughly $2 million in annual revenue. Martinson expects that to grow to $2.4 million next year. While the average price of an item in Goodwill's brick-and-mortar stores is between $4-$5, the online platform sells items averaging in value between $30 and $40.
All this revenue has funded a growing number of new programs that have served tens of thousands of individuals facing barriers.
SOURCE Goodwill Central Coast
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