Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Goodwill handles over 4.4 billion pounds of donations every year. Most of it gets cleaned, priced, and sold at a retail store. For some, flipping Goodwill finds lead to massive paydays.
Now Goodwill is using AI listing tools to sell the best items online before they ever reach the floor. That's squeezing the thrifters who built businesses on nabbing hidden treasures.
We got behind-the-scenes access to see how Goodwill sorts and sells millions of items a year, then followed the resellers fighting for what's left. Some are earning six figures sourcing vintage clothes by the pound. Others have moved to live selling on Whatnot, which hit $8 billion in sales in 2025, nearly as big as Goodwill itself.
Editor's Note: At 11:10, we reported that Whatnot surpassed $6 billion in sales in 2025. That figure was a projection. The company actually did over $8 billion in 2025, $1 billion more than Goodwill Industries.
This video excerpts segments from "Where Goodwill's Best Donations Go" from @tycetycebaby youtube.com/watch?v=cTUt0Cv3zvs
Read "I put myself through college reselling used clothes. I've made nearly $50,000 so far this year": bit.ly/4w2DhFC
00:00 - Inside the world's biggest thrift machine
01:08 - How Goodwill Bins Work
02:50 - How Resellers Work
04:45 - Behind The Scenes Of Goodwill Retail
06:36 - Behind The Scenes Of A Goodwill Outlet
08:28 - Why Resellers Started Live Selling
10:01 - Gary Vaynerchuk @Garyvee
11:25 - How China Dominates Live Shopping
12:59 - What Happens After The Bins?
15:26 - The $90,000 Lakers Jacket
16:22 - Credits
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#goodwill #resellers #aitools #liveselling #aiinaction #bigbusiness #thriftinghaul #thrift #flipping
WATCH MORE BIG BUSINESS EPISODES:
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Can Goodwill Still Make You Rich? | Big Business | Business Insider
Goodwill handles over 4.4 billion pounds of donations every year. Most of it gets cleaned, priced, and sold at a retail store. For some, flipping Goodwill finds lead to massive paydays.
Now Goodwill is using AI listing tools to sell the best items online before they ever reach the floor. That's squeezing the thrifters who built businesses on nabbing hidden treasures.
We got behind-the-scenes access to see how Goodwill sorts and sells millions of items a year, then followed the resellers fighting for what's left. Some are earning six figures sourcing vintage clothes by the pound. Others have moved to live selling on Whatnot, which hit $8 billion in sales in 2025, nearly as big as Goodwill itself.
Editor's Note: At 11:10, we reported that Whatnot surpassed $6 billion in sales in 2025. That figure was a projection. The company actually did over $8 billion in 2025, $1 billion more than Goodwill Industries.
This video excerpts segments from "Where Goodwill's Best Donations Go" from @tycetycebaby youtube.com/watch?v=cTUt0Cv3zvs
Read "I put myself through college reselling used clothes. I've made nearly $50,000 so far this year": bit.ly/4w2DhFC
00:00 - Inside the world's biggest thrift machine
01:08 - How Goodwill Bins Work
02:50 - How Resellers Work
04:45 - Behind The Scenes Of Goodwill Retail
06:36 - Behind The Scenes Of A Goodwill Outlet
08:28 - Why Resellers Started Live Selling
10:01 - Gary Vaynerchuk @Garyvee
11:25 - How China Dominates Live Shopping
12:59 - What Happens After The Bins?
15:26 - The $90,000 Lakers Jacket
16:22 - Credits
------------------------------------------------------
#goodwill #resellers #aitools #liveselling #aiinaction #bigbusiness #thriftinghaul #thrift #flipping
WATCH MORE BIG BUSINESS EPISODES:
Why Don't Robots Look Real Yet?
youtu.be/EBO6z839sug
This Mad Science Lab Invented MREs
youtu.be/s80mBDNJ5lo
Meet The Young Founder Turned Biggest Glass Recycler In Louisiana
youtu.be/pwFUrE2YWjo
Business Insider is a global newsroom covering business, technology, innovation, and the economy.
Visit our homepage for the top stories of the day: businessinsider.com/?utm_source=youtube
Sign up for our newsletters: businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter?utm_source=youtube
Find Business Insider on Facebook: facebook.com/businessinsider
... on Instagram: instagram.com/businessinsider
... on X: https://x.com/BusinessInsider
... on TikTok: tiktok.com/@businessinsider
Can Goodwill Still Make You Rich? | Big Business | Business Insider
