GoodwillFinds.com, the digital recommerce venture launched by the national nonprofit last year, has entered into a strategic partnership to facilitate returns.
It’s teaming up with return assurance platform Seel ahead of the holiday season, giving shoppers the ability to return any item purchased on the site, from luxury and vintage accessories to apparel, footwear, electronics and homewares.
Consumers checking out on the website can purchase return assurance for $1.99, which allows them to send back items within seven days without going through a return authorization process. After contacting Seel about their return plans, they will receive a shipping label. GoodwillFinds.com joins nameplates including Eric Javits, Garmentory and Designer Revival using the platform to facilitate take-backs.
GoodwillFinds chief revenue officer Jim Davis, a veteran of Deckers, Urban Outfitters and Buck Mason, who joined the company in March, believes the relationship will enhance the shopper experience and enable competition with other digital resale marketplaces while promoting a circular economy.
“We are constantly looking for ways to make shopping on GoodwillFinds.com more convenient for those who recognize the power of shopping with purpose,” he said. “The new return capability allows us to provide every shopper with a better experience and the peace of mind that you are taken care of if your purchase isn’t quite what you were expecting or doesn’t fit in the way you hoped.”
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Davis told Sourcing Journal that the company evaluated a number of potential partners “spanning the gamut from third-party management systems to software that supported Goodwill members to manage returns individually” before settling on Seel.
“As a non-profit, the most economical approach turned out to be partnering with Seel, which allows customers to opt into purchasing return assurance per item,” he said. “This consumer safety net enables shoppers to make returns while allowing Goodwill members to keep the revenue from the original sale, while sparing GoodwillFinds from incurring any shipping or processing costs.”
That revenue fuels Goodwill’s social programs across the U.S. “All in, Seel’s offering is uniquely and perfectly aligned with our business needs and can seamlessly integrate into the customer experience on GoodwillFinds.com, making the company an exceptional partner for us,” Davis said.
“Secondhand shopping offers great value to consumers and is good for the environment—the only downside in the past has been the final sale policy that can make secondhand purchases a hit or miss,” Zack Peng, co-founder and CEO of Seel said. “We’re proud to bring risk-free shopping experience to millions of Goodwill shoppers who already love the thrifting experience, and to the millions more who are ready to shop secondhand for the first time, now with no reservation.”
GoodwillFinds wanted to launch the new feature before the holidays because it expects “steady growth across shopping categories—particularly in gaming and electronics, jewelry, and women’s handbags,” Davis said. Demand has recently trended upward by 10 percent to 25 percent in those categories.
The platform has seen “massive growth in demand” since it launched in October last year. It has achieved several of its target objectives for its first year. GoodwillFinds.com has scaled from supporting six Goodwill regions to 14, representing over 500 stores from Washington to Kansas, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and several other states. Gross merchandise value has grown by 50 percent quarter over quarter, Davis said.
Shoppers are also engaging with the site’s marketing efforts. Newsletter subscriptions have grown by 1,000 percent, “deepening brand affinity and the reach of Goodwill’s mission of restoring communities through the power of work,” he added.