ROCKVILLE, MD. — shopgoodwill.com, Goodwill Industries International’s first and only Internet auction site created, owned and operated by a nonprofit organization, has been named among “TIME.com 50 Best Web Sites of 2009.” Time.com ranked shopgoodwill.com number 18 on its list, above other popular sites like Amazon (#19), Netflix (#21), Wikipedia (#25) and Facebook (#31).
“Great deals abound,” the e-magazine proclaimed, favoring it above eBay as the best auction site for low-priced finds. The site, the leader in the online charity auction business, posts more than 30,000 items for sale at any given time, culled from the billions of pounds of donated goods that independent Goodwill® agencies across North America collect each year.
TIME Executive Producer Catherine Sharick highlighted five of the sites on the list on the Today Show that make web users’ lives easier, one of them being shopgoodwill.com. Sharick praised shopgoodwill.com as “the online shopper’s alternative to eBay,” noting that bargain hunters can get better deals on Goodwill’s site and feel good knowing that their purchase supports job training programs and other support services for people with disabilities and others having a hard time finding employment. To date, shopgoodwill.com has generated $75 million in sales, which are used to fund employment placement programs and services.
“Buyer registrations were already up just hours after this news was released,” said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International®. “We are thrilled to be recognized by such a highly visible and well-respected brand as TIME. The exposure will translate to greater revenues that support Goodwill’s job training and employment opportunities throughout the country.”
More than 1 million people from all corners of the globe visit shopgoodwill.com, as it boasts more than 165 categories and subcategories, from early 20th century paintings to a Mercedes. Shopping categories include Antiques, Art, Books and Records, Cameras and Electronic Equipment, Clothing, Collectibles, Home Décor, Jewelry and Gemstones, Musical Instruments, Pottery, Seasonal and Holiday, Sports, Toys and Dolls.
Read the shopgoodwill.com entry or view the entire list on the TIME web site.
