Goodwill Bins in New York

"If you’re looking to go goodwill bin shopping, this is your place. Lots to dig through but definitely can get overwhelming. If you have the time to dig, you can find some good items. We did find a newer iPad! Definitely bring gloves and be careful of broken glass and knives."

"My favorite place to shop thrift is the rochester bins. So I thought why not go to this one. In rochester they charge by the pound but if its a large item that weighs alot they will charge 2 to 5 dollars. Plus they weigh items and charge different amounts for clothing, household etc. Not here its by the pound so if its a large item look out. Not a good experience"

"I’ve been to multiple “bins” locations and this is by far the calmest and friendliest location that I have visited. The other shoppers are friendly and the staff are helpful and eager to solve any issues. However be aware, this isn’t traditional goodwill shopping. Everything is in bins, so you’re basically digging (literally) for treasure. And the price is based on weight."

"The store just feels dirty to me. To root around in the bins people wear gloves so it’s not to get stuck with anything or to get dirty. There’s a lot of clothes and large items stacked on more items and makes it very difficult to sort through. I do usually find a thing or two, but I don’t think it’s worth all the effort unless you’re just killing time. I use hand sanitizer when I leave."

"First thing I would like to say is if you're new "they" will know. "They" are the people that stay in the store all day in shifts, "they" are the hawks of the store. If this is your first time take a look at my photos and read the rules and take a look at the building layout as well read what I think are some things you should and should not do when at this goodwill. 1)READ THE RULES (I have a picture of them) 2)Wear gloves don't be bold(I have found underwear before unless that's your thing) 3)You buy by the pound here unless a tag says something else 4)Bring your bag empty, they do not give bags and the carts are I think 25cents 5)Don't bring children between 6 months and 5 years old they just don't get it and will not stay still 6)If possible come with 2 people you can through things faster and catch some good things 7)The mornings are not for the weak and also the best pickings 8)They will take it to heart when it's the morning time and the bins are rolling out. 9)Be comfortable and dressed the down this is not your normal thift stores 10) Mind your business, have patience and enjoy"

"A very unique place. A monument to capitalism, commercialism, and wastefulness, but also a never-ending treasure hunt for those willing to dig and search. My only gripe is that the bin rotations seem to not really follow a set schedule. Some days they change every half hour, other days I’ve arrived and seen the same bins from the day before."

"Fun experience with the opportunity to find great items for great prices IF you are willing to dig. Don’t expect a super clean environment in the bins itself. Bring hand sanitizer, gloves if you want. Watch what you grab. Make the best of it! BUT, I have NEVER in my life seen a bathroom so disgusting in my entire life. It smells awful. There are used pads or diapers full of urine on the floor, used and discarded gloves scattered everywhere, and empty cleaning supplies laying around (but clearly unused in a while). I used to regular this location before moving out of state a few years ago. It has gone drastically down hill organization and cleanliness wise. Just be aware that you should avoid the bathroom at all costs."

"The "BINZ" as it is known locally with affection is where old and overstock merch from goodwill stores goes as well as large volumes of relatively unpicked and unfiltered material from estate donations nationwide. Tractor-trailers come in from everywhere, that goodwill collects stuff and is first fumigated for a period of time and then sorted into broad categories: electronics and appliances, shoes, clothing and household textiles, books. The goods are rolled out into the sales area in enormous plastic bins, which customers sort through with black friday enthusiasm. Just about everything is sold by weight with different prices for different categories of item. Electronics and appliances are for the most part.Sold for a base price of like three dollars per item. And if it's blow a certain weight, it's even less. I rarely leave there spending more than ten or twenty dollars. Half my wardrobe, most of my sheets, and just about all of the curtains in my house have come out of the bins. I've also bought numerous appliances like roombas.There that needed little or no tinkering to run beautifully. This is my bargain crack. It's hard to imagine any place else being better."

"The ladies with the white bags on their waists do jump into the new bins, pull out what they consider gold, aka resellables, aka what they image other people want then put their scavenged wares into a shopping cart that lines the walls & covered with a blanket. Its end of times behavior. It’s animals crawling over each other for the crumb. There are arguments, some rough housing. It is easy to steal. Bring gloves, a shopping bag, & although most don’t wear masks, I recommend. There were plenty of nice blankets, handmade quilts, & lace table clothes when I went. It’s $2 something a pound for textiles"

"Hi Goodwill Management, does anyone in management ever address the issue at this goodwill bin? There is so many complaints about the staff and the horrible women who spend the day abusing all the other customers. I have read more than 25 complaints about those horrible women and the unprofessional staff and the question is why has the management of goodwill done nothing about this? I have been to the bins a few times and every time I have a bad experience with those horrible women and how the staff allows them to get away with nasty behavior. Why is this still happening and why hasn’t the management done anything about this issue? I have been to two other goodwill bins in other states and this NYC one is just the worst. Management keeps responding to the negative reviews but no action is taken. This is just an example of a poorly run business when there is a clear outcry by their customers for years and nothing has changed. Do better goodwill management do better… it’s 2025!"

"i love the bins!! i go pretty regularly and i always find some good stuff every time i go, people been saying how it’s aggressive and dirty and yada yada yada and yeah everything there is definitely not the cleanest and you can bring gloves if you really want but it’s not like filthy and its not like you’re gonna go home and immediately wear the clothes you find anyways so as long as you throughly wash it you’ll be fine!! from some who is super scared of bed bugs and things of the like once you get home, wash all the clothes immediately and in hot water if you can. i feel like anyone from nyc can handle the bins fine, they do have ladies that are regulars and shove stuff into to bags but i’ve found that they’ve never been aggressive to me and most of them are just trying to make ends meet, regardless of them grabbing a lot you’ll find good stuff anyways so you shouldn’t stress about it. i also think if you’re going to the bins it helps to have an idea of what kind of clothes you want beforehand (like a certain style) my first time there i didn’t really know what i was looking for and ending up taking home a bunch of stuff i didn’t wear, it’s also helps knowing how to sew at least a basic amount!! most of my sewing is just like resizing shirts and sweaters and it’s way easier than it sounds, you don’t even need a sewing machine to do that! just go in with a open mind and just mentally prepare yourself because it might get a little intense with all the yelling and people happy thrifting !! 😛"

"I found lots of great items! Go early and expect to spend at least 45 minutes there. At some point you may have to stand in line and wait about 25 minutes while they change out the bins and introduce new clothing. It goes without saying that a vast majority of the clothing is worn, dirty, and probably won’t be worthy of salvaging but if you’re patient and search thoroughly you can easily snatch up some gems. I got about 7 items which came out to 3 pounds and only paid $6. This is coming from a person who was very skeptical about being able to find anything."